Skills for digital marketing, social media, cybersecurity, web development and data analytics are what small and medium enterprises (SMEs) most want to improve on. These are the interim findings of a ...

Skills for digital marketing, social media, cybersecurity, web development and data analytics are what small and medium enterprises (SMEs) most want to improve on. These are the interim findings of a European pilot project which will now pilot training courses in these areas for SME employees and unemployed in Murcia, Spain and in Lithuania. The final objective is to develop “blueprints” to upskill small businesses all over Europe.

Today the Commission published the interim report of the Pilot Project on digital skills: New Professions, New Educational Methods, New Jobs which will design training solutions in digital skills to upskill SMEs' labour force. The project will develop a structured programme for training of SME employees and the unemployed in digital skills required in the modern workplace.

Five trainings will be piloted in the region of Murcia in Spain and in Lithuania from June till September 2018 in areas covering digital marketing, cybersecurity, data analytics, programming and software development which respond to the SMEs' needs identified by the project. The final training blueprints are expected by end of 2018 and will be replicable and scalable in other European regions looking to close the digital skills gap in SMEs.

The pilot project has conducted 40 interviews in Murcia and Lithuania with SMEs, training providers, employees, jobseekers and policymakers, followed by public round-tables with experts.

The findings show that growth opportunities combined with the lack of available external candidates are the main driving forces for SMEs to upskill their employees while the biggest barrier is lack of time and resources. It is important for SMEs to identify an immediate benefit to the company to commit the scarce resources to training during working hours. Other obstacles are the lack of information on available and relevant trainings, the cost of training, inflexible timetables and distance. A focus on delivery and short-term objectives at the expense of a longer-term vision appear to be an overall issue for the SMEs preventing them from planning their skills policy.

The research shows that the needs of SMEs vary and that the specific skills lacking depend on the type of SMEs. However, there are universal tools for business intelligence, marketing, e-commerce or client relationship management that are common and useful to all SMEs. The stakeholders also emphasised a need for an internal "digital leader" that would support the bottom-up initiatives where the management does not have the capacity to sustain transformation and digital skills training.

The consortium carrying out the pilot project is composed of BlueSpecs Innovation, CIVITTA, and the Polytechnic University of Cartagena. More information is available on the project website.

Read the full article here.

A €9.2 billion envelope to relaunch Europe in the digital race was suggested in a new proposal for post-2020 EU spending, presented on June 6th. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for the Digital ...

A €9.2 billion envelope to relaunch Europe in the digital race was suggested in a new proposal for post-2020 EU spending, presented on June 6^th.
 
Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, said “We have concentrated on investment in strategic capacity. Currently, there are sectors in which Europe remains a leader such as robotics and micro-nanotechnologies. We have identified five key areas where investment is needed.” The Commissioner explained that the investment is not meant to replace current programmes but rather compliment and complete them.
 
According to the Commission the goal is “to endow the EU with its own independent and competitive technology supply, achieving excellence in applications and widening supercomputing availability and use”. The proposal centers around the period from 2021-2027 and features five key areas where Europe can make the difference: high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and advanced digital skills and ensuring their wide use. Supercomputers, artificial intelligence and cyber security will gain the most from the new proposal.
 
€700 million will be raised to respond to digital skill requirements. Through long- and short- term training courses and on-the-job traineeships, regardless of their Member State of residence and targeted programmes for civil servants. €1.3 billion will ensure the digital transformation of public administration and public services and their EU-wide interoperability. Another €2 billion has been earmarked by the Commission for the cybersecurity industry.

The Commission has committed to support the acquisition of new digital skills, retraining and reskilling of the workforce on a broad scale. As action points were put forward in both the communications...

The Commission has committed to support the acquisition of new digital skills, retraining and reskilling of the workforce on a broad scale. As action points were put forward in both the communications on disinformation and AI beginning of May 2018.

The Commission has now released their communication on automated mobility and has reiterated their commitment to digital skills with its digital single market strategy, and Skills Agenda for Europepriority is put on digital skills at all levels, from basic to high-end. As automated mobility may well cause a reduction in demand for professional drivers, it could also help to make driving jobs more attractive with the introduction of new technology.

In order to deliver sector- specific skills solutions, the Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on skills was launched as part of the Skills Agenda. The blueprint is a framework for strategic cooperation between key stakeholders such as businesses, trade unions research, education and training institutions, in order to overcome skills shortage and prepare for digital transition. Five pilot sectors have been selected for the first wave of calls and the automotive is one of them.

You can read the full communication on automated mobility here.

On May 8th, the VoteWatch organisation published an analysis of MEPs' (Members of the European Parliament) positions on artificial intelligence and robotics, in continuation of the resolutio...

