Barcelona, November 23, 2023

In a dynamic showcase of innovation and collaboration, the EIT Deep Tech Talent event held in Barcelona featured a notable presence from LEADS, with Brendan Rowan from BluSpecs and LEADS coordinator playing a key role.

Brendan Rowan highlighted LEADS’ commitment to advancing technology, policy, and skills, emphasizing their role in initiatives like DigiQ Digital Twins for Infrastructures & Cities, Digital MERIT, Digital4Business, CyberSecPro, and the Project ManagiDiTH – Master of Managing Digital Transformation in the Health Sector. Rowan outlined LEADS’ contribution to bridging the digital skills gap and fostering collaborations within the tech community.

The event culminated in the Prize Ceremony, where the winners of the 1st Deep Tech Talent Training Prize were announced. LEADS’ active involvement in deep tech training and commitment to the cause was acknowledged, reinforcing their dedication to shaping the future of digital skills.

Reflecting on the event, Brendan Rowan emphasized the urgent need for a cohesive strategy to address the advanced digital skills gap. He noted, “The advanced digital skills gap will remain as long as we have a fragmented approach to this. We need to invest more and take many types of actions across the board.” Rowan advocated for comprehensive efforts ranging from long-term investments in education to immediate upskilling and reskilling initiatives, stressing the importance of diversifying talent from non-tech backgrounds and breaking down social barriers to inclusion.

The EIT Deep Tech Talent event attracted a diverse audience, including industry leaders, educators, and representatives from partner organizations. The panel discussions, insightful keynotes, and lively exchanges underscored the shared commitment to tackling the challenges posed by the tech skill gap.

LEADS’ participation in the event not only showcased their dedication to fostering digital skills but also highlighted their role as a key player in collaborative efforts to address the complex landscape of advanced digital education and training.

As the event concluded, the organizers expressed gratitude to the partners, speakers, and contributors, emphasizing the crucial role of teamwork in the success of the initiative. The commitment of organizations like LEADS is essential in driving initiatives that will shape the future of technology and bridge the digital skills divide.

For more information, click here.

The inaugural session of the LEADS Thematic Webinars on November 13, 2023, delved into the intricate landscape of mapping the supply of advanced digital skills training across EU countries.

Key Insights:

The webinar showcased a hybrid methodology that analyzed approximately 1250 higher education and vocational education advanced digital skills courses. This methodology played a pivotal role in conducting a comprehensive gap analysis.

Speakers:

• Flora Josette Thibaudeau (Trinity Business School)
• Christopher Karachristos (Maggioli)

Focus of the Webinar:

The core discussion centered around challenges encountered in mapping the supply of advanced digital skills. The hybrid methodology employed provided a unique perspective on the varied educational programs and courses offered across EU countries.

Access to Resources:

The recorded webinar and presentation slides from speakers Flora Josette Thibaudeau and Christopher Karachristos are now available for those who missed the live event.
We appreciate the insightful contributions of our speakers, making the LEADS Thematic Webinar on Challenges in Mapping Supply a valuable experience.
Stay tuned for future LEADS webinars, exploring critical topics in advanced digital skills across the European Union.

Presentations

• Christopher Karachristos – PDF version
• Flora Josette Thibaudeau – PDF version

In October 2023 LEADS jointly organised the Digital Europe Programme Projects Meeting together with the European Commission and the European Health and Digital Executive Agency.

The event featured a diverse array of projects funded through the Digital Europe Programme:

• SPECIALISED projects (Call 1 & Call 2), designing and delivering a tertiary education programme in Data, IoT, AI, Blockchain, cybersecurity, HPC and quantum.
  • DS4Health, MERIT, CyberSecPro, AI and Health, ManagiDITH, DIGITAL4Business, DIGITWIN4CIUE, DigiQ, EMAI4EU, SPECTRO, GreenChips-EDU, CYBERACTIONING, Edu4Chip, Digital4Security, AI4CI, DigiWind, AGRITECH EU
• Short-term training courses, designing and delivering courses in advanced technologies for both people already in employment and jobseekers
  • REBOOT SKILLS, DIS4SME, Level Up, QTIndu, BIONT, DigiAdvance, CloudCamp4SMEs, CYRUS, Tech Time 2 Skill, EAGLE, TRUST-FOOD, SME4DD
• Master’s in AI, focusing on human-centric AI, AI for the public sector and explainable AI for healthcare, all funded by the Connecting Europe Facility Telecom
  • Hcaim, MAI4CAREU, AI4Gov, xAIM

Other linked initiatives participating were:

• Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, serving as the primary repository of information and services pertaining to digital skills in Europe, EmpowerED, and the Data Space for Skills.

The purpose of this meeting was to reflect on the progress of the ongoing projects funded by the Digital Europe Programme in the field of advanced digital skills, exchanging lessons learned and identifying recommendations. In addition to this, the meeting served as an opportunity to contribute to the work on future policy actions and funding needs, all to reach the overarching goal of 20 million ICT specialists employed by 2030.

