🛠️ Skills and Workforce #39

Hello 👋

This week’s global workforce update highlights critical shifts in job markets and major investments in upskilling across green, advanced manufacturing, digital, and healthcare sectors. MetroHealth cuts 125 jobs in response to escalating expenses and financial challenges. Global tech layoffs exceed 100,000 in 2025, led by Intel’s 12,000 cuts, driven by AI disruption and automation. Nigeria faces a 50% renewable energy skill gap, driving legislative measures to advance green workforce development.

Significant progress unfolds in workforce training and capacity building worldwide. India inaugurated Green Skills Centres of Excellence through EY Global Delivery Services and LLF to prepare youth in sustainability and future technologies. Shell UK and City and Guilds launched a specialized program to enhance electric vehicle technician competencies. Bühler’s Vocational Fast Track offers Swiss-certified, modular training addressing critical manufacturing labor shortages, while Karnataka partnered with Bajaj Auto to integrate advanced industrial skills into vocational education. Digital skills receive strong support with UpSkill Universe training 10,000 African SMEs in AI and e-commerce, complemented by the EU’s $1.5B commitment to AI, cybersecurity, and digital workforce readiness through 2027. In healthcare, Physicians Regional funds hands-on training for Florida youth, and Dallas College directs a $5.7M project expanding equitable healthcare career pathways in North Texas.

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Global Labor Market Trends

📉 MetroHealth Cuts 125 Jobs Amid Rising Costs and Funding Uncertainty. MetroHealth is cutting 125 positions, representing less than 1.5% of its workforce, in response to increasing care costs and projected financial losses. The move is part of a broader cost-reduction strategy and highlights global shifts in healthcare employment influenced by economic and policy challenges.

🌍 AI Disruption Drives Global Tech Layoffs Beyond 100,000 in 2025. More than 100,000  tech workers have been laid off globally in 2025, led by Intel's reduction of 12,000 roles.  Driven by AI disruption, automation, and strategic pivots, companies such as Microsoft, Meta, and Google continue restructuring in response to evolving global labor market conditions.

🌱 Nigeria’s Renewable Energy Skill Gap Hits 50%. Nigeria’s House of Representatives reports a significant 50% gap in skilled labor within the renewable energy industry, driving efforts to enact legislation aimed at closing this gap and fostering green job growth in line with global sustainable workforce trends.

Green Skills

 🌱 India Launches Green Skills Centres of Excellence. EY Global Delivery Services and LLF launch Centres of Excellence in India to train youth in sustainability and future technology. This large-scale initiative targets employability, green skills, and workforce readiness, making it a critical step in India’s green transition.

🔌 Shell & City & Guilds Power UK EV Technician Upskilling. Shell UK and City & Guilds launched a new program to upskill UK automotive technicians for electric vehicle servicing. The initiative addresses skills gaps in EV maintenance, supporting the nation’s clean mobility transition and green job readiness.

🔋 OE2025 to Upskill Offshore Energy Workforce. OE2025’s talent-focused programme will upskill offshore energy professionals and connect them with emerging opportunities in renewables and decarbonization. A key initiative supporting the North Sea energy transition through networking, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing in a changing industrial landscape.

Advanced Manufacturing Skills

🛠️ Bühler’s Vocational Fast Track Addresses Global Manufacturing Skills Shortage. Bühler’s modular Vocational Fast Track program provides specialized training in mechanics, mechatronics, project management, and process technology, integrating theoretical instruction with practical application. Having trained over 520 apprentices globally, it offers Swiss-certified, cost-efficient, and scalable workforce development aimed at mitigating critical labor shortages within the manufacturing sector.

⚡ MAMC Partners with Diamond Electric to Upskill Maintenance Mechanics. Diamond Electric, in partnership with the Marshall Advanced Manufacturing Center, launched an apprenticeship program to upskill 17 employees as industrial maintenance mechanics. The apprenticeship provides on-site training in mechanical systems to enhance skills, reduce turnover, and mitigate technician shortages.

🏗️ Karnataka Government and Bajaj Auto Advance ITI Skill Development. The government of Karnataka, in partnership with Bajaj Auto,  is set to implement the Bajaj Manufacturing Systems program in five Industrial Training Institutes. The initiative offers targeted training in mechatronics, robotics, Industry 4.0, and smart manufacturing, aiming to equip students with specialized competencies for employment in automotive production, precision engineering, and industrial automation.

AI & Digital Skills

🚀 Skills for Business Program Empowers 10,000 African SMEs. UpSkill Universe, in partnership with Google and HP, launched the ‘Skills for Business’ initiative to train 10,000 small and medium enterprises across Nigeria and South Africa in vital digital skills such as AI, e-commerce, and digital marketing, to strengthen business resilience and close Africa’s SME digital skills gap.

🧠 European Commission commits $1.5B to Digital and AI Skills. The EU’s Digital Europe Programme earmarked $1.5B for AI, cybersecurity, and digital skilling across 2025-2027, including support for training, apprenticeships, and innovation hubs to address Europe’s AI talent deficit and boost workforce readiness.

🤖 Salesforce-SNU Launches CRM and AI Skills Lab. Salesforce partnered with Sister Nivedita University in Eastern India to establish a CRM and AI skills lab, upskilling approximately 1000 students annually with hands-on Salesforce Trailhead training, industry certifications, and live projects across CRM, AI, and digital domains.

Health Skills

🧑‍⚕️ Physicians Regional Backs Immokalee Foundation to Train Future Healthcare Workers. Physicians Regional Healthcare System funded hands-on training for 36 high school students through The Immokalee Foundation’s Healthcare Pathway, including internships at its hospitals. The initiative aims to build a healthcare talent pipeline in Southwest Florida by supporting career readiness for youth. 

🏥 Dallas College Leads $5.7M PATH Project to Strengthen Healthcare Workforce in North Texas. Backed by a $5.7M US Department of Labor grant, Dallas College and partner institutions launched the PATH Project to expand healthcare training, provide $1.3M in tuition aid, and build equitable career pathways for underserved communities across North Texas through 2029. 

💉 Kentucky Invests $4.3M to Strengthen Healthcare Training Pipeline. The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education awarded $4.3M to 28 healthcare training programs, funding scholarships for 200+ students in high-need fields like nursing and radiology. The initiative, backed by the Healthcare Workforce Investment Fund, supports efforts to address statewide workforce shortages.

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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