Leiden, Netherlands, 29 October 2025 – At the recent SkiLMeeT research webinar, Piotr Lewandowski (IBS) presented preliminary findings from a study co-authored with Karol Madoń (IBS), on the impact of automation on students’ educational choices.
Held on 28 October 2025, the event drew 26 participants and sparked discussion about the robotisation and future skills demand.
Using student-level data from Norway (2006–2018) and regional data on robot adoption, Lewandowski and Madoń examined whether industrial automation discourages young people from pursuing vocational tracks that lead to acquiring skills increasingly substituted by robots.
The preliminary results show that in regions more exposed to robots, students are less likely to choose automation-prone vocational tracks. The effect is strongest among boys and among students whose fathers work in robot-exposed sectors. Lower-achieving students are more likely to select these tracks, revealing negative selection that may widen future inequalities.
