Lisbon Program objectives; eSkills, eCompetence

László Hajdú

dr. techn.; dr oec.; dr jur.

EU legal advisor

The study focuses on the European level. EU-level thinking is crucial to understanding and responding strategically to the challenges faced by Europe in a world of accelerating globalisation.

The Treaty provides the basis for the Community and the Member States to ensure that the conditions necessary for the competitiveness of the Community's enterprises exist.

The Lisbon European Council of March 2000 set the objective of making Europe the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world.

1. European frames of cooperation

2. The need for e-skills and employability in Europe

3. EU eSkills efforts

4. Launch eSkills activities

5. European Qualification Framework -

eCompetences

Agenda

3

1. European cooperation after WW. II.

2. The need for Treaty and European Institutions

3. EU Treaty Maastricht- Collapse of the SU system

4. Globalisation - Launch 2000-2007 plan

5. 2007-13 period, focus on knowledge base

society

EU institutions and cooperation

4

Internationalization – more than offshoring and nearshoring

• A new stage of internationalization …– … Homogeneous world market– … Global Sourcing

• New chances and opportunities …– Growing foreign markets– International collaboration and knowledge transfer– Benefits from cost advantages

• New risks and necessities … – Increasing competition– Erosion of corporate knowledge and innovation base– Staff reductions and social conflicts

Changed parameters for corporate strategies I

• Products and services: IT becomes a commodity– „Unique selling positions“ cannot be sustained– Growing importance of economies of scale– Prices become the decisive factors for success – SMEs are at risk to lose competitiveness

• Global levelling of prices and profit– Prices get under pressure– Offshore costs appear as global „benchmarks“ – Growing influence of international financial markets return

assumptions of shareholders rising– National niche strategies become „dead ends“ – The world market becomes the framework for nearly all IT

companies

Changed parameters for corporate strategies II

• A global labour market is emerging …– Job profiles and needs for qualifications become increasingly

homogeneous– A highly skilled work force is globally available (e.g. India, China,

Eastern Europe)– No need for migration to benefit from global wage differentials and to tap

foreign sources of knowledge– Global division of labour is located within the „cyberspace“ – IT companies set up own „points-of-production“ in off- and nearshore

countries

The formerly segmented market is opened and replaced by a homogeneous world market for IT services

New challenges for trade unions

• Even for trade unions it is true: internationalization becomes also a strategic „must“

• New necessities and risks …– Danger of a global „race-to-the-bottom“– Shifting balance of forces– Restricted possibilities to intervene and to take action

• … but new opportunities and chances as well – New target groups– New cultures of communication based on modern ICTs– If trade unions internationalize and modernize their structures as

well, they can become a major player in a new global world of work

Lisbon Priorities ICT Policies

• Information and Communication Technology is a major force in the European economy. The capabilities of people to create, deploy and use ICT have become a major component of economic activity. The EU must take a more progressive approach and tighten the link between ICT policies and Lisbon priorities as new economic and societal developments can extend the benefits of the information society to new groups.

• A social inclusion priority is enabling individuals from disadvantaged communities to acquire basic literacy, numeracy and ICT skills while tackling barriers / disincentives to lifelong learning

Job SatisfactionPer cent of employed, 2006

50

60

70

80

90

100

DK NO UK CH AT BE DE NL IE LU SE PT FI FR ES IT EL

50

60

70

80

90

100

Danemark’s employment rate is 78% of 15-65

Lifelong learning in EU member states

4.2%

5.0%

6.0%

6.2%

7.6%

8.0%

12.1%

12.7%

16.6%

24.8%

27.6%

29.1%

34.7%

0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%

Hungary

Poland

Germany (2004)