On May 8^th, the VoteWatch organisation published an analysis of MEPs' (Members of the European Parliament) positions on artificial intelligence and robotics, in continuation of the resolution for an initiative adopted during the February 2017 plenary session. This analysis is based on the opinions of the different political groups on the own-initiative resolution adopted in plenary session in February 2017. 
 
VoteWatch mainly examined the MEPs' points of view on the European artificial intelligence registration system, a tax on robots, the introduction of a universal income and a legal status for robots. 
 
The European strategy has announced guidelines for the end of 2018 on ethics and interpretive orientations on the directive relating to liability for defective products, in an attempt to respond to concerns expressed on responsibility in this context. 
 
The analysis can be consulted here.

On Friday 27 April, the European Commission unveiled a plan to make first level .eu domains more accessible.  In practice, this first level domain name guarantees users respect of their righ...

On Friday 27 April, the European Commission unveiled a plan to make first level .eu domains more accessible. 
 
In practice, this first level domain name guarantees users respect of their rights under EU legislation on the site they’re visiting. The .eu domain name allows companies to have greater visibility in the Single Market and easier access to e-commerce. 
The recent stagnation of the number of sites using .eu has encouraged the European Commission to take action to allow the .eu domain name to remain a powerful bias for citizens whereby they can demonstrate their European identity.
 
The European Commission says that the achievement of this end will require a simplification of legibility criteria for the domain name in order to make it more accessible. EU citizens will be able to manage a .eu website from a non-EU country. Companies will no longer be required to be mostly located in a member state but will only be required to be establishedin the EU. 

The European Commission presented their communication on disinformation on April 26th. Its main conclusion is that the online platforms where the disinformation is easily spread, should be allowed to ...

The European Commission presented their communication on disinformation on April 26^th. Its main conclusion is that the online platforms where the disinformation is easily spread, should be allowed to regulate themselves. The Commission will however re-examine the issue in October and will, if need be, propose additional measures by December 2018.

We highlight the fact that media literacy is identified as a working area. The Commission lists several action points such as; providing educational material to schools and educators, include targeted initiatives in the #SaferInternet4EU campaign, organise a European Week of Media Literacy, further encourage the work of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, continue implementation of the Digital Education Action plan and continue to support the Digital Opportunity traineeship.

Other working areas further mentioned include; improving the ecosystem, respect for the democratic process, aid for quality journalism and tackling external attacks.

The communication can be seen here.

On April 25th, the European Commission published a communication on artificial intelligence. Job changes due to automation are anticipated, which means workers must be upskilled to work with technolog...

On April 25^th, the European Commission published a communication on artificial intelligence. Job changes due to automation are anticipated, which means workers must be upskilled to work with technology, as well as skills that cannot be replaced by any machine such as critical thinking, creativity or management.

The Commission lists several action points to build a resilient EU work force such as setting up dedicated (re)training schemes, anticipate the changes on the labour market and skills mismatch, launch pilots to predict training requirements for future competence profiles, support Digital Opportunities Traineeships, encourage business-education partnerships, invite social partner to include AI and its impact on the economy and employment.

Another aim is to increase public and private investment, they acknowledge that the EU is lagging behind China and the US. It is therefore committed to investing €1.5 billion by 2020 as part of the Horizon 2020 programme and hopes that overall investment in research and innovation will reach a total of €20 billion within two years. Other working areas include fairness, safety, social inclusion, algorithmic transparency and, more broadly, the impact on fundamental rights, particularly private life, dignity, consumer protection and non-discrimination.

The communication can be seen here.

Digital technologies create new opportunities for businesses and other organisations. They allow them to develop new products, reach more customers, improve efficiency and competitiveness. In fact, 90...

Digital technologies create new opportunities for businesses and other organisations. They allow them to develop new products, reach more customers, improve efficiency and competitiveness. In fact, 90% of jobs today require at least basic digital skills and there are over 350,000 open vacancies for ICT specialists in the EU. To help improve students' advanced digital skills and their career prospects as well as to provide companies with digitally competent job candidates, the Commission has launched the Digital Opportunity Traineeships initiative.

Read the full article here.

At the end of April, the European Commission will publish its strategy on artificial intelligence (AI), in view of encouraging the development of this technology, whilst ensuring that it does not lead...

At the end of April, the European Commission will publish its strategy on artificial intelligence (AI), in view of encouraging the development of this technology, whilst ensuring that it does not lead to any irregularities.

The document is based on three principal areas of work:

1. Stimulating the EU's technological and industrial capacity in this area.
   
   


2. Tackling ethical and legal issues (whilst taking on board questions relating to safety, liability, transparency and data access).
   
   


3. Responding to socio-economic challenges on the labour markets and modernising education and training systems in Europe. 

