WEBINAR: Empowerment, Participation and Democratisation - the Prospects for Industrial Work
2026-01-30 11:00 - 12:30 (Europe/Brussels)
Please note: webinar starting time is 11:00 am CET and 10:00 am GMT.

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Webinar
Special 90 minutes edition! This is a webinar and it will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. This webinar is part of the EUWIN and Bridges 5.0 programme of events.

Starting with a broad perspective on the role of workers in socio-ecological transformation processes, the webinar will explore recent research results and case study evidence relating both to the relationship between civil society and workers, and to workplace innovation at company level.

Programme (the following times are CET)

11.00

Welcome / Introduction

Peter TotterdillWorkplace Innovation Europe

11.05 – 11.20

Skills for the digital, green and social transformation: Practical perspectives on empowerment, participation, human-centricity and skill development

Antonius SchröderTU Dortmund University, Centre for Social Science

11.20 – 11.35

Short Q&A / Discussion

11.35 – 11. 50

Between appropriation and democratisation: employee participation in the decarbonisation of industry

Dr. Stefan SchoppengerdHans-Böckler-Stiftung / WSI-Mitteilungen

11.50 – 11.55

Short Q&A

11.55 – 12.10

Industry 5.0: making workers and civil society strong – a comprehensive approach for skill-based human centricity and stronger focus on social challenges

R. Kopp & A. SchröderTU Dortmund, Centre for Social Science

12.10 – 12.15

Short Q&A

12.15 – 12.30

Panel Discussion

Speakers:

Ralf Kopp TU Dortmund

Antonius Schröder TU Dortmund

Stefan Schoppengerd Hans-Böckler-Stiftung

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EUWIN (the European Workplace Innovation Network) is a community of researchers and practitioners from business, public policy, research and social partner organisations. Its remit is to promote workplace practices that lead to simultaneous improvements in organisational performance and quality of working life for employees. First established by the European Commission in 2013, EUWIN is now funded and managed by a network of international partners.

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash

Up-Skill Final Conference: Industrial Policy 5.0
2026-02-11 00:00 - 23:59
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Conference
Up-Skill project final conference. Hybrid – in‑person and online.

Programme and registration: https://www.upskill-horizon.eu/final-conference

The conference explores the mechanisms by which Industry 5.0 might move more rapidly from a policy brief to everyday practice in European manufacturing firms.

We draw on experiences from our own technology interventions and detailed ethnographic work conducted within the Horizon-funded Up-Skill project, and we also draw directly on insights from firms themselves, related projects, policymakers, academic experts, and union representatives in order to identify the drivers of, and barriers to, positive change.

While uptake of Industry 5.0 principles is slowly beginning to occur, it is still far from constituting a transformation or paradigm shift. Focusing on human-centricity, we explore how the process of change might be accelerated, and what we might learn from both social theory and practical experience to support this transition.

The Up-Skill project addresses the workforce implications of industry 5.0, in particular, the relationship between automation choices and maintenance of skilled work, exploring the strategic space in production where automation adds value to skilled and artisanal work and where over-automation risks undermining the value of what is produced.

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BRIDGES 5.0 MASTERCLASS: Working together on accelerating the Industry 5.0, what is needed for workforce skills?
2026-02-13 10:30 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 10:30 am CET and 09:30 am GMT.

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A joint working session between the Bridges 5.0 Project and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre | JRC Seville.

More details to become available soon.

Speakers

Steven Dhondt Bridges 5.0

Cristian Matti PJR

Karel Haegeman PJR

Book your place

This webinar is part of a series of Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses leading to the Final Bridges Conference which will take place in person on 2nd October 2026 in Brussels.

Upcoming Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses:

March 13 2026: Social Partners

April 17 2026: Workforce diversity in I5.0

May 15 2026: VET

June 12 2026: Masterclass for managers: Good Practices/Initiatives in Industry 5.0

September 11 or 18 2026: Session on Identifying the big questions/challenges for the Final Conference

Interested in the final conference? Express your interest here.

