?unique=d738ba4){kind=logo}
Patras, April 9th, 2025 – The European project SMACITE (Boosting the technical and non-technical skills and competences of Smart Cities technicians and engineers), co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, has successfully completed a series of 11 workshops across Europe to promote smart skills development and the adoption of emerging technologies in smart cities.
Over the past year, the consortium organized 8 national workshops in Greece, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria, and 3 high-level European workshops which merged online and in-person sessions, engaging key stakeholders including tech companies, public institutions, VET providers, students and policymakers.
These sessions proved to be highly effective in identifying skill gaps and testing the relevance of SMACITE’s learning resources, particularly in key areas such as IoT, AI, Cybersecurity andData analytics. Moreover, they addressed transversal needs like communication, entrepreneurship, and sustainability awareness. The interactive nature of the workshops enabled stakeholders — including educators, companies, local governments, and learners — to exchange ideas and co-create strategies that align with real-world challenges and opportunities for smart city development. The feedback gathered has contributed to refining the project’s training model and aligning it with both labor market needs and policy directions at EU level.
Furthermore, the initiative contributed to building a framework for upskilling Smart City professionals, highlighting the need for both technical and non-technical competences. The project aims to boost the skills of Smart Cities technicians and engineers by offering a novel and multidisciplinary vocational education and training program. This curriculum combines digital competencies in Smart Cities enabling technologies with soft, entrepreneurship, and green skills — equipping professionals with the knowledge and mindset required to support Europe’s transition toward more inclusive, sustainable, and technologically advanced urban environments.
Lasting Impact:
The SMACITE workshops served as essential instruments for mapping the evolving skill needs of smart cities and regions, shedding light on the competencies most in demand — both technical and transversal ones. Through the direct engagement of educators, companies, policy-makers, and learners, the project was able to validate and refine its training platform and MOOC ensuring that the content was not only aligned with labor market expectations but also adaptable to different local and regional contexts.
Beyond the validation of learning materials, the workshops enabled the cooperation between key actors in the smart cities ecosystem including educational sector, industry and public authorities. They helped bridge gaps between training supply and employment demand by creating a shared understanding of the pathways needed to prepare a workforce ready for the digital and green transitions. These workshops also encouraged local and regional stakeholders to adopt a skills-first approach to smart city development, emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning and continuous upskilling to support a sustainable urban transformation.
By fostering open dialogue and co-creation across multiple sectors and regions, the workshops not only amplified the visibility of SMACITE’s results but also helped to establish the groundwork for their replication and long-term sustainability. They played a vital role in cultivating a European community of practice that recognizes the strategic importance of human capital in shaping the smart, connected and climate-resilient cities of the future.
SMACITE Final Conference – May 8th, 2025
SMACITE project will organize on the 8th of May its Final Conference, dedicated to advancing digital skills and smart city innovation. It will happen in the Conference Center of the University of West Attica in Athens
This event, organized by the University of West Attica in cooperation with the University of Patras and Universal Certification Solutions and the participation of all SMACITE partners, will bring together leading experts, policymakers, and professionals to:
- Share insights and results from the SMACITE project
- Present relevant projects in the domain of Smart Cities
- Explore trends in AI-driven governance, public private partnerships, and digital talent development for Smart Cities
It is a free participation event, but pre-registration is required by April 30, 2025. Registration and information about the agenda can be found in the next link: Register & Agenda
SMACITE project
At its core, SMACITE aims to boost the technical and non-technical skills and competences of Smart Cities technicians and engineers addressing the growing skills gap in this field. The project has designed and tested a vocational education and training program based on a novel, multidisciplinary curriculum. This approach combines digital skills related to Smart Cities enabling technologies with soft skills, entrepreneurship, and green skills, ensuring that professionals are equipped to build and maintain smart, inclusive, and sustainable urban environments.
SMACITE MOOC (https://mooc.smacite.eu/) is now openly available to anyone interested in enhancing their skills in the smart city domain. The MOOC offers an opportunity to explore both technical and non-technical competencies through a modular and self-paced format. Professionals, students, public employees and lifelong learners alike are invited to access those free online courses and take an active step towards becoming part of the smart and sustainable cities of tomorrow.
For more information, visit: https://smacite.eu/en
Contact
Jon Mitxelena
Cluster GAIA
