Europe’s wood-based sector is ready to play a leading role in the green transition—but to do so, it needs a prepared, dynamic and resilient workforce. This is the core message of the latest Policy Brief released by the European Wood Policy Platform (WoodPoP), which calls for urgent investment in education and training to meet the environmental, technological and labour challenges of the coming years.
With over 8 million people employed across the continent, the wood industry is a cornerstone of Europe’s sustainable economy, with the potential to actively contribute to building a more innovative and inclusive society. However, the gradual retirement of experienced workers, combined with rapidly evolving skill demands—from eco-design to digital innovation and circular construction—makes structural intervention an urgent necessity.
The WoodPoP document lays out a clear strategy: to modernise vocational education by combining traditional know-how with new digital skills; to promote the pan-European recognition of qualifications and microcredentials, enabling cross-border mobility; to strengthen partnerships between industry and education through interdisciplinary, hands-on learning; to make wood-based careers more attractive and relevant to younger generations; and to expand and enhance existing educational infrastructure, ensuring high-quality training is available at all levels—from primary school to university.
“The wood-based sector can lead the green transition only if supported by a forward-looking skills strategy,” the brief reads. “Investing in people means investing in Europe’s ability to become truly circular and sustainable.”
To turn this vision into reality, WoodPoP is calling for concrete support from both national governments and EU institutions—financial, regulatory, and structural. Only then will it be possible to build a workforce capable of embracing future challenges and returning wood to its natural role: a living material at the heart of tomorrow.