According to the Commission, the combined economic impact of vehicle automation, know-how and robots is estimated to be around €6.5-12 trillion every year up to 2025, including productivity gains (40%) and the improved quality-of-life for an ageing population.

The artificial intelligence strategy is almost certainly going to be presented on 24 April as part of a data related package, which will also include an online health initiative and another on the reuse of public sector information. Another package focusing on platforms will be unveiled the following day. This will contain an initiative on relations between the platforms and their commercial partners.

We are pleased to inform you that the proposal coordinated by Politecnico di Milano, DigiMooD for CCI (Digital Module of Didatics for Cultural and Creative Industry), has been selected for the “...

We are pleased to inform you that the proposal coordinated by Politecnico di Milano, DigiMooD for CCI (Digital Module of Didatics for Cultural and Creative Industry), has been selected for the “Creative Europe – Modules for Master Degrees in Art and Science” funding programme launched by the European Commission.

DigiMooD for CCI aims at developing and testing the offer of a set of innovative and interdisciplinary educational modules in “Digital Entrepreneurship for the Creative Industries”, with a specific application to the Fashion Industry.

Politecnico di Milano coordinates the Consortium made up of the different partners participating in the project, including EeSA. The project will be deployed over a period of 28 months. More information on the involvement expected by EeSA will follow.

Link to the call for proposals.

The Commission published a study entitled "Increase in gender gap in the digital sector - Study on Women in the Digital Age”. This study found that there is a growing gap between men and wo...

The Commission published a study entitled "Increase in gender gap in the digital sector - Study on Women in the Digital Age”. This study found that there is a growing gap between men and women's participation in the digital sector in education, career and entrepreneurship.

Even worse, despite growing demand of ICT specialists and digital profiles in general, the percentage of Europeans with ICT-related education is decreasing for both genders.

The main conclusions of the study are:

• Although female owned start-ups are more likely to be successful, there is a decrease in participation, leadership and investment in the entrepreneurial digital sector.


• The annual productivity loss for the European economy of women leaving their digital jobs to become inactive is calculated to be about EUR 16.2 billion.


• There are four times more men than women in Europe with ICT-related studies. 57% of tertiary graduates in the EU are women, but only 24.9% of them graduate in ICT-related fields. Women make up 13% of the graduates in ICT-related fields working in digital jobs compared to 15% in 2011.


• The share of men working in the digital sector is 3.1 times greater than the share of women.

As the digital revolution expands, it is now also a social process in the way it has become a powerful tool for advancing in gender equality, according to the parliamentary research service. In ...

As the digital revolution expands, it is now also a social process in the way it has become a powerful tool for advancing in gender equality, according to the parliamentary research service.

In fact, even if it can create new risks as the colonization of online spaces by misogyny and cyber-violence, it can also create new opportunities in employment for example with highly skilled and better-paid jobs.

In the EU, Gender gap in advanced IT skills is still present and women are less likely to continue studying science and technology as attitudes and expectations in families, schools and groups are still strongly influencing children’s perception of their career aspirations.

Therefore, EU’s Digital Single Market Strategy now includes goals as tackling gender stereotypes to improve gender equality.

According to the European Parliament study on the impact of new technologies on the labour market and the social economy, machines are taking over tasks as soon as they become routine, such as of...

According to the European Parliament study on the impact of new technologies on the labour market and the social economy, machines are taking over tasks as soon as they become routine, such as office tasks that are now automatized, putting low – medium-skilled jobs at risk. This indicates that in future, labour will most likely undergo a reorganization that favors platform work; project structures with an increase in tasks contracted and performed over platforms outside a firm. Technological change tends to favour high-skilled, non-routine or low-routine occupations, while it reduces employment opportunities in low-skilled and routine occupations. 

Policy options
There are several policy options that could be implemented in order to negate any negative consequences of these digitalization trends in employment: Investment in education and re-skilling the workforce; Focus on research and development (R&D), as it helps firms build up competences and is therefore a driver of competitiveness and employment growth; Entrepreneurship as a policy; European ecosystems have not yet generated an equivalent to Amazon, Facebook or Google; Upgrades for the Internet network infrastructure, currently there is still an imbalance between Western and Eastern European infrastructure, equal access to connectivity needs to be ensured.

Tax overhaul
The options for policy change in our current tax systems include: shifting from labor to taxation of capital and value added; Taxing the super-rich or implementing a universal basic income are other options, although both options remain controversial; ‘Flexicurity’: Employment regulations will also need to adapt as there is already strong demand for flexible labor markets, yet security for employees.

Digitalization is set to revolutionise societal structures, as swathes of employment comes under threat from automatization. Nonetheless, there are numerous policy options to steer the process, by investing in education, infrastructure, and R&D, and adapting labour legislation and tax and social security policies to digitalisation. Perhaps most important is to think of digitalisation not as a threat, but as an opportunity to increase welfare and social cohesion for all European citizens.

