Abstract:

The dynamic labor market increasingly demands new and enhanced skillsets, particularly in sustainability. Higher Education Institutions, in collaboration with local and global companies, are actively aligning curricula with labor market needs and objectives. This involves updating graduate programs and providing professional qualification training to prepare the current workforce with the skills required to meet current and future industry demands. Nearly eighty stakeholders, including Higher Education Institutions, Industry Associations, and Companies, gathered under the umbrella of the Portuguese Sustainable Packaging Consortium. This consortium aims to advance sustainable, digital, and inclusive packaging solutions through collaborative research, development, and training initiatives. One of its primary goals is to provide professionals with specialized technical skills to address industry challenges in sustainable packaging. In this context, the project has successfully identified specific training areas based on the needs of the consortium's Companies and Industry Associations. Consequently, skill-enhancement activities have been developed to support specialized roles within the sustainable packaging sector. This paper presents and discusses the training domains required by the project stakeholders, aiming to provide significant insights for future training skillsets for professionals in areas related to sustainable packaging.

Keywords:

Future of jobs, Workforce Qualification, Skillset Realignment, Sustainable Packaging, Innovation Agreement.