Improve and Increase Learning Opportunities In The Digital Age

How to Go From Lost to Aspiring Investigator: Improve and Increase Learning Opportunities

We are faced with a multitude of pressing questions today but one seems to be increasingly important: How do we measure, map, and bridge the digital divide?

Digitalisation and technology are no longer abstract concepts that concern only a handful of professionals. From our visit to the doctor to the way we do business, digitalisation is making its way into every aspect of our lives. That is why improving and increasing digital skills among the European Union population stands at the forefront of digital transformation.

After taking our Digital Skills Gap Quiz, you may relate to the Lost Investigator persona and consider it a bit challenging to find and filter online information or identify reliable websites. However, the good news is that you are not alone. 60% of Europeans with low digital skills will need successful upskilling by 2025 to reach the targets set in the EU Digital Education Action Plan. Many of us will need to take concrete steps to grow from the Lost Investigator to the Aspiring Investigator, a confident digitally skilled professional.

As of 2020, around 2.9 million working professionals had an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) education, enjoying a very high employment rate of 92%. Yet, despite the high number of educated specialists, 38% of companies found it hard to recruit because of a lack of ICT skills from education. Both students and teachers are not fully prepared with the most relevant and recent digital skills. Improving and increasing educational opportunities will play a key role in bridging the digital skills gap.

There are many underlying factors for the educational digital skills gap. Among the most prominent ones are the slow change in university curricula, structural issues, and rigid institutional requirements. There is also an urgent need for better synergies between industry and universities. Young people deserve a flexible education system that will equip them with the latest digital skills they need to be successful in the workplace.

To be able to cope with the global challenges ahead, industry and educational institutions need to work hand in hand to provide up-to-date learning opportunities for young people. Private companies have the power to actively address the digital skills mismatch by making their training resources widely available to EU citizens. Both students and workers should have access to new learning material and opportunities to upskill and fill the digital skills gap that education may leave.

As the Lost Investigator, it’s important to remember that nothing is lost if you know how to look for it. We all need to seek out opportunities for digital upskilling and be proactive in our learning journey. We hold the power over our digital future and it is up to us to aspire, search, and be curious when it comes to acquiring valuable knowledge.

Digital tips from our European digital skills community

“Don't be afraid to learn something new or teach something old. As teaching and learning always build on existing knowledge, so digitalization only exists to enhance and improve systems and skills we already know and possess.” – Giorgia, 29 years old from Italy

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