Digital technologies are used in many sectors such as farming, healthcare, transport, education, retail, automatics, energy, shipping, logistics, teaching and the information and communications techno...

Digital technologies are used in many sectors such as farming, healthcare, transport, education, retail, automatics, energy, shipping, logistics, teaching and the information and communications technology industry. The demand for information and communications technology specialists is growing fast. In the future, 9 out of 10 jobs will require digital skills. At the same time, 169 million Europeans between 16 and 74 years – 44% – do not have basic digital skills.

Factsheet.

Saturday marked the opening of the fifth edition of EU Code Week, which runs from 7-22 October 2017, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to take part. Schools, businesses, not-for-profits, l...

Saturday marked the opening of the fifth edition of EU Code Week, which runs from 7-22 October 2017, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to take part. Schools, businesses, not-for-profits, local libraries and more are all organising events to showcase how you can bring ideas to life with code.

Today, 90% of jobs require digital skills, but 44% of Europeans have no or low skills in this domain. Code week is an initiative supported by the European Commission to encourage people to discover coding.

Read more at: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/celebrate-creating-code.

The European Commission has launched its second Digital Skills Award. Companies and organisations are invited to submit projects they have implemented to improve digital skills in Europe.The best 4 pr...

The European Commission has launched its second Digital Skills Award. Companies and organisations are invited to submit projects they have implemented to improve digital skills in Europe.The best 4 projects designed at improving the digital skills of citizens, the labour force, ICT professional and in education will receive an award. A fifth award will go to the best project which also address the needs of women and girls.

The awards will be presented by Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, at the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition conference in Brussels on 7th December. Both winners and runners up will also be invited to exhibit their projects at the conference. Additionally, they will be featured by the European Commission in newsletters, the media and on the web. The deadline for applications is 1st November 2017.

Click here for more information.

The European Commission is planning to launch a pilot Digital Opportunity Scheme in the course of 2018. Running within the scope of the Erasmus + programme, the scheme promotes the development of digi...

The European Commission is planning to launch a pilot Digital Opportunity Scheme in the course of 2018. Running within the scope of the Erasmus + programme, the scheme promotes the development of digital skills through cross-border traineeships. Students taking part in the scheme will receive hands-on experience in such fields as cybersecurity, data analytics, artificial intelligence, programming and software development. The scheme will be endowed with a €10 million budget from Horizon 2020. 

The Commission has launched the first full version of the European classification of Skills, Competences, Occupations and Qualifications (ESCO). The classification is available in 26 languages (the 24...

The Commission has launched the first full version of the European classification of Skills, Competences, Occupations and Qualifications (ESCO). The classification is available in 26 languages (the 24 EU languages, Icelandic and Norwegian).

ESCO facilitates the dialogue betweenlabour market and the education/training sector by providing a common language that could help overcome labour market imbalances and increase occupational and geographical mobility in the EU. You can read more about ESCO here.

Retail, manufacturing and agriculture are three of the sectors where disruptive technologies have begun to usurp human capital. But are there sectors of our economy that technology cannot conquer? Jo...

Retail, manufacturing and agriculture are three of the sectors where disruptive technologies have begun to usurp human capital. But are there sectors of our economy that technology cannot conquer?

Jobs requiring emotional skills, such as care-giving and teaching, are less likely to be infiltrated by technology. While AI is progressing, computers are not yet at the stage where they can replicate complex human emotions such as empathy convincingly. As a result, if these jobs cannot be automated, then workers with emotional skills will be in high demand in the job markets of the future. 

More on the importance of developing tech-resistant skills can be found here.

On 26 July, the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed on a mandate for negotiations on a draft directive covering entry and residence conditions for highly qualified  workers comin...

On 26 July, the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) agreed on a mandate for negotiations on a draft directive covering entry and residence conditions for highly qualified  workers coming from third countries (blue card directive). The directive seeks to make Europe a more attractive destination for highly skilled workers from third countries, by creating a simplified common framework for all member states. Based on the agreed mandate, the Council presidency will start negotiations with the European Parliament. More information is available here. 

July 11 – Vice President Andrus Ansip takes part in structured dialogue with Parliamentary committee for culture and education (CULT) to discuss progress on digital strategy.  A number of ...

July 11 – Vice President Andrus Ansip takes part in structured dialogue with Parliamentary committee for culture and education (CULT) to discuss progress on digital strategy. 

A number of questions were fielded from the Committee members, including from Elena Gentile (S&D, ITA), raised the issue of ‘fake news’ on platforms, asking how the Commission foresees combatting the dissipation of such disinformation, while Luigi Morgano (S&D, ITA) spoke of Europeans’ fears of the implications of Artificial Intelligence and robotisation for the labour market. The issue of digital skills for the next generation of the European workforce was also raised. 

