On 5 June 2026, the European Defence Challenge held its 6th Edition Awards Ceremony under the theme “From STEM to Strategy: Empowering Young Minds to Shape Europe’s Aerospace & Defence Future”.
On this occasion, keynote speakers highlighted the importance of investing in European defence industries, alongside strengthening Europe’s autonomy in terms of security and technological sovereignty. In this vein, various speakers emphasised the need to increase Europe’s industrial production capacity, for which the aerospace and defence industries must attract people with the right skills in a highly competitive labour market where employers compete for the same talent, partly due to an ageing population.
Keynote speakers also stressed that careers in defence industries are well paid and offer numerous professional opportunities, as well as innovative continuous training. However, the defence industries still need to address the stigma associated with working in these sectors.
The meeting concluded with the awards ceremony, where young students from across Europe presented their proposals to address strategic challenges in the aerospace and defence sectors.
For Ceemet, attracting young talent to the MET industries is critical for our companies to continue thriving and creating quality jobs, and, as a result, to boost industrial competitiveness and reduce Europe’s dependency on external suppliers in critical industries, including aerospace and automotive. In this regard, it is crucial to invest in career guidance that steers young people towards STEM studies and vocational training, and ultimately towards employment in the MET industries, which offer a wide range of opportunities.
Along these lines, it is crucial to address the existing disconnect between companies in the MET industries and young people, through various measures and communication campaigns.
The European Defence Challenge is part of the EU-funded Skills4ADC+ project, which aims to reinforce Europe’s capacity to anticipate and respond to emerging skills needs in the aerospace and defence sectors. These sectors are key to Europe’s security, technological sovereignty, and economic competitiveness, but they are experiencing increasing difficulty in attracting and retaining talent, particularly in highly technical and emerging roles.
Ceemet is an active partner in the Skills4ADC+ project, bringing in the perspective of social partners, in particular as regards skills development in the aerospace and defence industries.