SafeSkills Starts in Tampere – European Cooperation Strengthens Workforce Availability in Safety and Security

SafeSkills, a new Interreg Europe-funded initiative, is addressing the growing demand for skilled professionals in safety and security sectors across Europe. Led by Business Tampere and the Council of Tampere Region, the project officially launches in June 2025 with an international kickoff event and learning visit in Tampere.

In today’s complex global security environment, regional development policies increasingly recognize safety, security, and societal resilience as key priorities. The SafeSkills responds to this shift by helping regions improve policies and cooperation mechanisms that ensure a long-term supply of skilled labour in sectors such as cybersecurity, industrial safety, environmental safety, and security-related research and education

Tampere Region Leads by Example

As one of the leading safety and security hubs in Europe, Tampere Region provides a strong foundation for the project. The Tampere event brings together regional development and security actors from six countries to learn from one another and share good practices.

During the kickoff seminar and site visits, participants will explore a wide range of local solutions, including:

The Tampere Region Safety and Security Cluster, coordinated by Business Tampere

City of Tampere’s employment and growth services, including an AI-based pilot for job matching and programmes for attracting international talent

Education and training alignment, involving Tampere University of Applied Sciences and the Police University College

Workforce pathways, such as the “Engineering Academy” coordinated with local industry

Participants will also co-design policy responses in thematic workshops focused on the local challenges of the host region and explore good practices applicable across different European contexts.

A Strategic European Partnership

SafeSkills brings together regional development agencies and policy actors from Finland, Poland, France, Spain and Ukraine, along with the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus) as an advisory partner. The consortium includes both established and emerging safety ecosystems and clusters that understand the increasing policy relevance of the security domain at the regional level.

Regional Programmes in Pirkanmaa Under Renewal

One of the key targets for policy advocacy is the Pirkanmaa Regional Programme, which is currently in draft form and nearing completion. The next programming period, 2026–2029, will commence during the implementation of the SafeSkills project. The aim is to incorporate safety and preparedness more clearly as focus areas of the programme and to initiate concrete actions to address the shortage of skilled professionals.

The regional programme defines the prerequisites for Pirkanmaa’s success, outlines future opportunities, and identifies key development tasks. It focuses on issues that are shared across the region and require a common vision, joint effort, and coordinated actions from local stakeholders.

Long-Term Development Work in the Security Sector

Business Tampere has a strong and longstanding tradition in the development of the safety and defence sector. In 2024, the organisation coordinated the (in Finnish) “Security as a Workplace” project, which provided concrete presentations of various professions in the security sector and their related competence needs. The project highlighted the sector’s diversity and career opportunities, especially for young people and those considering a career change.