Ansip underlined to the importance of digital skills with reference to successful European initiatives such as Coding Week. He also made clear, that age should not be seen as a barrier to developing digital skills, and called on employers to make lifelong learning of their workers a reality. He also made reference to the unacceptable gender gap in ICT industry, and called for solutions to encourage girls and women into this field.

He also sought to assuage fears of the impact of AI on the job market, alluding to the fact that progress has historically always been good for the job market as a whole, while also warning that it was inevitable that some jobs would be lost to robots, making it doubly important to encourage continued professional development. He also alluded to the example of Germany to highlight how AI has led to ‘re-shoring’ of manufacturing jobs previously lost to countries with cheaper labour markets. 

The EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals is intended for use by any services that may be offering assistance to third country nationals and should be used in an interview situation to ge...

The EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals is intended for use by any services that may be offering assistance to third country nationals and should be used in an interview situation to get to know the individual, their skills, qualifications and experiences.

The focus of the tool is to help individuals produce a profile of their skills and to help an adviser identify any recommendations or next steps. The information collected can be used to:

• support further assessment,


• form a basis for offering guidance,


• identify up-skilling needs,


• support job-searching and job-matching.

The tool is not intended as a recognition or authentication tool.

The tool is currently under development.

• BETA - EU Skills Profile Tool for third country nationals.

The European Commission has this week released a new tool comparing over 160 cities across and beyond the EU28 on their cultural and creative capacities. The tool compares how well cities fare on...

The European Commission has this week released a new tool comparing over 160 cities across and beyond the EU28 on their cultural and creative capacities. The tool compares how well cities fare on a number of selected measures, including the 'creative economy' and 'enabling environment' of cities. Indicators include infrastructural components such as available funding, tax incentives, creative incubators, and so-called 'fab-labs' equipped with technological equipment to encourage digital experimentation. The development of this tool, and the smartphone application that will be released next year, places digital infrastructure and creativity at the heart of the urban economy, thereby encouraging cities to embrace and cultivate the digital skills of its residents, as well as marking out cities of high potential for digital entrepreneurs.  For more information, see the official Commission press release.

Europe is skilling up in digital - the fifth edition of EU Code Week will take place 7-22 October 2017. Join the celebrations and learn how to express yourself with code. Since 2013, the Code Week ini...

Europe is skilling up in digital - the fifth edition of EU Code Week will take place 7-22 October 2017. Join the celebrations and learn how to express yourself with code. Since 2013, the Code Week initiative has organised more than 33000 coding events in +50 countries in and outside Europe.  In 2016, almost a million people participated, out of which 46% were girls or women. There are a number of ways to participate in EU Code Week 2017: Get involved! Click here for more information.

Estonia has this week taken over the 6-month rolling presidency of the Council of the European Union. High in its list of priorities is the advancement of digital Europe, including the 'freedom of mov...

Estonia has this week taken over the 6-month rolling presidency of the Council of the European Union. High in its list of priorities is the advancement of digital Europe, including the 'freedom of movement of data' - the ambition being to foster a smart economy by ending unjustified data location restrictions and encouraging interoperability of data resources. The country of e-Residency and the world's first 'data embassy', Estonia has marked itself out as an innovative, tech-friendly country in recent times. Will it be able to lead the rest of the European Union in the same direction over the next six months? Will digital skills feature on its list of priorities? With a dedicated digital summit in the pipeline, all will become clear...

You can view the full programme of the Estonian presidency here. 

The European Commission announced plans for a pilot project to provide working experience in the digital field for 5,000-6,000 graduate students in 2018-2020. The paid 4-5 months internships will be a...

The European Commission announced plans for a pilot project to provide working experience in the digital field for 5,000-6,000 graduate students in 2018-2020. The paid 4-5 months internships will be available for students of all disciplines.

More information is available here.

The Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition is a multi-stakeholder partnership involving Member States, companies, social partners, NGOs and educational establishments – to help meet the high demand f...

The Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition is a multi-stakeholder partnership involving Member States, companies, social partners, NGOs and educational establishments – to help meet the high demand for digital skills in Europe which are essential in today's digital society and economy. We are delighted that you have endorsed the objectives and principles of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition Charter and we take pride that you have agreed to make a contribution to boost digital skills in Europe.

The official website of the Coalition is here and  it is also possible to follow the Colation on Facebook  and on  Twitter.

On 22 February the European Commission launched a public consultation in view to update the 2006 Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2006/962/EC). The review was announced in...

On 22 February the European Commission launched a public consultation in view to update the 2006 Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2006/962/EC). The review was announced in the European Commission's New Skills Agenda for Europe and seeks to develop a shared understanding of key competences needed and to further foster their introduction in educational and training curricula.

