The European Commission has set out steps to improve digital skills in Europe, which are the cornerstone of a truly functioning digital society and Digital Single Market. These steps were outlined in the New Skills Agenda for Europe: working together for human capital, employability and competitiveness, adopted by the European Commission today. Its purpose is to improve the quality of skills development, make skills and qualifications more visible and comparable and improve skills intelligence for better career choices.
In the future all jobs will require digital skills, and despite continued high levels of unemployment there could be 756 000 unfilled jobs for ICT professional by 2020.
Andrus Ansip, Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, said: "There is a clear and urgent need to boost digital skills. Our Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition is not only about filling existing jobs. It is also about the many new jobs that a truly functioning Digital Single Market will create."
The Commission proposes 10 actions to be taken forward over the next two years. A number are announced with the adoption of the new Skills Agenda for Europe on 10 June 2016:
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 and the related annexes 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' to support co-operation among education, employment and industry stakeholders.
The 'Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills’ to improve skills intelligence and address skills shortages in specific economic sectors.
Get to know the other actions which will be launched later in 2016 and in 2017 at the EC web page.
More information could be also found here.