More about the Joint Research Centre (JRC)

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Seville plays a crucial role in supporting EU policymaking: it provides high quality research on areas that directly impact the lives of all Europeans, from AI to territorial transformation, clean industry and fiscal policy.

More about Bridges 5.0

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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WEBINAR: Methodology and Results from the Digital Maturity and Sustainability Assessment and Skills4sight in Ireland
2026-02-27 11:00 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 11:00 am CET and 10:00 am GMT.

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Webinar
This is a webinar and it will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. This webinar is part of the EUWIN and Bridges 5.0 programme of events.

People, Culture and Skills are the key enabling technology. Findings from the Industry 5.0 Lighthouse Network in Ireland on what makes digital and green transitions succeed, and how an early warning system using AI-powered analysis will support Energy Intensive Industries meet their emerging skills needs.

Europe’s energy-intensive industries face simultaneous pressure to decarbonise, digitise, and maintain competitiveness. This webinar presents evidence from two complementary initiatives showing that workforce development is the decisive factor in whether these transitions succeed and how agentic AI can provide intelligence infrastructure to act on that insight at scale.

InnoGlobal led the Industry 5.0 Lighthouse Network’s Digital Maturity and Sustainability Assessment programme across nine pharmaceutical manufacturing sites over two years, in conjunction with IDA Ireland. The network achieved a 14% collective improvement in digital maturity, with three consistent success factors across all sites: dedicated digital teams, data integration as a prerequisite for advanced capability, and cross-functional collaboration. The message is unambiguous: technology adoption succeeds or stalls based on how organisations invest in their people.

This raises a strategic question for industry and policymakers: which skills, for which roles, and how soon? Skills4sight, developed by InnoGlobal under the EU Skills4EII project, Skills Alliance for the Green, Digital and Social Transformation of the Energy Intensive Industries, was launched in 2025 to answer that question. Its AI-powered skills intelligence platform continuously monitors industry data sources across 10 energy-intensive industries, detecting emerging skill demands. Its outputs – a directory of over 2,200 future-oriented skills, mapping of 176 legacy roles to 351 transformed profiles, and 22 cross-sectoral “Game Changer” role specifications – feed directly into the design of training programmes and national rollout strategies under the Skills4EII alliance and the EU Pact for Skills Large-Scale Partnership for Energy-Intensive Industries.

Together, these results offer industry leaders an evidence base for prioritising workforce investment and connect them with skills training providers, give policymakers actionable intelligence for skills funding allocation, and demonstrate a replicable model for connecting digital maturity and sustainability benchmarking with forward-looking skills intelligence across Europe’s industrial base.

Speaker:

Gareth Clarke PhD InnoGlobal

Gareth Clarke PhD is Head of Data Science and Analytics at InnoGlobal and responsible for the design and development of our AI-powered skills analysis tool, Skills4Sight, and our experiential learning platform, SmartLabs. Previously, as Principal Data Scientist, he developed our Digital Maturity and Sustainability Assessment, informed by his work as Product Manager for the Multieye2, one of our industrial sensors for smart manufacturing.

Book your place

EUWIN (the European Workplace Innovation Network) is a community of researchers and practitioners from business, public policy, research and social partner organisations. Its remit is to promote workplace practices that lead to simultaneous improvements in organisational performance and quality of working life for employees. First established by the European Commission in 2013, EUWIN is now funded and managed by a network of international partners.

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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BRIDGES 5.0 MASTERCLASS: What role for social partners and social dialogue in boosting Industry 5.0?
2026-03-13 10:30 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 10:30 am CET and 09:30 am GMT.

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This webinar on the role of social partners and social dialogue, aims to highlight the perspectives of trade unions as well as employers organisations on the opportunities and challenges of Industry 5.0 for workers and companies, the main preconditions for social partners to implement or scale up Industry 5.0 concepts, and the most common issues that emerge during an Industry 5.0 implementation process that could be tackled by social partners or through social dialogue.