The public consultation will run until 19 May 2017. You can find it here.

According to figures published by Eurostat on Monday 9 January (you can find them here), euro area unemployment remained stable at 9.8% in November 2016. It decreased by 0.1% in the EU as a whole...

According to figures published by Eurostat on Monday 9 January (you can find them here), euro area unemployment remained stable at 9.8% in November 2016. It decreased by 0.1% in the EU as a whole for the same month (8.3%).

Overall, significant variations can be observed in six member states between October and November. Unemployment particularly took a tumble in Ireland (7.3%), France (9.5%), Malta (4.8%) and Slovakia (9%). On the other hand, it rose by 0.4% in Cyprus (14.2%) and by 0.3% in Lithuania (7.9%).

Youth unemployment made an unexpected leap and increased by 0.3% in the euro area (21.2%) and by 0.1% in the Union (18.8%). Italy experienced a particularly high rise given that it saw a 1.8% increase over the course of a single month (39.4%). Despite a globally stable and positive trend in Spain, the country also saw the number of its youth unemployed rise significantly to 44.4%, (an increase of 0.6%). It was a similar situation in Portugal where the rate rose by the same amount (28.4%).

Several experts have looked at the way in which the European Social Fund (ESF) functioned in the 2007-2013 period, at the peak of the economic crisis. They outlined a number of ways for improving the ...

Several experts have looked at the way in which the European Social Fund (ESF) functioned in the 2007-2013 period, at the peak of the economic crisis. They outlined a number of ways for improving the way in which this fund functions for the post-2020 period by emphasising that procedures will have to be simplified and administrative costs reduced.

This report was published by the European Commission on 5 January (more information here). It was drafted by independent experts and takes the shape of a preparatory study together with five thematic studies carried out in the context of the ESF over the 2007-2013 period and specific reports for each member state. Overall the report is positive and highlights that for example: (a) by the end of 2014 at least 9.4 million European residents had found a job with the assistance of the ESF, (b) 8.7 million had obtained a qualification or diploma and (3) around 13.7 million people had mentioned other positive results, such as an improvement in their skill sets.

According to the experts, however, nothing seems to suggest that the ESF has contributed to the effective promotion of gender equality, even though more than 50 million women have benefited from it over the period analysed. A similar observation regarding the pledge to develop coherent action and synergies with other EU instruments.

The European Commission’s assessment ultimately outlines possibilities for improving the current EFS implementation phase and the one launched for the post-2020 period. It suggests: (1) taking into account the so-called soft results during the impact assessments, (2) assessing in more details the macro-economic effects (impact of the ESF on the GDP is estimated to be around 0.25%) and the results from the capacity strengthening activities, (3) encouraging member states to reduce administration costs for beneficiaries, (4) improving and promoting the use of instruments relating to financial engineering and (5) promoting more take up of simplified cost options, such as flat rate financing, standard barometers of unit costs and flat rate amounts, in addition to simplifying audits.

The first European Vocational Skills Week too place between 5 and 9 December and closed with an estimated 702,250 people taking part in more than 900 activities across Europe. More info on the even ca...

The first European Vocational Skills Week too place between 5 and 9 December and closed with an estimated 702,250 people taking part in more than 900 activities across Europe. More info on the even can be found here.

Around 1,400 participants joined the workshops, conferences and other events in Brussels. At national level, Spain, Hungary and Croatia organised the highest number of events during the week. The social media campaign was also successful with over 8,800 posts reaching almost a million viewers (on Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

An award ceremony was organised at the closing event. For example, it included a company and apprentices award in the context of the European Alliance for Apprenticeships, and the most innovative provider of vocational and educational training (VET). In total nine awards were presented by European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen for outstanding, innovative or remarkable performances.

Background: the aim of the Vocational Skills Week was (1) to demonstrate the role of VET for skills and jobs, innovation and competitiveness and (2) to make participants discover how they can use and improve their talents and abilities through VET. The week covered themes such as adult learning and reskilling, youth employment, VET's contribution to competitiveness and jobs, apprenticeships and mobility, businesses and VET, etc.

ECDL Foundation turns 20 in 2017, and they will be marking the occasion in style with some highlights from their history that celebrate the impact ECDL has had over the past two decades. Since their s...

ECDL Foundation turns 20 in 2017, and they will be marking the occasion in style with some highlights from their history that celebrate the impact ECDL has had over the past two decades. Since their start as a small project funded by the EU’s ESPRIT research programme in 1997, they have grown to see almost 15 million candidates in over 100 countries around the world.

People have used ECDL to build skills that have transformed their lives, from helping prepare people with learning difficulties for employment and independence in Zimbabwe, to supporting the integration of refugees in Austria, ECDL has achieved a lot! More on the 20th anniversary is available here.

