Celebrate the World Youth Skills day with European Schoolnet
15 July is the World Youth Skills Day, a day to join forces and unite in recognising the potential of young people as catalysts for change and the need to help them get the right skills to build a better, safe and sustainable future for all.
The importance of digital skills is clearly appreciated by Europeans but almost one third of Europeans (30%) do not feel appropriately equipped for the Digital Decade and think that supporting more education and training in digital skills should be among the top five digital priorities in their country.
Youth Skills in Europe
Ensuring that Europe is fit for the digital age is a top priority in the political agenda of the European Union and its members states. By 2030, 80% of European citizens should possess at least a basic level of digital skills, as one of the targets of the Digital Decade - the European Commission forward-looking strategic vision for the development of the digital economy and the transformation of European businesses by 2030.
However, according to the 2024 State of the Digital Decade Report published by the European Commission in July 2024, in Europe significant work remains to be done, as only 55.6% of EU's population have at least basic digital skills and, at the current pace, the number of ICT specialists will reach just 12 million by 2030 – well below the EUR 20 million target.
In this context, the European Commission urges Member States to prioritise investment in digital education and skills, in line with the Council Recommendation on improving the provision of digital skills and competences in education and training, including targeted policies for groups most in need. In particular, they should support early exposure of young people, especially girls, to STEM, promote VET and lifelong learning in the domain of ICT, increase the academic offer in advanced digital skills, facilitate collaboration among higher education institutions, boost industry integration and foster diversity and inclusion, particularly of women.
European initiatives upskilling the young generation
Digital is becoming increasingly important to a large majority of Europeans. 4 out of 5 respondents to the 2023 Eurobarometer, consider that digital technologies will be important in their lives by 2030. The benefits that technology brings about are undeniable, but also makes it increasingly more difficult to keep up with the latest tech solutions.
Supporting policymakers, educators and other key players in education to equip Europe's young people with digital skills, is at the heart of what European Schoolnet does. In this important day, European Schoolnet wants to welcome and recognise the positive impact on some effective European initiatives helping young people to embrace the opportunities of the digital era.
In collaboration with the European Commission and other partners, European Schoolnet has mobilised strong European networks helping advance young people in the digital world, such as:
• Better Internet for Kids, where European Commission (EC), Safer Internet Centres (SICs) across Europe, and other stakeholders work together to ensure that every young European has access to a digital environment where they feel protected, empowered and respected whenever they go online, that they can access and enjoy what the online world has to offer and know where to seek support if needed.
• EU Code Week, a grassroots initiative which aims to bring coding and digital literacy to everybody in a fun and engaging way. Last year this initiative gave to more than 3 million citizens the chance to learn about computational thinking and coding participating in the EU Code week.
• The European School Education Platform, to contribute significantly to the development of digital skills amongst European students.
• the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, the European vibrant hub of digital innovation and skill-building – which addresses the existing gap unlocking boundless opportunities in the digital realm in Europe for youngsters and every EU citizen.
In particular, the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform provides open access to a wide variety of high-quality information and resources for everyone interested in the broad topic of digital skills and jobs and key technologies. With relevant, up-to-date content and dynamic, collaborative spaces, the platform caters to the needs of all users independently of their level of expertise. You can explore a myriad of initiatives at both the EU and national levels, meticulously designed to boost digital skills and help advance in one's career. From foundational training to specialised learning opportunities in emerging technologies across all Europe, The Platform offers a curated catalogue of training opportunities, good practices, expert advice and cutting-edge resources tailored to equip all Europeans with the expertise needed to thrive in the digital age. And the Digital Skills and Jobs Community keeps on growing every day!
National Coalitions also play a key role in fostering digital skills helping the EU achieve the objectives set out by the Digital Decade, not only at national but also at European level. They are among the key content providers of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform. Currently there are National Coalitions established in 25 EU Member States and 22 National Coalitions have their website connected to the Platform, contributing every week with new relevant content on digital skills related to their countries.
At the same time, the platform recognises the work of those organisations and projects that are successfully supporting Europeans in getting the fundamental - and advanced - digital skills they need.
On 4 July evening in Brussels, during the European Digital Skills Awards 2024, Rehana Schwinninger-Ladak, Head of Unit 'Interactive technologies, Digital for Culture and Education', at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Communications Network, handed out the awards to 5 outstanding projects fostering Cybersecurity skills, encouraging women in ICT, supporting digital Inclusion, making digital skills and jobs accessible to everyone, from primary and secondary school onwards, and providing free and equal access to digital education for migrants and marginalised groups.
Date of publication: 16/07/2024
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