The webinar series is intended to foster dialogue among the BRIDGES 5.0 stakeholder groups on key topics pertaining to putting Industry 5.0 into action.

Speakers

Martin Peters industriAll

Wouter Zwysen etui

Isabel Sobrino Mate Ceemet

Book your place

This webinar is part of a series of Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses leading to the Final Bridges Conference which will take place in person on 2nd October 2026 in Brussels.

Upcoming Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses:

April 17 2026: Workforce diversity in I5.0

May 15 2026: VET

June 12 2026: Masterclass for managers: Good Practices/Initiatives in Industry 5.0

September 11 2026: Session on Identifying the big questions/challenges for the Final Conference

More about Bridges 5.0

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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BRIDGES 5.0 MASTERCLASS: Building gender-equal workplaces: From vision to practice
2026-04-17 10:30 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 10:30 am CET and 09:30 am GMT.

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The aim of this BRIDGES 5.0 Masterclass is to explore how the transition towards Industry 5.0 can support greater gender equality by placing inclusion, fairness and human wellbeing at the centre of technological and organisational change.

Moving beyond a purely technological perspective, the session will examine how innovation, automation and new forms of work organisation affect women and men differently across industrial and service contexts, with particular attention to persistent structural inequalities, occupational segregation and the visibility of undervalued work.

Through both research and policy perspectives, the Masterclass will reflect on the conditions needed to ensure that Industry 5.0 contributes to more inclusive and equitable workplaces, and will highlight practical approaches for embedding gender equality into the future of work.

Speakers

Armanda Cetrulo Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies

Valeria Cirillo University of Bari

Cristina Oyón SPRI – Basque Business Development Agency

Marta Dell’Aquila Centre for European Policy Studies

Moderated by

Laurène THIL HIVA – KU Leuven

Moderated by

Ylenia Curci Le Cnam

Book your place

This webinar is part of a series of Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses leading to the Final Bridges Conference which will take place in person on 2nd October 2026 in Brussels.

Upcoming Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses:

May 15 2026: VET and Industry 5.0

June 12 2026: Masterclass for managers: Good Practices/Initiatives in Industry 5.0

September 11 2026: Session on Identifying the big questions/challenges for the Final Conference

More about Bridges 5.0

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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WEBINAR: Job quality in a turbulent era
2026-04-24 11:00 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 11:00 am CET and 10:00 am GMT.

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Webinar
This is a webinar and it will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. This webinar is part of the EUWIN and Bridges 5.0 programme of events.

This webinar is as an opportunity for a broader discussion on topics covered in the book ‘Job quality in a turbulent era‘. The timely book explores job quality in contemporary labour markets, investigating how rapid transformations such as digitalisation, the green transition, fragmentation and shifting demographics are reshaping the world of work. Presenting fresh perspectives and updated tools in the context of challenges related to gig work, AI, algorithmic management, multiple jobholding and the environmental crisis, it reevaluates the definition of what makes a good job in the modern era.

Stewart Johnstone: “What Is the Connection Between Employee Voice and Job Quality?”

Speakers:

Agnieszka Piasna European Trade Union Institute

“The Challenges of Understanding, Measuring and Improving Job Quality in a Profoundly Changing World of Work” Senior Researcher in the Economic, Employment and Social Policies Unit of the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) in Brussels, Belgium, and an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Sociological Research at KU Leuven.

Stewart Johnstone University of Strathclyde

“What Is the Connection Between Employee Voice and Job Quality?” Professor of HRM & Employment Relations at Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde.

Book your place

EUWIN (the European Workplace Innovation Network) is a community of researchers and practitioners from business, public policy, research and social partner organisations. Its remit is to promote workplace practices that lead to simultaneous improvements in organisational performance and quality of working life for employees. First established by the European Commission in 2013, EUWIN is now funded and managed by a network of international partners.

