Baltic initiative connects Europe's tech industry to emerging talent pools

The European Union is facing a shortage of skilled workers, with the 2023 EURES report indicating that 84% of occupations experience shortages in at least one member state. Sectors such as engineering, healthcare, and ICT are particularly affected. Key causal factors include Europe’s aging populations and increasing demand for new skills due to technological advancements.

Proposed solutions to Europe’s labor and skills shortage include investment in automation, development of re- and upskilling programs, and encouragement of migration of skilled workers to affected areas. Debates are ongoing, however, as to whether such solutions will have the desired long-term effects of boosting the European economy and maintaining its competitiveness in the global market. One emerging approach to fostering long-term growth for the EU economy is through partnerships and talent exchanges between European companies and professionals outside the EU.

Addressing the EU skills gap through talent exchange

The strategy of talent exchange is modeled, for example, by the Baltic-led Digital Explorers initiative, a European Commission-funded program that facilitates practical work experience and long-term collaboration between organizations in the Baltics and the African tech sector. Since the launch of its second edition in 2023, Digital Explorers has facilitated the placement of numerous Kenyan interns in Estonia and Lithuania, with some securing ongoing work and study contracts. In addition, many specialists have completed internships or remote work opportunities in their home countries.

According to the Žilvinas Švedkauskas, Managing Director at OSMOS, the Vilnius-based think-and-do tank behind the Digital Explorers program, talent exchanges offer more long-term solutions than traditional recruitment methods, establishing links that begin with individual placements and go beyond to positively impact participating companies and countries more broadly.

“Digital Explorers is first and foremost about individual journeys of tech talents connecting our like-minded ICT ecosystems,” Švedkauskas says. “More than halfway through the second  edition of the programme, tens of young specialists have already made the journey to the Baltics, more than a hundred received intense digital skills training in data analytics or software engineering, and dozens are about to finish tailored internships in Nigeria, Kenya and Armenia.”

By facilitating the in-person transfer of skills and adhering to the principle of mutual exchange, the initiative aims to create a more interconnected global tech community and, ultimately, to build a long-term foundation for the growth of the EU’s tech sector.

Staking EU tech growth on global partnerships

At the heart of the project’s strategy is the establishment of lasting partnerships between tech economies that share similar ambitions even while being geographically distant. “The startup ecosystem in the Baltics is impressively mature and stable, but it still needs to continue to grow and innovate,” says Mercy Kimalat, CEO of the Association of Startup and SME Enablers of Kenya (ASSEK), a visiting ambassador in the Digital Explorers program. “This is where global partnerships and fresh talent and ideas could really benefit us all, offering a chance to have honest discussions about resiliency.”

But Kimalat acknowledges that accomplishing the initiatives’ goals is not without its difficulties. “The entrepreneurial environments in both Kenya and the Baltics have faced many challenges over the past couple of years, from rising inflation to regional political perturbations, so it is inspiring to learn how different startup ecosystems continue to thrive and encourage growth.”

Švedkauskas adds that “the picture is not all rosy. Immigration regulations are becoming increasingly strict, making relocations and people-to-people exchange challenging, to say the least. So there is a lot of advocacy and informed persuasion still to be done.”

To address ongoing challenges and build on prior successes, thirteen tech ecosystem leaders from Kenya, Nigeria, and Armenia are set to participate in a two-week work-shadowing tour in the Baltics starting January 27th. The visit aims to connect the ambassadors with select Baltic organizations to observe daily operations and explore future partnership opportunities in fields ranging from FinTech to GovTech.

One participant in the upcoming visit, Ruben Osioyan, CEO of the Science & Technology Angels Network in Armenia (STAN), describes the Digital Explorers initiative as a promising foundation for future growth: “Given the Baltics’ remarkable success in building a thriving ecosystem and its strong connections with the EU tech hubs, building closer relations with the investors and ecosystem builders in Baltics presents an opportunity to unlock huge potential.”