For many people worldwide, the answer is unemployment. Work is not just what allows us to sustain ourselves and our families: it expands our possibilities to be and do what we aspire to; it gives mean...

For many people worldwide, the answer is unemployment. Work is not just what allows us to sustain ourselves and our families: it expands our possibilities to be and do what we aspire to; it gives meaning and rhythm to our endeavours as part of a broader social contract. This is why in times of “polycrisis” and broader economic transformations, we dread losing what we hold so dear to a presumed automation apocalypse. More on the lastest WEF study is available here.

Sixteen projects which encourage people to develop digital skills for work, education and life in general have been selected as finalists for the Digital Skills Award 2016. The four most outstanding p...

Sixteen projects which encourage people to develop digital skills for work, education and life in general have been selected as finalists for the Digital Skills Award 2016. The four most outstanding projects will be announced by Günther H. Oettinger, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, in Brussels on 1 December at the launch of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, visit the official Commission website.

High-Tech Leadership and Innovation Skills | Estimation of Demand, Supply and Forecasting: Approach, Methodology and Results 22 November 10:00 - 17:00 New digital and key enabling technolo...

High-Tech Leadership and Innovation Skills | Estimation of Demand, Supply and Forecasting: Approach, Methodology and Results

22 November 10:00 - 17:00

New digital and key enabling technologies will generate new market opportunities and will foster new and sometime disruptive business models. Enterprises of all sizes and in all sectors require the availability of new skills at all levels – especially at the leadership level – to fully exploit these technologies and for Europe to become a better place to invest and do business. Not surprisingly these skills are in very high demand globally. The demand cannot be met by the current supply from education and training institutions. 

More information is available on the Scale Project website.

The EU is working to reduce youth unemployment and to increase the youth employment rate in line with the wider EU target of achieving a 75% employment rate for the working-age population (20-64 years...

The EU is working to reduce youth unemployment and to increase the youth employment rate in line with the wider EU target of achieving a 75% employment rate for the working-age population (20-64 years). More than 4.5 million young people (aged 15-24 years) are unemployed today in the EU. Although it has decreased – from more than 23% in 2013 to less than 21% today – the youth unemployment rate is still very high in the EU (with peaks of more than 40% in several countries). Long-term youth unemployment is still at record highs. With regards to these challenges, the European Commission is launching a new initiative for youth: this includes a proposal for the creation of a European Solidarity Corps and priority measures to implement the youth aspects of the Skills Agenda.

The Skills Agenda

Launched in 2010, it is part of the EU's overall strategy – Europe 2020 – promoting smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the next 10 years and beyond. The Agenda also contributes to achieve the EU's targets to get the early school-leaving rate below 10% and more young people in higher education or equivalent vocational education (at least 40%), as well as to have at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020.

Coming proposals from the European Commission for the Skills Agenda will include: (1) a quality framework for apprenticeships and a legislative proposal on increased mobility for apprentices, (2) modernising school and higher education (non-legislative proposal, will likely be published in the second quarter of 2017) and (3) a proposal for improved tracking of outcomes for graduates but also young people who have followed vocational education and training (non-legislative proposal, will also likely be published in the second quarter of 2017).

More about the Skills Agenda for Europe can be found here.

More about the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) can be found here.

The new strategy for skills in Europe has been welcomed by most employment and social affairs ministers in their recent Council meeting. During a roundtable discussion on 13 October, they collectively...

The new strategy for skills in Europe has been welcomed by most employment and social affairs ministers in their recent Council meeting. During a roundtable discussion on 13 October, they collectively recognised the importance of providing young people with appropriate skills for the jobs of the future. The skills agenda in Europe consists of several horizontal proposals focusing on areas such as skills development, recognition of qualifications across member states, support for education and vocational training, etc.

The discussion focused around two central issues: (1) various aspects of the agenda that relate to employment based on three themes selected by the Slovak Presidency, namely the (a) cooperation between stakeholders, (b) the appropriateness of skills and (c) the specific measures involving young people and (2) to adopt the opinion of the Employment Committee on this agenda. Most member states hinted at the initiatives introduced in their respective countries to tackle youth unemployment specifically.  Poland, for example, underlined some major changes in professional training, while Spain and Italy emphasised their efforts to develop dual training. Other member states mentioned some important challenges, such as the massive arrival of refugees in Sweden or the “brain drain” in Greece. The European Commission assured that it would soon publish its skills profiling tool for nationals from third countries, but did not specify when.

