The EMPL (European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) Committee meeting of October 29 included the consideration of a question for oral ...

The EMPL (European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) Committee meeting of October 29 included the consideration of a question for oral answer and a motion for a resolution on the European Skills Agenda for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Fairness and Resilience by Rapporteur Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Slovakia).
 
Overall, MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) from the different political groups broadly welcomed the European Commission's  Communication on the EU Skills Agenda. The Renew Europe and European Conservatives and Reformists groups announced their intention of tabling a few amendments to further reinforce the promotion of skills and digital skills.
 
Main highlights of the meeting:

• Implementation of the EU Skills Agenda: MEP Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Slovakia) welcomed the 12 actions of the Skills Agenda and called for their rapid implementation with an appropriate funding allocation both at the EU and Member State level. MEPs Anna Zalewska (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Slovakia, Poland) and Elena Lizzi (Identity and Democracy Group, Italy) also welcomed the Communication, stressing the need for effective and rapid implementation, along with adequate funding. In addressing the MEPs’ concerns about funding, Julie Fionda (Directorate-General EMPL) stated that investment in people and skills is a key priority of the European Commission.
    


• Digital revolution and impacts on labour markets: MEP Kim van Sparrentak (Greens/European Free Alliance, Netherland) stressed the importance of acknowledging that the digital revolution and automation are leading to the loss of jobs. She further added that, despite the skills mismatch in the EU, solving the skills gap alone will not solve the issue of unemployment. MEP María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop (European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group, Spain) also argued that the Skills Agenda should be accompanied by employment policies. She further stated that big data and Artificial Intelligence can cause harm to employment. 
   


• Lifelong Learning (LLL): MEP Andrea Bocskor (European People's Party, Hungary) highlighted the importance of strengthening the LLL. On this matter, MEP Anna Zalewska (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Poland) stressed the importance of digitising education to promote innovation, and the importance of new skills acquisitions. 
   


• Skilling and Reskilling and stakeholders participation: Lina Gálvez Muñoz (Socialists & Democrats Group, Spain) argued that skilling and reskilling should be a right, and called for further participation of social partners and stakeholders. MEP María Eugenia Rodríguez Palop (European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group, Spain) added that the EU should require businesses to take up responsibility to increase the skills of their employers, through training activities. 
   


• Vocational education and training: MEP Dragoș Pîslaru (Renew Europe Group, Romania) highlighted the importance of vocational training as a key component of the EU’s economy, calling for better interconnection with traditional education in a comprehensive framework. 

In the moment where we all are thinking and speaking about restarting European economy, all steps are necessary to equip the workforce with the right instrument to face the tough challenges lying ahea...

In the moment where we all are thinking and speaking about restarting European economy, all steps are necessary to equip the workforce with the right instrument to face the tough challenges lying ahead. So read EeSA's vision on the potential offered by IT certification

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and European Commission are launching a new pilot guarantee facility, named Skills & Education Guarantee Pilot, to improve access to finance for individuals and ...

The European Investment Fund (EIF) and European Commission are launching a new pilot guarantee facility, named Skills & Education Guarantee Pilot, to improve access to finance for individuals and organisations looking to invest in skills and education.

The €50m pilot scheme will support financing for enterprises investing in the upskilling of their employees and organisations supplying education and training. 

This is a new debt financing initiative that aims to stimulate investments in education, training and skills.

You will find the full article here.

The Croatian Presidency has recently sent national delegations their draft conclusions on Shaping Europe’s Future, including items on cybersecurity, data, the Digital Services Act and ...

The Croatian Presidency has recently sent national delegations their draft conclusions on Shaping Europe’s Future, including items on cybersecurity, data, the Digital Services Act and artificial intelligence. Also, according to this draft, digital infrastructure and technology companies will be held more accountable for its environmental footprint and Member States will have to analyze the experience gained from the COVID-19 pandemic in order to enable a better implementation of current and future Union policies in the digital domain, particularly in areas such as e-health, digital education, e-government, data sharing and broadband connectivity.
 
National delegations have been invited to provide feedback to these draft conclusions before April 20.
 