Italy

France

Ireland

Spain

EU 15

Netherlands

Finland

Denmark

UK

Sweden

Lisbon Target 12.5%

Facts and goals in the avarage emplyment rate

in the EU for the 2000- 2010 period

Empl. rate

EU facts EU plan Hungary Hu plan

2003 2005 2010 fact

2003 2006 2010EU-15 EU-25 EU-25 EU-25

F+M 64,3 62,9 67 70 57 59 63

Female 56 55 57 60 50,9 53 57

Male 72,5 70,8 - - 63,4 64 69

55+ 41,7 40,2 - 50 29 33 37

What it should be: A virtuous circle

Digital inclusion

e-Inclusion Initiative (eSkills, inclusive services,

welfare technologies, accessibility)

Better workforce

Bigger marketsPublic and Private

Investments in

society

Economic &

Social

growthInclusive markets

Riga Ministerial Declaration, June 2006

• At the e-Inclusion Conference organised by the European Commission on 11-13 June 2006 EU Member States committed

to reduce substantially the current e-skills gap by 2010

• The Riga Ministerial Declaration stressed the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in the education and training domain

• Digital literacy and competences actions will be undertaken through partnerships with the private sector … so that the workforce can efficiently cope with technical and economic developments.

The importance of e-skills for employability and e-inclusion in Europe I.

15

Employability: giving people access to the skills they need to access, retain a job or transition to a new job. According to IDC ICT skills are crucial to be employable, almost without regard to job function;

The importance of e-skills for employability and e-inclusion in Europe II.

16

The latest communication from the Commission on ICT skills for

the 21st century highlights that the digital divide, social

exclusion and employability are closely interwoven:

•37% of of the EU population has no computer skills

whatsoever

•More than 60% of people not educated beyond lower

secondary level have no basic e-skills

•An increase in the estimated number of employed IT

practitioners during 1998-2004 of about 48%

•Approximately 180 million people are using ICT at work

EU Comission initiatives

(A) Strategies and guidelines• # 1: Develop, promote and implement national strategies for e-

Skills• # 2: Assess and monitor existing MSPs and promote scalability

and sustainability • # 3: Encourage and support the launch of industry led-initiatives on

e-Skills

(B) Institutional, legal and governance structures• # 4: Build on experiences from successful MSP on how to use

various sources of funding• # 5: Develop how-to guidelines and templates• # 6: Create favourable framework conditions, operate national

mechanisms as gateway to e-Skills development and certification

Initiatives (II)

(C) Awareness raising, promotion and monitoring • # 7: Set up “e-Skills information exchange and observatory

mechanisms” at EU and national levels• # 8: Develop and promote a “European e-Competence

Framework” to which national ones can relate • # 9: Raise awareness concerning the benefits of e-Skills and digital

literacy among the youth, older people and marginalised groups

• # 10: Set up a “European e-Skills and Career Portal”: better structure and transparency, pooling of resources, knowledge and

good practice exchange

ICT practitioners and ICT users in the sectors

Share of ICT-using occupations in the total economy 1995 and 2007

European e-Skills 2008 Conference

Share of ICT specialist occupations in the total economy,1995 and 2007

European e-Skills 2008 Conference

Share of ICT employment in business employment, 1995 and 2006

percentages

European e-Skills 2008 Conference

Sustaining competitiveness?Top ten ICT policy priorities, 2008

European e-Skills 2008 Conference

1 Government online, government as model users

2 Broadband

3 ICT R&D programmes

4 Promoting IT education

5 Technology diffusion to businesses

6 Technology diffusion to individuals and households

7 Industry-based and on-the-job training

8 General digital content development

9 Public sector information and content

10 ICT innovation support

Digital Literacy• “Digital literacy involves more than the mere

ability to use software or operate a digital device; it includes a large variety of complex cognitive, motor, sociological, and emotional skills, which users need in order to function effectively in digital environments.” (Eshet-Alkalai, 2004)

• To participate in the workplace people need to be digitally literate – “equipped with the skills to benefit from and participate in the Information Society.” (European Commission, 2007)

e-SkillsDigital

Literacy

e-inclusion

Types of e-Skills

• ICT practitioner skills– The capabilities required for researching, developing and designing, managing,

the producing, consulting, marketing and selling, the integrating, installing and administrating, the maintaining, supporting and service of ICT systems;