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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Photo by Canva Studio

BRIDGES 5.0 MASTERCLASS: VET and Industry 5.0
2026-05-15 10:30 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 10:30 am CET and 09:30 am GMT.

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Background

The accelerating green and digital transitions are reshaping Europe’s labour markets, production systems, and skill needs. Within this transformation, Industry 5.0 introduces a new paradigm that emphasises human‑centricity, sustainability, and resilience. Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems play a critical role in preparing learners and institutions to respond to these shifts while ensuring that technological advancements benefit people, industry, and society.

Purpose of the Session

This webinar aims to explore how VET systems across Europe are engaging with Industry 5.0 concepts and what practical pathways exist to integrate them into policy, curriculum, and practice. Through expert insights and concrete use cases, the session will highlight how VET can contribute to a more human‑centred, technologically advanced, and sustainable industrial landscape.

Session Highlights

European perspective on AI and skills: CEDEFOP will present its ongoing analysis of how artificial intelligence is transforming VET systems, shaping skill demands, and influencing teaching and learning practices.

Public–private partnerships for upskilling: A Netherlands use case will showcase the “Metrolines for Industry 5.0” model as an example of successful collaboration to support workforce upskilling for emerging industrial needs.

Learning Factories 5.0 in the Basque Country: Tknika will demonstrate how Basque VET is embedding Industry 5.0 principles into the system and how Learning Factories 5.0 are becoming catalysts for pedagogical, technological, and organisational transformation.

Expected Outcomes

Participants will gain:

A clearer understanding of what Industry 5.0 means for VET systems.

Insights into current European research and policy developments.

Practical examples of institutional and systemic innovation.

Inspiration to adapt these models within their own VET contexts.

Programme

10:30 – 10:35

Opening

Iñigo AraizteguiDirector of the Internationalisation Department, Tknika (Basque Country)

10:35 – 11:05

Industry 5.0, VET and AI.

Ralph HippeExpert in skills and workplaces, CEDEFOP

11:05 – 11:25

Use case from BRIDGES 5.0: Metrolines for Industry 5.0 for upskilling through public–private partnerships in the Netherlands

Anneloes van DelftProject leader, Platform Talent voor Technologie (Netherlands)

11:25 – 11:45

Use case from BRIDGES 5.0: Transformation of VET programmes towards Industry 5.0 through Learning Factories 5.0

Unai ZiarsoloResearcher at Tknika (Basque Country)

11:45 – 11:55

Q&A session.

11:55 – 12:00

Closing.

Iñigo AraizteguiDirector of the Internationalisation Department, Tknika (Basque Country)

Book your place

This webinar is part of a series of Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses leading to the Final Bridges Conference which will take place in person on 2nd October 2026 in Brussels.

Upcoming Bridges 5.0 Masterclasses:

June 12 2026: Masterclass for managers: Good Practices/Initiatives in Industry 5.0

September 11 2026: Session on Identifying the big questions/challenges for the Final Conference

More about Bridges 5.0

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

Please share

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk

WEBINAR: Hard At Work. Job Quality, Wellbeing and the Global Economy
2026-05-29 11:00 - 12:00
Please note: webinar starting time is 11:00 am CET and 10:00 am GMT.

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Webinar
This is a webinar and it will be delivered via Microsoft Teams. This webinar is part of the EUWIN and Bridges 5.0 programme of events.

Social scientists now find that the quality of our jobs is one of the most important factors contributing to our wellbeing and health. But how has job quality been faring in recent years across the developed world? Is it fair to assume that, as economies grow, so the quality of our jobs will improve? Or are working conditions largely independent of how rich we are?

In his presentation Francis will introduce a wide-ranging review of the latest social science of job quality, as revealed in his latest book: Hard At Work. He will show what we know about how job quality affects our wellbeing, and then discuss the general changes that have occurred over the 21st century. He will organise this discussion around a framework of the seven dimensions of job quality: earnings, prospects, working time quality, autonomy and skill, work intensity, the social environment and the physical environment.