On page 9 of this document, we can find a part concerning skills and education. The draft encourages the Commission to take measures to halve the current digital specialists gap by 2025 through the increase in the participation of women and attracting highly-skilled technology specialists from third countries and calls on the Commission, the Member States and the private sector to put measures in place to upskill the workforce for the digital age.

The European Commission is asking organisations across Europe to join and help provide these sorely needed digital skills by making a pledge to the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalitio...

The European Commission is asking organisations across Europe to join and help provide these sorely needed digital skills by making a pledge to the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition and sharing their initiative across Europe.

Pledges can:

• Enable traditional SME owners to manage their businesses and move activities online (e.g. sales)
  
  


• Equip SME employees with the tools to meet their new and changing roles
    


• Supply teleworkers with the best tools to find their new routine
    


• Provide  ICT service specialists with the possibilities to upskill in advanced digital technologies and develop their own opportunities
    


• Empower the self-employed to uncover new revenue streams
    


• Reduce the risk of exclusion and loneliness for older adults and other at-risk groups
    


• Help teachers and parents create new digital resources and utilise digital education platforms
    


• Support the continued progress of learners from primary and secondary schools
    


• Create the next generation of coders and makers

You will find here the EU Council’s draft conclusions on ‘reskilling and upskilling as a basis for increasing sustainability and employability, in the context of suppor...

You will find here the EU Council’s draft conclusions on ‘reskilling and upskilling as a basis for increasing sustainability and employability, in the context of supporting economic recovery and social cohesion’. The Member States are invited to provide their comments in writing for these conclusions by 8 April 2020, and the Presidency will then prepare an amended text of the draft conclusions based on these comments. 

In these conclusions, and as a brief summary, the Council calls Member States to, among others:

• Promote and implement initiatives to reskill and upskill the workforce to ensure their employability and productivity;
   


• Support individuals in their continuous skills development;
    


• Identify possible models for financing lifelong learning; 
    


• Promote the further diversification of the delivery modes of formal and non-formal education;
    


• Apply and further develop different initiatives from the ‘Skills Agenda for Europe’;
    


• Reinforce and update the ‘Skills Agenda for Europe’ to support Member States with putting in place labour market-relevant education and training and accessible upskilling and reskilling opportunities for both active and unemployed workers.

The European Commission (EC) has presented yesterday two Communications which were part of a new Industrial Strategy for a globally competitive, green and digital Europe.  The first one, &ld...

The European Commission (EC) has presented yesterday two Communications which were part of a new Industrial Strategy for a globally competitive, green and digital Europe.  

The first one, “New Industrial Strategy for Europe” aims to support the industry in its “twin ecological and digital transition” while the second Communication,  “An SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe” aims to support and empower SME businesses in Europe, by helping them become more sustainable, digital and scale up in the Single Market.

Both Communications have a part devoted to digital skills. More information here.

On 16 January, Eurofund published the report “Telework and ICT-based mobile work: Flexible working in the digital age”, which analyses the employment and working conditions of ICT-bas...

On 16 January, Eurofund published the report “Telework and ICT-based mobile work: Flexible working in the digital age”, which analyses the employment and working conditions of ICT-based workers. 

The report shows how, despite the flexibility and higher level of autonomy given to teleworking and ICT-based employees, the risk is that this work arrangement leads to the deterioration of work-life balance, higher stress levels and failing worker health.

Finland, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union until 31 December 2019,  announced today in the meeting of the EU employment ministers that it aims to teach 1% o...

Finland, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union until 31 December 2019,  announced today in the meeting of the EU employment ministers that it aims to teach 1% of all Europeans basic skills in Artificial Intelligence. 

It will do so by providing free access to an university-level online course - ‘Elements of AI’, which will be made available in all the official EU languages by spring 2021 at the latest. 

This initiative builds upon a successful story. 

Indeed, first published in 2018, the course ‘Elements of AI’ was able to teach 1% of Finns (equaling approximately to 55,000 people)  the basics of AI in just a few months, becoming the most popular course ever offered by University of Helsinki. 

The initiative has three goals: firstly, it aims to equip EU citizens with digital skills; secondly, it aims to increase understanding of what artificial intelligence is and, lastly, it aims to boost Europe’s digital leadership vis-à-vis Asia and the United States. 

The cost of the initiative, a total of €1 679 000, will be funded from the budget of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland. 

