Brussels, 17 February 2014. The European Commission has launched today its e-Skills for Jobs 2014 campaign.
The campaign is a response to the growing demand for ICT-skilled professionals which is currently not met, despite high level of unemployment in Europe. It aims to raise awareness of the need for citizens to improve their command of information and communication technology (ICT) skills for work. One of the first key activities is precisely the Get Online Week, a pan-European event organised by Telecentre Europe on 24-30 March, to get new users online and improve their digital skills for working life. Two major events are also foreseen during the campaign linked to the Greek and Italian EU Presidencies.
The campaign is coordinated by DIGITALEUROPE and European Schoolnet in conjunction with hundreds of national and pan-European partners including Telecentre Europe and many major IT industry partners . It comes under the umbrella of the European Commission’s Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs, an EU-wide multi-stakeholder partnership helping to address a shortfall in the number of European citizens with ICT professional skills, and to exploit the employment creation potential of ICT.
The main focus of the campaign will be to raise awareness of the education, training, jobs, and other opportunities that are available to people with e-Skills – those who know how to effectively use digital technologies.
Why e-Skills?
e-Skills are essential for professionals working in small to medium size enterprises, for young people and the unemployed looking to enter the workforce. They are also vital for corporations who need a highly-skilled workforce. While Europe struggles with a prolonged economic downturn, e-Skills are more essential than ever to help get Europe’s economy back on its feet. People with strong e-Skills will play a central role in making Europe an innovative and competitive environment.
During the course of 2014, the e-Skills for jobs campaign will run in 30 EU countries*. It will inform students, unemployed people, ICT professionals and SMEs about the vast range of opportunities that ICT-related jobs present.
For a full press release with contact detals and more information go to our Press corner.
