Background
The blue economy, encompassing diverse sectors such as maritime transport, coastal tourism, offshore renewable energy, marine biotechnology, and fisheries, is a cornerstone of sustainable growth and innovation in the European Union. It offers immense potential for economic development, job creation, and environmental stewardship. However, achieving these goals requires a workforce equipped with the necessary skills to navigate the sector’s evolving demands. Recognising this, the European Commission, through DG MARE, has commissioned this study to explore the current landscape of skills in the blue economy, identify future needs, and provide actionable recommendations for fostering a resilient and inclusive workforce.
This initiative is driven by the understanding that the blue economy's future depends not only on technological advancements and policy frameworks but also on the people who implement them. By focusing on skills development, the study addresses a critical gap in ensuring the EU's blue economy can thrive in the face of challenges such as climate change, digitalisation, and globalisation.
Aims and objectives
The study set out to:
- Define "blue skills" and establish a competency framework that supports workforce development.
- Assess current and future skills needs across the EU-27, spanning both traditional and emerging maritime sectors.
- Map existing education and training opportunities and evaluate their alignment with industry requirements.
- Examine EU-funded initiatives on blue skills to identify best practices and areas for improvement.
- Develop targeted recommendations to address identified skills gaps.
This holistic approach ensured that the study not only identified challenges but also provided practical, future-oriented solutions tailored to the dynamic nature of the blue economy.
Key workstreams and outcomes
To achieve its objectives, the study employed a structured and integrated methodology divided into six main work packages (WPs), each contributing a unique perspective to the overall findings:
- Survey design and deployment: a comprehensive survey was launched in September 2024, with stakeholders responding across ten blue economy sectors. It collects data on current skills profiles, anticipated future needs, and training gaps. Despite challenges in engaging underrepresented regions and sectors, the survey has generated critical insights that will inform subsequent phases of the study. Click below to read the survey report:
- Literature review and desk research: over 200 academic papers and 77 EU-funded projects were analysed, uncovering trends such as the increasing demand for digital and green skills. This review also highlighted regional disparities in training opportunities, particularly in outermost EU regions, and identified gaps in addressing emerging sectors like desalination and marine robotics. Click below to read the literature review report, as well as an overview of blue-skills-related projects funded by the EU to date and a catalogue of training and education opportunities:
- Text mining: by analysing job postings, training programme descriptions, and related datasets, text mining provided a granular understanding of the skills most in demand across maritime sectors. This innovative approach complemented survey and literature findings, offering a data-driven perspective on workforce needs. Click below to read the text mining report:
- Competency framework development: the "BlueComp" framework was developed to address sector-specific and cross-cutting skills requirements. Drawing inspiration from existing models like GreenComp, the framework integrates digital, green, and interdisciplinary competencies essential for sustainable blue economy growth.
- Focus groups: sector-specific focus groups validated and refined findings from other work packages. These sessions aimed to engage diverse stakeholders, ensuring that the study could reflect the needs and realities of different regions and industries. Click below to read the focus groups reports:
Policy recommendations: building on earlier work, this phase produced actionable recommendations tailored to sectoral and regional contexts. The aim was to address skill gaps, propose training and reskilling initiatives, and provide a roadmap for sustainable workforce development.
Conclusions
The study concluded that the future of the EU’s blue economy depends heavily on equipping its workforce with the right blend of technical, digital, green, and cross-disciplinary skills. While there is a diverse range of training and education opportunities available, these often lack alignment with evolving sectoral needs, particularly in areas like sustainability, digitalisation, and governance. To address these challenges, the study introduced BlueComp - a comprehensive and adaptable competence framework designed to guide skill development across sectors and educational levels. This tool serves not only to map current gaps but also to foster consistency, visibility, and innovation in blue economy training across the EU.
Despite progress, significant work remains to integrate blue skills into national qualification frameworks, expand access to vocational training, and better match education with labour market demands. The study stressed the importance of sustained EU support through targeted funding, policy coherence, and collaborative platforms. Building a future-proof, inclusive blue economy will require continued investment in competence development, enhanced cooperation among stakeholders, and greater recognition of both formal and informal learning pathways.
The executive summary of the study is available here.
Click below to read the final report of the study: