How is the labour market in the Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino changing in the face of artificial intelligence and digitalisation? And how can universities prepare students for a changing world of work? These questions were the focus of the panel and fishbowl discussion "Career Development: Future Skills in the Euregio Labour Market" on 28 August as part of the Euregio Days of the European Forum Alpbach 2026.
Under the motto "How Europe Wins", Europe's most pressing questions, challenges and opportunities were discussed at the European Forum Alpbach. The panel and fishbowl discussion, moderated by Hannah Försterling (Club Alpbach Tirol), focused on a specific regional challenge: the development of skills for an increasingly digital and dynamic labour market.
The discussion focused on the realization that the demands on employees are changing fundamentally. Artificial intelligence and digitization will not only automate individual activities, but also modify workflows and job profiles as a whole. At the same time, those skills in which human skills play a central role even in an increasingly AI-dominated working world are gaining in importance: critical and interdisciplinary thinking, communication, collaboration, interpersonal skills, problem-solving and the ability to continuously develop.
From right: Vice-Rector Marco Baratieri (unibz), Rector Flavio Deflorian and Mara Sartori (UniTrento), Vice-Rector Patrizia Stoitzner (MUI), Vice-Rector Janette Walde (University of Innsbruck), Chief Information Officer Peter J. Mirski (MCI), Hannah Försterling (CAT), Dejan Lukovic and Marta Romeo (University of Innsbruck), Siegfried Walch (MCI), Thomas Baumgartner (University of Innsbruck).
"If it can be automated, AI will do it. The human edge: sense making, sharper questions, motivated teams." With this statement, Peter Mirski, Chief Information Officer of the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), summed up a central idea of the discussion: The use of artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of everyday professional life. Therefore, not only technical knowledge will be decisive, but also the ability to make decisions under uncertain conditions, to use AI sensibly, to critically question results and to combine technology with human expertise.
Janette Walde, Vice Rector for Teaching and Students at the University of Innsbruck, also emphasised that this development means that universities must understand education more as a continuous process. In addition to traditional study programs, flexible and interdisciplinary educational paths, modular learning opportunities, micro-credentials and lifelong learning opportunities are becoming increasingly important. It is important to provide students with the skills that enable them to react to new requirements during their professional lives and to develop themselves again and again.
Patrizia Stoizner, Vice Rector for Research and International Relations at the Medical University of Innsbruck, underlined the importance of European cooperation: "European University Alliances are an important educational platform for developing the future skills needed in the European labour market. They help train the next generation of scientists, clinicians and health professionals by connecting education, research, innovation and international collaboration across Europe."
In this context, Rector Flavio Deflorian of the Università di Trento pleaded for a change of perspective in the understanding of the role of the university. Universities should move away from the focus on the pure transfer of specialist knowledge and create more of the methodological foundations that enable students to find their way around in new situations. For Rector Deflorian, this includes in particular a reflective and conscious handling of information. Higher education must therefore be geared more towards orientation and judgement than to pure factual knowledge.
The cross-border perspective also plays a central role in this. Marco Baratieri, Vice Rector for Studies at the Free University of Bolzano-Bolzano, emphasized the importance of adaptability, critical thinking and cooperation. For the Euregio, there is another strategic competence: multilingualism. "In a cross-border region such as the Euregio, trilingualism is also a strategic professional skill: it facilitates mobility, fosters dialogue between different cultures and tangibly broadens opportunities for study and employment."
In the subsequent fishbowl discussion, the dialogue was opened up to the audience. The exchange confirmed that the ability to navigate the future arises from the interplay of specialist knowledge, digital skills, interpersonal skills and the willingness to continuous learning. Especially in the Euregio, cross-border cooperation between universities and European University Alliances offers the opportunity to develop these competencies jointly and at European level.
The event was organised by the Euregio Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino and its European University Alliances and set a concrete accent within the framework of the Euregio Days of the European Forum Alpbach.
(Marta Romeo, International Affairs)
