Countries and companies around the world are racing to invest in both basic and advanced digital education to boost workforces
The EC opens up more investment for Europe’s digital workforce
On 21 November 2023, the EC opened calls for proposals for €42m (£36.7m) in funding for advanced digital skills programmes. This figure is part of a planned €580m (£506m), seven-year investment through the Digital Europe Programme. Funding is available to businesses, public bodies and other entities from EU Member States, the European Economic Area (EEA) and “associated countries”, and will be split between three complementary programmes:
€30m (£26m) for designing and implementing educational programmes for both developers and users of emerging digital technologies such as AI, quantum computing and high performance computing;
€10m (£8.7m) for developing training through the Cybersecurity Skills Academy to address the needs of SMEs and public administration; and
€2m (£1.7m) for assessing the ongoing digital skills needs in strategic sectors.
A goal of the 2030 Digital Compass is for the EU to employ at least 20m ICT professionals while improving the gender balance across the sector. The EC found that Member States are already supporting basic digital skills training well and wants to use this funding to better develop the more advanced workforce necessary to meet business needs in emerging technologies and markets. In extending the reach of programming throughout the EEA, the EC is prioritising building a stronger workforce across the broader European region as it seeks to compete with markets such as the US, China and India.
Digital Europe is one of many global digital skills initiatives currently underway
The EC’s actions map onto a broader global race to develop more digitally skilled workforces in strategic sectors. Through its 2022 Digital Strategy update, the UK pledged £117m of public investment in postgraduate education in AI out to 2025. With the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, the US authorised a five-year, $200m (£159.5m) investment in developing a skilled semiconductor workforce. These initiatives aimed at highly skilled technical training have also been paired with funding for basic or general digital literacy schemes. Both the Digital Equity Act in the US and the Essential Digital Skills qualification scheme in the UK look to incorporate vulnerable and underrepresented communities into the digital economy. Taken together, these two-part approaches to digital skills boost competitiveness on an international scale while preparing domestic workforces to take on new roles or changed roles in a more digitised economy.
Private companies are supporting the transition to a digital economy
Bolstering public funding, tech and telecoms firms are investing significant sums to encourage digital skills development and technological adoption. Vodafone has pledged €20m (£17.5m) in funding until 2025 for digital skills education across the EU and UK. This year in the US, Comcast granted $25m (£19.9m) to more than 200 organisations running digital skills programmes. Private contributions have largely focused on basic skills training as a measure to promote more widespread and equitable digital adoption among end users, recognising that companies have also been investing in training and retaining advanced technical talent to support their business operations. As policymakers have noted, skills will be key to unlocking the benefits of technological development and well-trained workforces, while ensuring equal access to and engagement in the digital world.