He will conclude with a brief discussion of what’s meant by a ‘bad job’, and then review some principles behind policy-making for better jobs.

Speaker:

Francis Green UCL Institute of Education

Francis Green is Emeritus Professor of Work and Education Economics at UCL Institute of Education. After graduating in Physics at Oxford University, he studied Economics at the London School of Economics, before writing his PhD thesis at Birkbeck College. The author of ten earlier books, and more than 200 papers, he has also worked as an expert advisor for the European Union, the OECD, the UK government and the Singapore government. His recent research has focused on private schools, and on job quality. His book, “Hard At Work. Job Quality, Wellbeing and the Global Economy” is just published by Oxford University Press.

Book your place

EUWIN (the European Workplace Innovation Network) is a community of researchers and practitioners from business, public policy, research and social partner organisations. Its remit is to promote workplace practices that lead to simultaneous improvements in organisational performance and quality of working life for employees. First established by the European Commission in 2013, EUWIN is now funded and managed by a network of international partners.

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

Please share

Photo credit
Photo by Canva Studio

BRIDGES 5.0: Final Conference
2026-10-02 00:00 - 23:59 | KBR Brussels (Panorama Room), Mont des Arts 28, Brussels, 1000, Belgium
From vision to action: Unleashing Skills for Industry 5.0

Venue:

Free to attend, in person only, maximum 100 people, first come, first served. Registrations will open soon, stay tuned and make sure you are subscribed to the Bridges 5.0 newsletter.

The BRIDGES 5.0 Final Conference marks the culmination of the project’s four-year journey towards shaping an inclusive, human-centred Industry 5.0 future. The event will present the project’s main achievements, including the proof of concept and business action plan for the Industry 5.0 Platform, and will formally hand over the platform to the Industry 4.0 networks as the main owners of the results.

The conference will bring together companies, social partners, policymakers and stakeholders to exchange lessons learned, showcase concrete outcomes, and discuss how to sustain and scale the project’s impact beyond its lifetime.

Participants will not only be informed about the project’s key outcomes but also contribute to shaping the Industry 5.0 Platform’s next chapter. Attendees will engage actively through polls, live demonstrations, and some of the topics will be selected by co-creation exercises during the masterclass series.

Keynote Speaker:

Judith Kirton-Darling industriALL

Judith is Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe, representing manufacturing, mining and energy workers from 38 European countries.She was formerly a Labour Member of the European Parliament for the North East of England (2014-20). Before entering parliament, she was active for 15 years within the Labour and trade union movement, notably she was elected Confederal Secretary at the European Trade Union Confederation in 2011.

Programme: (in development)

Time

Session

08:45 – 09:15

Registration and welcome coffee

09:15 – 09:30

Opening remarksThe Journey of BRIDGES 5.0

09:30 – 10:30

Keynote by Judith Kirton-Darling (industriALL)

10:30 – 11:30

Session 1: Learning from practice – Companies, social partners, sectoral federations and workers testimonials

Speakers: Alexios Papacharalampopoulos, Unai Ziarsolo

Panellists: Tony Schroeder, Unai Elorza, Frank Krause

11:30 – 12:00

Coffee break

12:00 – 13:00

Session 2: Shaping the future together – launch and co-ownership of the Platform

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch & networking

14:00 – 15:00

Session 3: Interactive segment: Industry 5.0 workforce skills

15:00 – 15:30

Session 4: The BRIDGES 5.0 Project book launch

15:30 – 16:15

Closing panel: Sustaining the legacy and the Future

16:15 – 16:30

Closing remarks and coffee

More about Bridges 5.0

Bridging human & digital potential. Bridges 5.0 creates a unique consortium based on active collaboration between researchers, 8 EU industrial companies, 9 Industry 4.0 ecosystems, and the main EU social partners.

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Photo by KBR
