Athens Tech Talent Day

The Athens Tech Talent Day is the first of an innovative series of initiatives designed to focus attention on the supply and demand for tech talent and professions. The Talent Day provides policy-makers, employers and education and training institutions a structured space to discuss labour market forecasts; provision of talent; compensation and retention of talent; the transformation of educational curricula and more. This event is accompanied by space set aside for recruitment sessions: one-to-one interviews and preliminary contracts for recruitment rounds. 

 

The rapid advancement of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, robotics, green hydrogen, and other deep tech areas has outpaced the availability of skilled professionals, leading to significant talent shortages that could impede further innovation and growth.

 

In the AI sector, for instance, the demand for expertise has surged, with job postings increasing from under 30,000 to over 80,000 in recent years. However, the supply of qualified candidates has not kept pace, resulting in a widening skills gap. This shortage is exacerbated by educational systems struggling to adapt curricula rapidly enough to meet industry needs, leaving many aspiring professionals underprepared for the current demands of the tech landscape.

 

Similarly, the quantum computing field faces a critical talent deficit. Research indicates that there is only one qualified quantum candidate available for every three job openings, a disparity that is projected to worsen, with less than 50% of quantum computing jobs expected to be filled by 2025 without significant intervention. This shortfall is particularly concerning given the substantial investments in quantum technologies and their potential to revolutionize various industries.

 

The scarcity of skilled professionals in these deep tech areas underscores the urgent need for comprehensive strategies, including reskilling existing employees, enhancing specialized education programs, and fostering diverse talent pools, to bridge the gap and sustain technological progress.

 

Keynote Speech

10:00 – 10:30             

 

Session 1: Demand for Tech Talent

10:30 – 12:00             

The global challenge to access tech talent has been diagnosed in countries as diverse as the United States to Finland. The paradigm shift in deeptech areas like artificial intelligence and data science, quantum computing, green hydrogen, data science and many other areas is creating an unprecedented stress on traditional education and learning systems. This session will address the demand for deeptech and other technology talent as diagnosed by corporate demand and wider sectoral / national labour market studies.

4 Speakers

 

First Break

12:00 – 12:30             

 

Session 2: Best Practise in Recruitment, Employment and Development 

12:30 – 14:00             

This session will provide practical experience and case studies from recruitment agencies, HR managers and employers on how to design employment packages that result in long-term retention and staff development. This includes a mix of financial and non-financial incentives as well as learning, remote working and other opportunities.

4 Speakers

 

Second Break

14:00 – 14:30             

 

Session 3: Supply of DeepTech Talent

14:30 – 16:00

This session examines the supply of DeepTech talent from the perspective of the formal educational system. Speakers from secondary, upper secondary, tertiary and post-tertiary institutions will review best practise in terms of learning, reskilling and upskilling in this sector today. The contributions of the academic sector, the vocational sector and workplace learning / informal learning will be reviewed touching on curriculum development, STEM attractiveness, university-enterprise partnerships, apprenticeship systems, and more.

4 Speakers

 

Third Break

16:00 – 16:30             

 

Session 4: Other Best Practise

16:30 – 18:00            

This session will explore other examples of best practise for supply and demand of tech talent. Examples will be drawn from flagship EU initiatives as well as corporate activities. Innovative forms of learning will be shared and discussed, including gamification, virtual / augmented reality, adaptive learning technologies, and more.

4 Speakers