EeSA is dedicated to raising awareness on the importance of innovating education and learning processes through ICT. EeSA believes that the e-Skills Knowledge Triangle - education, research and innovation - is the centre piece and key priority of e-Skills policies both at European and Member State level.

EeSA recommends that synergies should be fostered amongst educational institutes, ICT industry and IT professionals in the private and public sector to promote e-skills and training. The development of multi-stakeholder partnerships with industry would reduce skills mismatches on the labour market by providing a better alignment of supply with demand.

EeSA has been actively contributing to the development of the European e-Competence Framework. The framework is developed by a large number of European ICT and HR experts in the context of the CEN Workshop on ICT Skills. The Europe-wide involvement of players from the ICT sector and stakeholders from business, education, etc. united under EeSA, has been crucial for the framework development strategy.

The European e-Competence Framework is a reference framework of 36 ICT competences that provides clear and sound orientation for companies and further ICT sector players who need to take decisions about recruitment, career paths, training, assessment, etc. It articulates knowledge, skills and competence as needed and applied in the ICT workplace for the ICT industry as well as in the public sector. Find out more about the European e-Competence Framework

EeSA acknowledges the importance of ICT professionalism for Europe's competitiveness and potential for innovation. EeSA welcomes the productive dialogue between universities and business initiated by the European Commission to ensure that graduates are equipped with the skills needed in the labour market, especially e-business and ICT practitioner skills that are necessary to fully exploit the benefits of the knowledge-based economy.

EeSA will support European and international efforts to improve and enhance market-relevant standards for ICT professionalism that improve transparency and offer better market opportunities and mobility for ICT professionals in Europe and beyond.

EeSA and its Members have been pan-European stakeholders during the last two European e-Skills Week campaigns organised by  the European Commission. This campaign aims to raise awareness of the demand for highly skilled ICT jobs and the importance of e-skills for European citizens. ICT professionalism is also an important activity that EeSA is involved in to drive Europe's competitiveness, and to ensure that graduates are equipped with the right skills for the labour market. EeSA is also an active participant in the CEN ICT Skills Workshop which developed the European e-Competence Framework.

EeSA has launched the European Career Portal on e-Skills which presents the career opportunities available in the field of ICT. The Career Portal highlights the many positive aspects of working in ICT and it provides information for the visitors to match their skills to the right job. In addition, the portal is a main source of information for key stakeholders such as public authorities and the private sector, academia, unions and associations willing to develop market-relevant e-Skills capacities.

Competitiveness, innovation and job creation in European industry are increasingly being driven by the use of new information and communication technologies (ICT). This, in turn, must be complemented by a workforce with the knowledge and skills to use these new technologies efficiently. In this context, EeSA is involved in a number of activities contributing to the European Commission's efforts on a number of initiatives to boost ICT skills in the workforce.

The EU's long-term e-skills strategy is based on the Communication "e-Skills for the 21st Century". Initiatives that stemmed from the implementation of the e-skills strategy were financed by the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). New initiatives for the period 2014-2020 will be financed by the programme for the Competitiveness of Entreprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME).

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