More information here.

Roberto Viola, Director General of DG Connect at the European Commission, has published a blogpost on the impact of technology in the nature of jobs. In a nutshell, he says that today’...

Roberto Viola, Director General of DG Connect at the European Commission, has published a blogpost on the impact of technology in the nature of jobs.

In a nutshell, he says that today’s labor markets are characterized by an increasing variety of new forms of employment such as platform work, which poses challenges but also opportunities and possible need for public policy intervention.

In fact, platform work is a phenomenon that it is deemed to grow overtime.

Therefore, there is a public interest argument to be made for putting the right legal framework in place to ensure that platform workers’ rights are safeguarded and respected on all levels, as it is the case for more standard forms of work.

Moreover, taking into account the complexity of today’s job market and its constant transformation, being able to handle the unstoppable process of technological development requires significant investment at the EU level, especially when it comes to education and training.

The Centre for European Policy Studies in partnership with Growth with Google published, earlier this month, the Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning (IRDLL),...

The Centre for European Policy Studies in partnership with Growth with Google published, earlier this month, the Index of Readiness for Digital Lifelong Learning (IRDLL), creating a scoring system and ranking EU Member States on their current situation of digital learning. The report shows that Estonia, the Netherlands and Finland excel in the digitalisation of education, while Italy and Germany finished last. The report also describes what the EU has been doing with regard to digitalisation of learning and gives specific recommendations that should be taken at the EU level. 

Read more here. 

The third edition of the Digitising European Industry Stakeholder Forum – organized by the European Commission and Spain within the context of the Digitising European Industry initiative (D...

The third edition of the Digitising European Industry Stakeholder Forum – organized by the European Commission and Spain within the context of the Digitising European Industry initiative (DEI), will take place in Madrid from the 13th of the 15th of November 2019.  The focus will be on “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Hubs - beyond 2020". Although the registrations are closed, the plenary sessions can be followed online during the three days of the event here.
 
Discussions will unfold around the ways in which digital transformation is shaping industry around Europe and how such transformation can be channeled towards a strong and innovative industrial ecosystem.

You will find here the European Commission’s new study on how improving media literacy is key to fighting disinformation in an algorithm-driven online world. The study suggests im...

You will find here the European Commission’s new study on how improving media literacy is key to fighting disinformation in an algorithm-driven online world.
 
The study suggests improving the media literacy skills of consumers and thus reducing their vulnerability is a necessary part of the solution against disinformation in the online environment. Therefore training and education become fundamental tools to empower users of platforms to address the root causes of disinformation.

The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has published a briefing on The Future of Work in the EU. The briefing touches upon the changes in the world of work, trends shap...

The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has published a briefing on The Future of Work in the EU.
 
The briefing touches upon the changes in the world of work, trends shaping work contracts, the influence of robotics and digitalisation on the future of work, social security systems in changing circumstances and ultimately the role of the EU amid these transformations.
 
The briefing also says that the need for the new digital skills to successfully master the challenges of the new working environment continues to grow. Despite this need, it highlights the lack of digitally skilled people to fill job vacancies, pointing that in 2020 there could be a deficit of more than 500 000 information and communication technologies (ICT) professionals in Europe. Reducing the mismatch between the available and demanded digital skills has been a key EU-level priority over the past decade and it will continue to be highly relevant.

Yesterday the European Parliament think tank published an infographic on the state of play of skills in the digital world. This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff o...

Yesterday the European Parliament think tank published an infographic on the state of play of skills in the digital world. This document is prepared for, and addressed to, the Members and staff of the European Parliament as background material to assist them in their parliamentary work.

It looks at how adults in the EU currently use the internet, and their level of skills, to identify some of their learning needs. It then focuses on the characteristics of those who seek educational opportunities online to detect gaps in access to learning. Finally, it looks at how many actually use the internet for learning purposes and workplace ICT skills development training to pinpoint learning opportunities. 

You will find the document here.

This report (“The changing nature of work and skills in the digital age”) provides new insights on the interplay between automation, jobs and work organisation and what these mea...

This report (“The changing nature of work and skills in the digital age”) provides new insights on the interplay between automation, jobs and work organisation and what these mean for skills in the EU.

