Ready for the digital revolution

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21 juli 2016 | “Europe is facing a widening skills gap”. According tot he European Commission new technologies “are making many manual jobs obsolete, while creating demand for new types of skills.” Action at a European level is needed to create a workforce that is able to overcome this skills gap.

In a new report ‘Upskilling European industry: New operational tools wanted’ the European Commission gives recommendations to overcome the digital skills gap and stimulate the European competitiveness. A toolbox should give the industry the right steps during the current technological revolution.

Four steps are described that should get industry to overcome the skills gap:

1. Create an industry and social partners-led toolbox with specific action
   recommendations
2. Foster company, sectoral, regional and multi-stakeholder digital academy initiatives
3. Promote and support entrepreneur-ship as an opportunity for acquiring digital skills and career conversion
4. Define a pan-European financial scheme between the European Social and Regional Funds, the Commission, Member States and Industry

With the report, the European Commission wants to assure that Europe has the ability to cope with the challenges of the digital revolution and in that fostering Europe’s competitiveness. At this moment only 46% of the companies in Europe make investments in developments like this. 

According to the Commission initiatives should be taken by companies, or acadamies towards a pan-European funding system that connects the European social and regional funds. Entrepreneurship should be encouraged as a means to obtain digital skills.