EUGLOH Launches New Webinar Series on Future Skills and Employability
The inaugural webinar, “Skills in Action: Universities and Companies Shaping the Future of Employability”, was held in January 2026 and brought together members of the academic community, students, company representatives and public institutions. The session marked a transition from the analytical work developed over the past year towards the creation of concrete bridges between universities, employers and institutional partners across the EUGLOH Alliance.
Moderated by Teresa Silveira (Professor at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Porto) and Fernanda Correia (Talent and Career Unit, University of Porto), the webinar marked a turning point in the work of the EUGLOH Career Network within the framework of EUGLOH’s “Employability and Lifelong Learning” working group. The event followed up on the study “Best Practices for Promoting Employability” and transformed its findings into an interactive space for exchange and collaboration.
The webinar was designed as a highly participatory event, combining keynote contributions from speakers with interactive polls, panel discussions on the results and an open Q&A session. This interactive format highlighted diverse perspectives and reinforced the central idea of the activity: future skills are not developed in isolation, but through interactions and collaboration between individuals and institutions in social and professional contexts.
The panel brought together contributions from different sectors:
Marta Santos, Professor and Researcher at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto, emphasised the importance of integrating technical, transversal and civic skills into educational experiences, underlining the key role of universities in preparing students for sustainable career transitions.
From the corporate perspective, Miguel Portela, Chief Corporate Officer at BIAL, highlighted the relevance of corporate innovation, mentoring, continuous training and the alignment between individual expectations and organisational strategy.
Carolina Ferreira and Vasco Granja, from the Porto City Hall, stressed the role of local authorities in fostering local ecosystems that connect universities, companies and communities, supporting talent attraction, retention and development.
The student perspective was shared by Francisca Albuquerque, PhD candidate at the University of Porto and representative of the EUGLOH International Student Board, who reinforced the importance of involving students as active agents in the co-creation of solutions and highlighted the value of practical, international and collaborative experiences in the transition to the labour market.
Throughout the session, participants agreed that discussing future skills goes far beyond the identification and development of technical-scientific competences or digital tools. Instead, it requires an integrated understanding of employability as a collective, continuously evolving process. This perspective also implies a strong commitment to lifelong learning. In this sense, the webinar reinforced the idea that academic education represents a central moment not only for acquiring knowledge but also for learning how to learn on an ongoing basis. Developing mental flexibility, adaptability and curiosity emerged as essential elements in preparing individuals for future professional pathways.
The inaugural webinar brought together participants from multiple countries and professional backgrounds, reinforcing the EUGLOH Career Network’s commitment to a European, collaborative and integrated approach to employability and lifelong learning.
The webinar series “Future Skills: Co-Creating Employability Across EUGLOH” will continue throughout 2026, creating further opportunities for dialogue, the exchange of best practices and the co-creation of innovative solutions for the future of skills and careers.