The report shows that new technologies do not only create or destroy jobs but, more importantly, they change what people do on the job, and how they do it.

This reconfiguration of jobs will increasingly require individuals to leverage their "human advantage", by acquiring skills that help them to adapt and learn in ever-changing workplaces.

Along with digital skills, non-cognitive skills represent the common denominator of many of the emerging jobs.
 
Main messages of this report presented at today’s launch event:
 

• Due to the impact of tech on employment, the future of work ‘hype’ is constantly growing.
   


• Along with interest, concerns have also grown; with large variations, conservative estimates put millions of jobs at high risk of automation.
   


• Jobs most exposed to automation are those involving routine tasks and requiring little social interactions (divers, cleaners, food preparation assistants, assemblers, laborers in construction, manufacturing and transport, etc).
   


• Tech-induced job creation may offset job losses.  
   


• Future trends: demand for digital and strong non-cognitive skills is expected to rise – almost all occupation that have expanded since 2011 require above average social interactions and use of computers at work.

Requested by the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education, this study identifies the development of inclusive digital learning as a possible policy option to tackle curren...

Requested by the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education, this study identifies the development of inclusive digital learning as a possible policy option to tackle current and future challenges for education and youth policies, such as youth unemployment and skills mismatch.

The research also warns against risks linked to digital learning, such as the over-marketisation of the learning environment or the overestimation of what digital learning can actually achieve.

You will find the full study here.

The Commission recently released the final report of the pilot project “Digital Skills: New Professions, New Educational Methods, New Jobs”, which aimed at developing blueprints for traini...

The Commission recently released the final report of the pilot project “Digital Skills: New Professions, New Educational Methods, New Jobs”, which aimed at developing blueprints for training programmes to enable SME employees and unemployed persons to acquire digital skills required in the modern workplace.
 
The resulting insights were developed into 4 digital skills blueprints:

• Introduction to full stack development, providing essential knowledge in programming


• Digital sales, marketing and cybersecurity


• Digital marketing and sales for SMEs


• Introduction to data analytics

You will find the report and more information here.

According to the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (WEFFI) Finland is the world leader at the provision of future skills education followed by Switzerland.Both countries excel particularly in t...

According to the Worldwide Educating for the Future Index (WEFFI) Finland is the world leader at the provision of future skills education followed by Switzerland.

Both countries excel particularly in the policy environment category.

On the other hand, the worst-ranked countries are Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Iran and Pakistan.

Some highlights of the article:

• Most countries’ educational systems are not currently configured to equip the next generations with the skills they will most likely need.
   


• Skills such as emotional intelligence, creative thinking and collaboration will be some core aptitudes needed in the future.
   


• The report also highlights the importance of language learning and the role of AI as a teaching aid in the classroom.
   

You can find the full article here.

On December 4th the European Parliament organized the STOA (European Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment) Annual Lecture 2018 on ‘Quantum Technologies, artificial in...

On December 4th the European Parliament organized the STOA (European Parliament's Science and Technology Options Assessment) Annual Lecture 2018 on ‘Quantum Technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity: Catching up with the future’.

One of the speakers of the event was Esther Wojcicki, American technology educator and journalist, from the Palo Alto High Media Arts programme, who did her lecture on ‘Preparing students for a world dominated by quantum technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and media’.

During her speech she highlighted that her goal in the Palo Alto High Media Arts programme is to train students to be able to deal with quantum technology, AI, cybersecurity and media. ‘We need to teach students basic security skills, so they will become partners in cybersecurity’. 

EU citizens are increasingly concerned about cybersecurity, especially ahead of 2019 elections. This is where quantum technology will come in handy. Quantum encryption will ensure a more secure communication.

In the educational front we need to have the courage to change what we teach in our schools because the world is changing very fast and jobs are evolving thanks to technology.

So the real question would be: are we preparing kids for the jobs of the future? ‘Worldwide the curriculum is outdated, we are teaching for the last century, putting focus on memorization’.

The lecturer believes we still need the traditional education, but perhaps not so intensively. We need more project based classes (web development, AI, machine learning, etc.). Students learn by doing.

Some of the skills future professionals will need include: complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management or emotional intelligence, amongst others.

