Upskilling & Societal Engagement WS

Informatics Europe, together with our member National Informatics Associations (NIAs), organises an annual workshop on timely and strategic themes in Informatics. The 2025 edition, themed "Upskilling & Societal Engagement"‘and chaired by Heri Ramampiaro (NTNU, Norway), was held on Wednesday morning, 29 October, focusing on two key topics:

• Engaging Society and Youth with Informatics
  How can we raise public understanding of Informatics and inspire more young people to choose it as a field of study?

• Upskilling for a Rapidly Evolving Future
  How can we support educators and professionals to stay up to date in a fast-changing technological landscape?

These themes build on past discussions, particularly around the transformative impact of generative AI and other emerging technologies on Informatics education and society at large (revisit presentations at our Workshop in 2023 and 2024). The 2025 session aimed to move from diagnosis to action, highlighting practical initiatives and strategies from across Europe, encouraging knowledge exchange and collective learning.

Structured in two parts, the programme included brief, focused contributions from NIA and industry representatives, followed by dynamic panel discussions. Participants were actively invited to join the conversation, share experiences, and bring forward challenges or initiatives from their own institutions or countries.

Welcoming all ECSS participants, this session offered a unique opportunity to explore how the Informatics community can work together to boost visibility, relevance, and resilience—within universities and across society. 

Workshop Rundown

09:00 - 09:30 "Engaging Society and Youth with Informatics" Session

• Enrico Nardelli, University of Rome "Tor Vergata" (Italy)
  Initiatives in Italy to Engage Young People and Schools in Informatics
• Constance Thierry, SIF - Societé Informatique de France / IRISA (France)
  Approaches Implemented in France to Raise Awareness of Informatics among a Diverse Audience

09:30 - 10:00 Panel Discussion

10:00 - 10:30 "Upskilling for a Rapidly Evolving Future" Session

• Gregor Engels, Paderborn University (Germany)
  Science Communication as Base for Up- and Reskilling
• Martin Hitz, Informatik Austria / University of Klagenfurt (Austria)
  AI is excellent at programming – why should I still learn to program?

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

11:00 - 11:15 "Upskilling for a Rapidly Evolving Future" Session (continued)

• Jean-Marc Vincent, Université Grenoble Alpes (France)
  How to Upskill in Informatics a (Very) Large group of Teachers

11:15 - 12:15 Panel Discussion

12:15-12:30 Closing Remarks