e-Skills - Extended view

Definitions of key terms

E-Skills should encompass a broad set of skills necessary in the modern workplace. Successful innovation in ICT services requires cross-disciplinary, cognitive and problem-solving skills as well as an understanding of the fundamentals of business and communication skills, including competence in foreign languages. They should also be seen in the wider context of a core set of competences equipping all European citizens for the knowledge-based economy and society. These key competences should be provided in a lifelong learning context.

ICT practitioner skills

These are the capabilities required for researching, developing, designing, strategic planning, managing, producing, consulting, marketing, selling, integrating, installing, administering, maintaining, supporting and servicing ICT systems.

ICT user skills

These represent the capabilities required for the effective application of ICT systems and devices by the individual. ICT users apply systems as tools in support of their own work. User skills cover the use of common software tools and of specialised tools supporting business functions within industry.

At the general level, they cover "digital literacy": the skills required for the confident and critical use of ICT for work, leisure, learning and communication.

e-Business skills (also called e-leadership skills)

These correspond to the capabilities needed to exploit opportunities provided by ICT, notably the Internet; to ensure more efficient and effective performance of different types of organisations; to explore possibilities for new ways of conducting business/administrative and organisational processes; and/or to establish new businesses.

Skill deficiencies

The European e-skills Forum also proposed to distinguish the following deficiencies:

• shortage: an insufficient number of skilled people in the labour market or in an occupational segment;
• gap: a competence shortfall between the current and needed competence levels of individual staff within organisations;
• mismatch: a mismatch between the competence of the trainee or graduating student/learner and the expected competence needs of the employers. Mismatch is assumed to arise from course/curricula misalignment

Coherent e-Skills strategy

The period 1997-2001 was marked by a significant growth of the demand for ICT practitioners in Europe. After a decline between 2001 and 2003 (due to the dotcom financial bubble and subsequent crisis) the demand started to climb again until the dramatic collapse of the financial markets in 2008 and its consequences on the economy and more recently the public debt.

A compelling concern is now the reported decline in supply of good graduates from ICT courses. Despite the crisis and its impact in the short-term on the demand, growing e-skills shortages and mismatches are expected in the future. This requires a strong and increased focus on quality and ICT professionalism and careers.

Structural change in business practices is affecting the role of ICT practitioners, managers and advanced users as innovation, as well as the management and the delivery of high-level added value services, requires ever sophisticated and up-to-date skills. Finally, the impact of globalisation and the emergence of cloud computing concern increasingly software and ICT services as well as the cross-border movement of skilled workers. All this is creating fast changing opportunities and threats generating the need for rapid adaptation.

Long-term collaboration and commitment

There are no short term fixes to address e-skills issues. It is a complex topic requiring the long-term cooperation and commitment of stakeholders from both the public and the private sectors. The efforts of the Commission maintains a regular dialogue with stakeholders (Member States, all sectors of industry, associations and trade unions, academia and training institutions): steering groups were established and several meetings and workshops were organised to facilitate the development of te actions and the monitoring of progress. Conferences have been regularly organised by the European Commission sicne the European e-skills Summit in Copenhagen in 2002.

Key components of the long-term e-Skills agenda

The main policy objective is to contribute to improve framework conditions in Europe for the provision of a world-class e-skilled workforce to achieve stronger productivity, economic and social benefits and for the reduction of the digital divide. This objective can only be reached through the mobilisation of Member States and stakeholders to address the e-Skills issue in Europe and an optimal use of existing resources and instruments at all levels: local, regional, national and European.

The European Union needs to:

• Develop optimal policies to prepare new workers and support current ones as they face the challenges of ICT led change and globalisation;
• Reduce the digital divide and ensure that its citizens are digitally literate;
• Provide a co-ordinated and timely response to implement change successfully

The five key components of the agenda:

1. Longer term cooperation

Strengthening cooperation between public authorities and the private sector, academia, unions and associations through the promotion of multi-stakeholder partnerships and joint initiatives including monitoring supply and demand, anticipating change, adapting curricula, attracting foreign students and highly-skilled ICT workers and promoting ICT education on a long-term basis.

2. Human resources investment

Ensuring sufficient public and private investment in human resources and e-Skills and appropriate financial support and fiscal incentives, in full respect of State aid rules, as well as developing an e-competence framework and tools facilitating mobility, transparency of qualifications, and promoting recognition and credit transfer between formal, non-formal and industry ICT education and certifications.

3. Attractiveness

Promoting science, maths, ICT, e-Skills, job profiles, role models and career perspectives with a particular focus on young people, especially girls, and providing parents, teachers and pupils with an accurate understanding of opportunities arising from an ICT education and an ICT career to counter the alarming decline in young people's interest for science and technology careers in Europe.

4. Employability and e-Inclusion

Developing digital literacy and e-competence actions tailored to the needs of the workforce both in the public and the private sector, with a particular emphasis on SMEs, and also to the needs of the unemployed, elderly people, people with low education levels, people with disabilities and marginalised young people.

5. Lifelong acquisition of e-Skills

Ensuring that workers can regularly update their e-Skills and encouraging better and more user-centric ICT-enhanced learning and training approaches (e-learning). Government should promote good practices for the training of employees using e-learning, with a particular emphasis on SMEs, and should publicise successful solutions and business models.

Action lines at European level

The efforts of the Commission are concentrated on the promotion of a shared long-term e-skills agenda for getting the involvement and the long-term commitment of Member States and stakeholders; and on the implementation of key actions at EU level, brining added-value to Member States and industry efforts.

Promoting long-term cooperation and monitoring progress

• promoting a regular dialogue with Member States and stakeholders;
• monitoring the supply and demand of e-skills;
• assessing the impact of global sourcing on ICT jobs

Developing supporting actions and tools

• supporting the development and the promotion of a European e-competences framework;
• fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships  and the European e-skills and careers portal;
• promoting mobility of highly-skilled professionals and the Europass initiative;
• encouraging the development of European quality criteria for existing e-Skills industry-based training and certifications;
• supporting the development and promotion of European e-competences curriculum guidelines;
• encouraging appropriate financial and fiscal incentives

Raising awareness

• exchanging good practices for the promotion of science, maths, ICT and e-skills;
• supporting awareness campaigns at EU and national levels (i.e. European e-Skills Week);
• promoting ICT education and training to young people, especially girls

Fostering employability and social inclusion

• further implementing the Communication on e-inclusion adopted at the end of 2007;
• encouraging corporate social responsibility and partnerships with job placement support services;
• investigating how public and private funding can support stakeholders initiatives

Promoting better and greater use of e-learning

• promoting successful strategies and policies for e-learning;
• promoting the development of e-learning courses and exchange mechanisms for e-skills training resources;

An external evaluation was launched at the end of 2009 and stakeholders were invited to comment on the results and formulate recommendations. The evaluation was completed in October 2010 and concluded positively on the relevance and the achievements of EU activities. It also formulated useful recommendations for the continuation of the EU long term e-skills agenda and support to Member States e-skills strategies.