The key to a good education, according to Esther Wojcicki is 4 concepts that can be reduced to the acronym TRICK: Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration and Kindness within the classroom. 

On December 7th the Commission presented a coordinated plan prepared with Member States to foster the development and use of artificial intelligence in Europe. Among other actions, the EC is cons...

On December 7th the Commission presented a coordinated plan prepared with Member States to foster the development and use of artificial intelligence in Europe. 

Among other actions, the EC is considering how promoting talent as talent in Europe is essential for the development and use of artificial intelligence, but EU countries face shortages of ICT professionals and lack AI-specialised higher education programmes.

That is why the Commission, together with European countries, will support advanced degrees in artificial intelligence through, for example, dedicated scholarships.

The Commission will also continue to support digital skills and lifelong learning for the whole of society, and especially for workers most affected by artificial intelligence.

At this event there were 3 main speakers: Kasia Jurczak, Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen; Jean-Hugues Rodriguez, Competence & Workforce Planning Manager, HDC, Airbus; and Jo...

At this event there were 3 main speakers: Kasia Jurczak, Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Marianne Thyssen; Jean-Hugues Rodriguez, Competence & Workforce Planning Manager, HDC, Airbus; and John Mitchell, IPC President and CEO.

Kasia Jurczak
In her speech she talked about 2 different trends regarding the skills gap:

• The increasingly digitalized society and economy, paired with the aging society which creates challenges in regards to digital skills. The main challenge here is how to prepare people for the transition into the digitalized economy.


• The evolution of education and labour. The main question here is how is the market trying to adapt to these trends. The education and labour markets are much slower to react. This is why there is a need for a deeper dialogue between institutions, training institutes, teachers and trainers. But what is the policy response to the skills gap, especially since education is a competence of Member States?

The Commission assists Member States in developing skills for the new workforce. There are several countries that are already doing something on this matter, such as France which has a political mandate to work on skills, investing greatly on preparing the workforce of tomorrow.

There is also a need to stir Member States towards working on the skills intelligence, looking at the labour market needs and developing skills that could solve the gaps in the different industries. In this scenario CEDEFOP has developed a pilot project to study job vacancies online and identify the skills needed to develop the different jobs in order to encourage Members States to train their professionals on those specific skills.

And however, while professional skills are important, we also need to bear in mind that other skills and the development of different mindsets and transferrable skillsets are crucial in a dynamic society. 

Kasia Jurczak also mentioned the New Skills Agenda for Europe, saying that after two years from the adoption the skills challenge remains valid, and the new Commission will need to do something in order to promote skills learning, upskilling and reskilling.
 
Jean-Hugues Rodriguez
According to the World Economic Forum forecast, in 2022 42% of the jobs will be destroyed and automated. We should see this as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to develop new skills and jobs.

One of the things Airbus is committed with is to provide means for all employees to be autonomous in their learning path, through digital learning.
 
John Mitchell
According to a McKinsey study, nowadays 2/3 of all companies think the lack of skills within their workers is reducing their opportunity to grow. 

One of the main causes of this is the lack of knowledge and skills. In the European Union, approximately 40 million people are un- or underemployed. This is why we have to work towards matching people with the jobs available, by helping them develop the necessary skills.

Manufacturing is helping develop the future, but there is still a common understanding that we need to have a higher education in order to succeed.

How is the IPC helping bridge the skills gap?
Mostly through the IPC Foundation, which analyses the skills required to perform certain jobs, and also through partnerships with governments, training and academic institutions, non-profits and companies from the private sector.

You will find more information on the program of the event and on IPC here.

On November 21st and 22nd The European Training Foundation (ETF), the EU Agency in charge of developing training and education in the EU neighbouring countries organized the conference ‘Skills f...

On November 21st and 22nd The European Training Foundation (ETF), the EU Agency in charge of developing training and education in the EU neighbouring countries organized the conference ‘Skills for the Future: Managing transition’.

The conference, with 350 participants from 50 countries, including experts from the EU and EU’s neighbouring countries, entrepreneurs, training providers and policy makers aimed at exploring how developing countries can respond to global trends in terms of skills by shaping the labour market of tomorrow.

