13 Oct Mind the digital skills gap: Europe’s priorities and digital projects to foster social inclusion presented at the ALL DIGITAL Summit 2021
13 Oct, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
Mind the digital skills gap: Europe’s priorities and digital projects to foster social inclusion presented at the ALL DIGITAL Summit 2021
Brussels. 13 October 2021
This week, on 13-15 October 2021, the 14th ALL DIGITAL Summit, a unique platform for the European digital inclusion sector, gathers more than 400 participants. EU policy makers, ALL DIGITAL members, EU stakeholders and private companies, academics, trainers and young people, meet online to discuss and explore the theme Digital Skills and Tools for a Better World. The 3 days’ event focuses on the three digital empowerment themes: citizens and competence centres; STE(A)M educators; and young people.
The Covid-19 pandemic showed how much the use of digital competences are essential to how we live, learn and work. However, 42% of Europeans do not have sufficient digital literacy to tackle the new challenges of the digital transformation. Through its Annual Summit, ALL DIGITAL aims to investigate how social organisations now provide digital education support to people as well as the tools and techniques that deliver societal benefits and solve real world problems in a post-pandemic digital world.
Participants to the event gain knowledge on the latest achievements, EU positions and recommendations to reduce the digital skills gap. They learn more about the ALL DIGITAL members, stakeholders and partners’ projects to promote the enhancement of digital skills, as well have the possibility to exchange ideas over online workshops and panel discussions.
Digital skills and jobs are a key action area in the EU’s digital strategy (2019–2024) and the 2030 Digital Compass supported by a variety of initiatives announced as part of the European Skills Agenda, European Education Area and Digital Education Action Plan.
EU officials through their keynote speeches shed light on the EU objectives and initiatives. The European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicholas Schmit in his speech ‘’Digital Skills – investing in the future’’ commented today: “Digital skills and jobs are an EU priority. Digital is everywhere as 90% of jobs require some level of digital skills. However, employers in the EU are not finding people with the right digital skills. Digital skills centres can play a very important role to equip people with the skills they need in today’s labour market”.
Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva, Director for Innovation, Digital Education & International Cooperation at the European Commission, DG EAC, stressed that ‘’’We should all work together to meet the ambitious target of the Digital Decade to equip 80% of the EU population with basic digital skills and have 20 Million ICT specialists employed by 2030’’.
The confident and critical use of digital technology is key to supporting lifelong learning, active citizenship, employability, and inclusion. Subjects devised to educate the new generation to the opportunities of the digital transformation are presented on 14-15 October. On day 2, the Summit highlights STE(A)M education increasing educators’ competences instrumental to equip students with crucial skills for the jobs of the future. Day 3 is dedicated to the Social Hackademy project which developed a co-creation methodology that implements collaborative educational activities to boost young people’s digital skills through a combination of training courses and hacakthon based digital social innovation. The Summit dedicates also lightning talks and sessions to adult learners, who need reskilling and upskilling to face the labour market challenges.
For more information about this press release, please contact:
Andrea Bedorin
ALL DIGITAL Communications Officer
andrea.bedorin@all-digital.org
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Information about ALL DIGITAL
The Summit is organised by ALL DIGITAL – a Brussels-based network of organisations working to enhance digital skills of Europeans. We were established in 2007 on the initiative of digital inclusion leaders with support from Microsoft first as an informal thematic network, and in 2010 – as a formal international non-profit association. Thirteen years later, we are a major European Association in the field of digital inclusion and empowerment, but also a family united by one purpose: empower Europe through digital skills.
Our vision is that every European should be able to exploit the benefits and opportunities created by digital transformation. We are ALL DIGITAL.
Our members are organisations leading the networks of digital competence centres – low threshold community centres, NGOs, libraries, other public places where people get access to technology and the Internet and learn digital skills.
Find more information about ALL DIGITAL visiting www.all-digital.org