• ICT user skills– The capabilities required for effective application of ICT systems and devices by

the individual (utilisation of common generic software tools and use of specialised tools supporting business functions within industries other than ICT industry);

• e-Business skills– The capabilities needed to exploit opportunities provided by ICT to ensure more

efficient and effective performance of organisations, to explore possibilities for new ways of conducting business and organisational processes, and to establish new businesses.

e-Skills and the Lisbon Strategy

• Digital literacy and e-Skills competences are considered to be a driving factor behind the EU's efforts to become the world's leading knowledge-based economy (Lisbon strategy)

• However, the growing gap of e-Skills still prevent this ambition from turning into reality

• Where will the skills and the tech workers come from?

• What actions are undertaken, what effective responses are given to have a substantial inroad into unemployment?

Competence structure of the inhabitants

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

eIsmeret

eKépzettség

eKészség

eKompetencia

van

kell

The avarage ICT pyramide of a country of the 10’s (especially HU)The avarage ICT pyramide of a country of the 10’s (especially HU)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2006 2010

Rest of the population Groups at risk Regular Users

The digital Inclusion ChallengeCapturing the bottom of the Pyramid

51%63%

37% ?

2007 2010

Inco

me

/ co

sts

of

bar

rie

rs

Ireland

• Haase + Pratschke study – 48% of people use ICT skills for work purposes:

74% of higher professionals

65% of lower professionals

50% of other non-manual workers

16% of skilled manual workers

23% of semi-skilled manual workers

Looking ahead

Shortage of ICT practitioners in the EU: Some examples

Denmark: 4,500 (2007)

Germany: 18,000 (2007)

Spain: 25,000 (2007)

Sweden: 10,000 (2007)

EICTA efforts to alleviate shortage:Exchange of best practices (e.g. at EICTA/Commission eSkills conference)

Possible awareness-raising exercise

Advocacy in favour of proposed Blue Card Directive

Taking stock (1)

Action line identified in Commission Communication

‘e-Skills for the 21st Century: Fostering Competitiveness, Growth and Jobs’, September 2007:

Raising awareness through…‘exchanging information and good practices on Member States

initiatives for the promotion of science, maths and ICT, role models, job and career profiles and perspectives […]’

‘promoting awareness and information campaigns at EU and national level to provide parents, teachers and pupils with an accurate understanding of opportunities arising from an ICT education and the pursuit of a career as an ICT professional in the EU.’

Taking stock

Conclusions from EICTA/European Commission conference ‘Moving forward and implementing a long term eSkills agenda in Europe’, January 2008:

Supply and demand of eSkills evolves constantly; the ICT industry is best placed to provide input on this process

ICT industry, social partners, public authorities and SMEs must work together towards promoting eSkills

Projects aimed at attracting young people to follow a career in ICT can be effective towards alleviating ICT practitioner shortage in the EU

Current Developments…

• Professionalism and ICT Competences at WCC 2008, Milan (07-10.09.2008)– Professionalism strong support of stakeholders– IP3 Programme of IFIP on the way– New quality standard ISO/IEC 24773:2008 published – Final version of European e-Competence Framework on the

way• To be published in October 2008

• European e-Skills Conference 2008• e-Skills Industry Leadership Board (e-Skills ILB) • CEN/ISSS: Project towards develeoping a practical tool

to access eCareer Services

View the portal

• Visit http://eskills.eun.org

What the e-Competence Framework aims to provide:e-Skills key stakeholders‘ vision in 2006

• International HR management and a planning tool for ICT Industry (both vendor and user companies, large companies and SME‘s )

• a common reference point between existing national ICT competence frameworks like CIGREF, AITTS, SFIA, bringing them added value by a European dimension of competence definition

• a neutral, cross-national communication, cooperation and benchmarking tool for the ICT industry, public sectors, training bodies, certification institutions and individuals