The discussions revolved around four main topics: 

1. Mastering global trends


2. Tackling country-specific challenges


3. Addressing the future of skills, education and training


4. Supporting the transition toward the future

Overall, the ETF conference addressed challenging questions such as: How do global forces interact with local realities? How does this affect the demand for skills? How should governments, businesses, civil society, education and training providers work together to manage change? What kind of skills policies work in different contexts?

You will find more information here.

The European Commission launched an initiative on validation of non-formal and informal learning (learning outside formal education institutions such as schools and universities).The aim is to help pe...

The European Commission launched an initiative on validation of non-formal and informal learning (learning outside formal education institutions such as schools and universities).

The aim is to help people obtaining certifications and recognition for skills they learned in non-formal education systems. 

You will find more information here.

Commissioner Gabriel met this morning in Brussels with EU Code Week ambassadors ahead of the sixth edition of the EU Code Week a yearly grassroots movement that promotes programming and wider tec...

Commissioner Gabriel met this morning in Brussels with EU Code Week ambassadors ahead of the sixth edition of the EU Code Week a yearly grassroots movement that promotes programming and wider tech knowledge.

The Code Week will take place this year from 6 to 21 October 2018 with tens of thousands of activities promoting computer language and coding mainly in the EU but also beyond.

In the recent years many countries outside the EU have joined or even replicated the initiative, with events taking place for example also in Albania, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Ukraine, the U.S. and Yemen. Also this year more than a million people are expected to participate in the interactive events, including children, parents and teachers.

Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Mariya Gabriel said after the meeting with the ambassadors: "Grassroots events such as the Code Week are essential in helping children to discover the exciting world of computer programming and tech. This year, we are putting special focus on involving more schools in the event and are grateful to our committed Code Week ambassadors for promoting the initiative in their home countries. I especially want to encourage teachers all across Europe to give their students a possibility to discover the vast potential of coding, as it helps develop 21^st century competences such as computational thinking, problem solving, creativity and teamwork."

The Code Week is offering free resources and new training materials for teachers that want to prepare lessons on coding, with a dedicated EU Code Week Schools page available in many languages. Last year, 1.2 million people in more than 50 countries around the world took part in the EU Code Week.

A delegation of 3 Members of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) will visit Tallinn (Estonia) on September 19-21. The aim of the mission is to know what is the role of...

A delegation of 3 Members of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) will visit Tallinn (Estonia) on September 19-21. The aim of the mission is to know what is the role of women in the digitalisation process of our societies and how can we improve the participation of women in the ICT sector.

Estonia is one of the best examples in the EU. Its ICT sector accounts for 9% of the GDP, and it is the driving force of the economy.

The role of women in the ICT will be key for boosting the economy of the EU countries. According to EIGE narrowing the gender gap in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and labour is one way to create fairer economic growth.

EIGE's (European Institute for Gender Equality) research shows that this would lead to more jobs (up to 1.2 million by 2050) and increased GDP over the long-term (up to 820 billion EUR by 2050). It would also improve the long term competitiveness of the EU economy, due to more exports and less imports that would contribute to an improved balance of trade.

One key focus of our digital strategy is on digital skills.Today, 90% of jobs require basic digital skills, but one third of the European labour force is lacking such skills. The 350,000 open vacancie...

One key focus of our digital strategy is on digital skills.

Today, 90% of jobs require basic digital skills, but one third of the European labour force is lacking such skills. The 350,000 open vacancies for information and communication technology specialists in Europe show that the European digital transformation is slowed down by the lack of adequately skilled employees.

If we want to lead in the digital era, a skilled labour force is indispensable as will require facilitating lifelong learning, fostering the representation of female population, and integrating the teaching of digital skills in their schools' curricula.

In particular, the European Commission is supporting the development of digital skills by fostering public-private cooperation in the form of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition. A budget of €700 million for advanced digital skills is proposed for the period 2021-2027 as part of the Digital Europe programme.

Let me also mention two very concrete initiatives.

The Digital Opportunity Traineeship scheme aims at offering students and recent graduates the possibility to get a monthly €500 contribution to their salary as trainee, in areas such as big data or machine learning. The scheme started operating this spring and the first traineeships have recently begun. It will last until 2020 and benefit to 6000 trainees and the companies they will work for.

