The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been selected to drive the EU’s Team Europe Initiative, which aims to align skills development, industrial investment and clean energy innovation among partners to create jobs and unlock local economic value as the world transitions to green economies. 

The initiative was born from the South Africa-EU Clean Trade and Investment Partnership, which committed to deepen cooperation across the extraction, processing, refining and recycling of critical raw materials, particularly for the battery value chain.

The new partnership will equip young people and women with the skills needed for a sustainable, high-tech future from mining, refining and recycling critical minerals.

The Team Europe Initiative wishes to strengthen the capacity of South African technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, as well as the broader skills development ecosystem, to deliver demand-driven, employment-oriented training that is aligned to the critical minerals and battery value chain.

The CSIR notes that, by integrating industrial skills foresight, curriculum adaptation, lecturer upskilling and structured workplace learning, the Team Europe Initiative project seeks to improve employability outcomes for youth and women, support industry access to a skilled workforce, and contribute to sustainable local value addition.

The expected impact includes improved alignment between industrial investment and skills demand and supply, increased absorption of graduates into decent work and the institutionalisation of an opportunity-driven TVET model that can be replicated across other Global Gateway-linked sectors.

Global Gateway is another EU initiative that invests in infrastructure projects worldwide to tackle the most pressing global challenges, including climate change.

The CSIR has been tasked with identifying priority occupational profiles and skills needed across the critical raw materials and battery value chain, which it will undertake together with partners such as the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority.

This will ultimately support the co-development and accreditation of new or adapted occupational qualifications and short courses. In turn, TVET college capacity will be supported through train-the-trainer initiatives and targeted infrastructure support for technical workshops.

“The CSIR’s participation in the Team Europe Initiative underscores South Africa’s growing role in the global green economy and reflects the shared commitment of the EU and South Africa to skills development, clean industrial growth and sustainable value chains.

“By linking education, industry and innovation, the project will not only enhance employment opportunities for youth and women but also establish a replicable, opportunity-driven model for TVET and workforce development across critical sectors, driving long-term economic and environmental benefits for the country,” the CSIR concludes.