• a catalogue of reference competence definitions relevant for ICT business on practitioners and manager level, related to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF, level 3 - 8)

Ability to develop, manage and plan ICT practitioner and manager competences that will be needed in a long term perspective across Europe

A European and open e-CF development process: stakeholders‘ involvement 2006 -2008

• Political level – CEN/ ICT Skills Workshop, European Commission, ICT stakeholders‘ input, feedback and discussions

• Technical level – European ICT, HR & framework experts work towards the e-CF

The European e-Competence Framework development is supported by the European Commission and the Council of Ministers (Commission's Communication of 07.09.2007 and Competitiveness Council Conclusions of 23.11.2007 on e-skills).

The e-CF product: Framework overview example competence areas PLAN – BUILD - RUN

Toward Harmonisation of ICT Certifications

European e-Skills 2008 Conference

Step 4

Step 3

Step 2

Step 1

Objectives Measures

ICT Professionalism

clarity

confusion

European e-Competence Framework

Reference Framework

Global Certification Standards And Processes

Definition and Requirements

Common understanding

Analysis of ICT certifications

Analysis of Reference models

Generic ICT Skills Profiles

Transparency and broader recognition

Infrastructure, governance and administration, required standards

Round table

Common Body of Knowledge

Scope and Principles

Common standards

Step 5

CollaborativeCertification

ICT Career Portal

Code of Conduct

Accreditation

Incentives

European Maps

CIGREF PROCOM

AITTSSFIA

e-CF e-CF

EQF EQF

Gather & Analyse Market Information

Create & Deliver Training

Certify SkillsMatch Workers with

Jobs

Support Workers‘Career Pathing andLifelong Learning

Gather & Analyse

Market InformationFramework Definition

Create & Deliver Training

Certify Skills- ICT Practioner Skills

- ICT User Skills- eBusiness Skills

Match Workers with Jobs

Support Workers‘Career Pathing andLifelong Learning

Technofutur (BE)

Brutec (BE)

APO IT (DE)

Cisco meets APO (DE)

FIT (IE)

CIGREF (FR)

SFIA (UK)

ePracownik (PL)

Locket MBO ICT (NL)

AITTS (DE)

Where do we go from here ?

• Encourage competence planning

• Use it to add value, adapt and apply

• An enabler (mutual understanding)

• As many uses as the imagination

• Complimentary tools

• Keep it current and relevant

The UK eSkills mission

• To unite employers, educators and government to ensure the UK has the technology-related skills it needs to succeed in the global economy

– This includes the skills needs of…

the 1.4 million people in the IT and Telecoms workforce

the technology-related skills needs of 4 million business leaders and managers

the 21.5 million IT users across all sectors

FIT: Capacity Building

FIT is currently leading EU consortia with regard to :

•eTuition

A Programme to Support Teachers' Continuous Professional Development in the use of ICTs in Vocational Education and Training

•eTQF

A Framework to Support Teachers Continuous Professional Development in ICT

•MigrantICT

Meeting learning needs of A8 migrants using ICTs

• S@niors

Digital Engagement of Senior Citizens

Info on all FIT projects http://www.fit.ie/about/projects.asp

National context (Ireland)

Source: Enterprise Strategy Group

World-class Skills, Education

& Training

Training Programme for Increased Adaptability in the Information Society (TITAN) provides an integrated approach to the different e-skills levels coexisting in society.

Hungary

46

“We would like to attain the goal that tens or hundreds of thousands of Hungarian SMEs would benefit from both high-level ICT skills and digital literacy as a natural part of their everyday lives.” Mr Ferenc Gyurcsány Prime Minister - Hungary

Impact (planned):•10 000 IT Professionals, •25 000 SME Managers and •Deliver basic skills to 200 000 adults

Latest recognitions

47

Key success factor:

MULTI-STAKEHOLDER

APPROACH

where companies, NGOs and

governments are working together

to provide efficient eSkills training

CSR Europe:

Award winner

Oct 2007