Second, we organise every year the EU Code Week, which is instrumental to draw attention to the need of understanding how coding works in order to better grasp the functioning of our digital societies themselves. Last year, about 1.2 million Europeans attended an EU Code Week event, and I have made it my objective that by 2020, 50% of schools in Europe participate in it, in particular those located in countries, where such trainings are not yet mandatory.
 
You can find the full speech here.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for a digital transition based on the respect of European values. This opinion, adopted mid-July, addresses questions related to artificial inte...

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for a digital transition based on the respect of European values. This opinion, adopted mid-July, addresses questions related to artificial intelligence, training, lifelong learning and diversity in the workplace. The EU concepts for transition management in a digitalised world of work paper will serve as input for the EU's White Paper on the future of work. 
 
It emphasizes the importance of a ‘human-in command’ approach to the digitalisation process. Considering the ethical guidelines for artificial intelligence, the paper explains that according to the principle underpinning the human-in command approach, “machines clearly have the role of serving humans, with more complex, ethical and human-related tasks left under human control”. 
 
The EESC calls attention to the fact that priority measures and stronger support should be given to “workers in low-skilled occupations at high risk of automation, transformation, replacement or even disappearance”. The EESC is concerned that 22% of workers in the EU may not have the right digital skills to keep up with developments in their jobs. 

The text can be consulted here.

It provides a useful summary of all the different workstreams related to AI. It ranges from funding to different Commission’s work plans that have an impact on AI, to the different activities th...

It provides a useful summary of all the different workstreams related to AI. It ranges from funding to different Commission’s work plans that have an impact on AI, to the different activities the Competitiveness (COMPET) Council has been working on. There are several points within the text that include the integration of digital skills. Highlighted below is the context in which digital skills were specifically included. 

Artificial Intelligence in the next multiannual financial framework (MFF)

The Digital Europe Programme, the first pan-European programme dedicated to the digital transformation. Endowed with a proposed total budget of €9.2 billion. It will cover high performance computing, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills and interoperable solutions in areas of public interest.

The InvestEU Fund will provide access to finance with its four policy areas – sustainable infrastructure; research, innovation and digitisation; small and medium-sized businesses; and social investment and skills. 

Through Horizon Europe investments in AI-related research and innovation are expected to continue, including investments in High Performance Computing, Cybersecurity, digital capacities, interoperability and skills. 

General overview Competitiveness Council AI-related work tracks

The Competitiveness Council will operate under the Presidency’s goal of "Securing prosperity and competitiveness through digitalisation". The Presidency Council meetings will therefore aim to boost industrial competitiveness for the EU, leveraging opportunities that come with digitalisation. A new, holistic and strong European Industrial Policy Strategy shall take full advantage of developments such as digital transformation, the potential of AI and the need for skilled labour. The Presidency aims to deliver input related to the necessity of skills. 

A policy debate is planned at the COMPET Council on September 27th on the topic of "Rethinking European Industry: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics". This debate will build on the discussions at informal meeting of Competitiveness ministers addressing digitisation of industry with a special focus on AI, skills and investments.

The full text can be accessed here.

Every year, the Commission rewards, under the EU Prize for Women Innovators, European women who successfully founded a company and brought their innovation to market. For the 2018 awards, 12 can...

Every year, the Commission rewards, under the EU Prize for Women Innovators, European women who successfully founded a company and brought their innovation to market.

For the 2018 awards, 12 candidates from Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Spain and United Kingdom have been shortlisted.


This afternoon at the Women Rule Summit, Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation Carlos Moedas will announce the winners of the four prizes worth €190,000 in total.


122 applications were submitted from across the EU and countries associated to Horizon 2020, the EU's funding programme for research and innovation.


The aim of the EU Prize for Women Innovators is to raise public awareness of the need for more innovation and more women entrepreneurs, to recognise the success of women in innovation and create strong role models. Women are underrepresented in terms of creating innovative enterprises – only 31% of entrepreneurs in the EU are women. This represents an untapped potential for Europe, which needs to use all its human resources to their full potential in order to remain competitive and to find solutions to economic and societal challenges.


The EU Prize for Women Innovators is funded under Horizon 2020, the EU research and innovation programme.


You can find more information here.

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 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 und...

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. 

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 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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 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.

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.

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%).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.