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Back in the ‘80s, a famous British newsmagazine bragged about its appeal on the world’s most infuential people by launching an ad featuring a 42-year old management trainee admitting he/she had never read the newsmagazine. Two decades later, young people realise that when it comes to job hunting, it takes a lot more than subscribing to a publication, no matter how prestigious and informative that is.

Flipping discs instead of burgers

Here is a paradox: at a time when Europe faces massive unemployment, technology companies face a critical shortfall of talented ICT experts. This contradictory picture reveals a mismatch between the skills on offer and those in demand in today's fast developing technology market. As a result Europe might face a shortage of up to 900,000 ICT professionals by 2020, risking its potential for growth and digital competitiveness.

Back to school?

In a constantly evolving environment, as the one of the ICT sector, it is difficult to provide definitions. By and large, e-skills are divided into three categories:

1. ICT user skills required by individuals in order to apply systems and use devices.
2. ICT practitioner skills required for researching, developing, designing, managing, and supporting.
3. E-business skills needed to exploit opportunities provided by ICT, notably the Internet, in order to increase performance or do business.

Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs

In March 2013, the European Commission began taking decisive steps towards bridging the gap between the skills people have and the skills the labour market needs. It launched the Grand coalition for digital jobs, which attempts to attract young people into ICT education.

It did so because statistics prove that Europe's skills gap is a determining factor in unemployment and because surveys have forecasted that by 2025, 44% of employed people in the EU will be in a highly-skilled job, while only 11% of jobs are expected to be low-skilled. 

Tell us, how do you imagine yourself in 5 years from now?

The European Commission has set out a roadmap for 2020. The target is to reverse the decline by 2015, so as to ensure a sufficient number of ICT practitioners by 2020. The coalition aims to mobilise companies, associations, employment agencies, the education and training sector as well as regional actors to make sure that recruitment barriers are lifted and that the message for constant training gets across. 

‘E-skills for jobs’ in Athens

Throughout 2014, a special campaign under the Coalition’s umbrella will be running in the EU, as well as Israel, Norway and Turkey. It is called e-Skills for jobs and it’s coordinated by Digital Europe and the European Schoolnet, in conjunction with hundreds of national and pan-European partners.

Both 2014 EU Council presidencies will host events raising awareness on the matter. On May 6, the Greek presidency, together with the Federation of Hellenic ICT Enterprises will hold, on 6 May, its grand event: E-skills for jobs 2014 - Mobilising to support job creation and upskilling of the workforce. The objective is to engage EU officials and high profile national authorities, raise awareness among young people in search of a job and finally, mainstream the issue of e-skills in European policies.

Read also: Making the case for women’s empowerment in Europe’s ICT sector