At the end of their discussion, the 28 employment and social affairs ministers unanimously adopted the opinion from the Employment Committee in support of the European Commission’s agenda. The committee reinforced the priorities identified, with respect to the focus on people with poor skills in particular. One of the points most criticised, especially by France and, to a lesser extent, Luxembourg, involved the lack of resources in the agenda, especially regarding the name chosen for the skills guarantee. The latter, one of the flagship instruments in the agenda, was supposed to help poorly skilled adults acquire some minimal level of reading and writing, arithmetic and digital skills to help them progress towards a second cycle of secondary education qualifications. The committee stated that the name of this instrument could provoke exaggerated expectations given that there is currently a lack of resources available for responding to this challenge. The committee finally concluded that the agenda should be supported by other measures mentioned in the guidelines, for instance investments in education training systems, access to lifelong learning or learning in the workplace.

The opinion can be consulted here.

European Commission Conference | High-Tech and Leadership Skills for Europe European Conference on High-Tech and Leadership Skills will take place on 26th January 2017 in Brussels. At the conference,...

European Commission Conference | High-Tech and Leadership Skills for Europe

European Conference on High-Tech and Leadership Skills will take place on 26th January 2017 in Brussels. At the conference, experts, business leaders and policymakers will discuss about a shared agenda on high-tech and leadership skills towards 2020 and beyond.

There is a global competition for high-tech talent. Leadership skills are scarce. An understanding of the magnitude of the challenge and of possible solutions is urgently needed.

The provision of a large talent pool of highly-skilled entrepreneurs, managers and professionals requires long term coherent and consistent efforts in many policy areas. It also requests a strong mobilisation of stakeholders and public/private partnerships. In order to develop relevant policy initiatives there is a need to agree on definitions and description of high-tech leadership skills requirements and to provide credible estimates of future demand and supply. Concrete proposals and best practices will be presented at the conference. Speakers will share their experiences and propose new actions at European and national level mobilising, governments, industry, social partners, education and training and other stakeholders.

More information can be found here.

ICT Professionalism High-Level Conference 6 December | 9:30 - 16:30 Shortages, gaps and mismatches of e-Skills are negatively impacting the growth, competitiveness and drive for innovation in Europe...

ICT Professionalism High-Level Conference

6 December | 9:30 - 16:30

Shortages, gaps and mismatches of e-Skills are negatively impacting the growth, competitiveness and drive for innovation in Europe.

With more governments recognizing the need to promote e-Skills, the European Commission and a consortium of partners set up a Framework to enhance ICT professionalism. Support the growth of digital skills in Europe by participating in the initiative.

Updates regarding the programme will be shared regularly on this website.

DG Connect is launching a call for proposal for pilot projects.  The objective of the pilot project is to develop actions aimed at increasing the critical thinking towards the media among citize...

DG Connect is launching a call for proposal for pilot projects. 

The objective of the pilot project is to develop actions aimed at increasing the critical thinking towards the media among citizens of all ages and to test the feasibility and usefulness of such actions. Critical thinking includes, among other skills, the ability to distinguish information from propaganda, to deconstruct media communication and to interact with social media in a mindful way.

Media is to be understood as covering all kinds of media and through all kinds of channels.

The deadline for submission is 14 October 2016 at 5pm Brussels time.

More information is available here.

adopted Skills Agenda for Europe. The aim is to ensure that people develop a broad set of skills from early on in life and to make the most of Europe’s human capital, which will ultimately ...

adopted Skills Agenda for Europe. The aim is to ensure that people develop a broad set of skills from early on in life and to make the most of Europe’s human capital, which will ultimately boost employability, competitiveness and growth in Europe.

The Commission proposes 10 actions to be taken forward over the next two years, some of which will be launched today:

• A Skills Guarantee to help low-skilled adults acquire a minimum level of literacy, numeracy and digital skills and progress towards an upper secondary qualification.


• A review of the European Qualifications Framework for a better understanding of qualifications and to make better use of all available skills in the European labour market.


• The 'Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition' bringing together Member States and education, employment and industry stakeholders to develop a large digital talent pool and ensure that individuals and the labour force in Europe are equipped with adequate digital skills.


• The ‘Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills’ to improve skills intelligence and address skills shortages in specific economic sectors.

Other actions will be launched later this year and in 2017:

• A "Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals" to support early identification and profiling of skills and qualifications of asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants.


• A revision of the Europass Framework, offering people better and easier-to-use tools to present their skills and get useful real-time information on skills needs and trends which can help with career and learning choices.


• Making Vocational Education and Training (VET) a first choice by enhancing opportunities for VET learners to undertake a work based learning experience and promoting greater visibility of good labour market outcomes of VET.


• A review of the Recommendation on Key Competences to help more people acquire the core set of skills necessary to work and live in the 21^st century with a special focus on promoting entrepreneurial and innovation-oriented mind-sets and skills.


• An initiative on graduate tracking to improve information on how graduates progress in the labour market.


• A proposal to further analyse and exchange best practices on effective ways to address brain drain.