Key topics discussed included:

• The current state of the digital decade and outlook.
• Meeting the demands of the digital decade: Insights into the market analyses which informed the design of the courses.
• Current challenges related to bridging the gap between supply and demand in advanced digital skills, their impact on stakeholders and which policy actions can address them:
  • The rate for tech development and convergence
  • Accessing the expertise for skilling
  • Addressing SMEs
  • Finding candidates at the right level
  • The need for domain expertise and sectoral divergence in demands
  • The leaky pipeline of women
• Strategies and opportunities to enhance the sustainability of actions including accreditation and forging partnerships with the industry.
• Best practices and collaboration opportunities between the projects.

 An outcome report of this event will be published in the next weeks and will also be available on this website.

LEADS is proud to present a series of six thematic webinars that will be focused on different verticals of interest and bring together representatives from Industry, SMEs, specialised DIHs and universities, and training providers. 

The sessions will be based on the LEADS methodology and findings and will aim to create opportunities for: 

• direct dialogues between the ecosystem actors  

• create awareness about the master programmes beyond the existing community and engaging new players  

1st Thematic Webinar – Challenges in mapping supply 

13 November 2023, 16:00 – 17:00  

 Learn more

2nd Thematic Webinar – Challenges in mapping demand 

20 November 2023, 16:00 – 17:00  

 Learn more

On July 2023, LEADS, a project funded by the Digital Europe Programme, successfully organised and hosted the Expert Roundtables on the GAP between the provision and demand for Advanced Digital Skills (ADS) in Europe. The event featured three engaging roundtable sessions with prominent experts from diverse technology and educational backgrounds.

Empowering Europe’s Digital Future

In the context of an ever-evolving digital landscape, the Expert Roundtables provided an invaluable platform for robust discussions on various facets of Advanced Digital Skills. Key insights emerged from the event, reshaping perspectives on the future of digital skills in Europe.

• Adapting to a Changing Technological Landscape:
  With technology becoming increasingly accessible to a wider audience, the event emphasised the need for a more diverse pool of skilled professionals. While specialised experts with full theoretical knowledge remain important, the focus must shift towards equipping a broader range of individuals with adaptable skill sets to meet evolving demands.
• Projected Surge in Demand for Advanced Digital Skills:
  LEADS’ comprehensive skills mapping efforts, involving an assessment of over 303,000 courses, revealed a significant gap between the current supply of ADS professionals and the projected demand. Experts estimate a need for between 3.5 to 15 million new ADS professionals to meet the high-growth gap that exists between the available workforce (currently 9 million employed) and future demand.
• Paving the Way for a Continuum of Skills:
  The emergence of “tech virgins”, particularly in Cloud, Edge, and IoT technologies, has created a continuum that spans across all tech areas. This phenomenon is expected to significantly impact the future roles and skill requirements across various sectors.
• Strategic Approach to Upskilling and Reskilling:
  Companies are adopting a mixed approach to address the demand for ADS professionals. The strategies include upskilling, reskilling, new hires, and partial outsourcing, ensuring a dynamic talent pipeline.
• Increased Budget for Training and Development:
  A positive trend identified during the event was a projected increase of at least 7% in training and development budgets across European organisations over the next two years. This budgetary expansion underscores the growing importance of investing in Advanced Digital Skills.
• Emphasizing Domain Knowledge and Technical Skills:
  Experts highlighted the critical role of domain knowledge in enhancing the usefulness and application of technical skills. The integration of domain expertise with technical proficiency was underscored as a key factor in nurturing successful digital professionals.

LEADS Consortium’s Mission Towards a Skillful Future

During the event, Nuria De Lama, a representative from the LEADS Consortium, provided an illuminating introduction to the project’s mission of providing recommendations on future skills coverage to policymakers, European industries and education providers. Brendan Rowan, Lead Coordinator of LEADS, presented the project’s innovative approach of mapping ADS skills pockets and crafting market scenarios to address future demand effectively.

The Expert Roundtables on the GAP between the provision and demand for Advanced Digital Skills in Europe demonstrated LEADS’ unwavering commitment to shaping a skilled, agile, and future-ready workforce to lead Europe’s digital transformation.

The three roundtable sessions

The first roundtable session delved into quantifying the demand for various ADS and analysing the current skills offerings. The discussion centred around validating the gap across different technology areas, exploring challenges, technology convergence, and the impact of digital transformation on various sectors. The contributing experts included:

• Prof. Edward Curry, Director of the Insight SFI Research Centre for Data Analytics at the University of Galway.
• Daniel Iglesias Gonsálvez, Lead data scientist Tourism of Tomorrow Lab (NECSTouR).
• Jesús Contreras, Node Director of EIT Digital Spain.
• Daniel Sáez, Technology Transfer Director at ITI (Instituto Tecnológico de Informática), President GAIA-X Spain.

The second roundtable focused on finding the right balance between Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) to ensure an adequate supply of ADS professionals. Experts discussed which skills are best suited for HE and which align better with VET. The panel consisted of:

• Lewis Purser, Director of Teaching & Learning and Academic Affairs, Irish Universities Association.
• Breda O’Toole, Head of Talent Transformation & Innovation at IDA Ireland.
• Dimitris Panopoulos, Head of the Labour Market Analysis Unit, Greece.

The third roundtable tackled the strategic aspect of investing smartly in ADS. Participants explored scalable activities, identified potential barriers, and discussed rules that could hinder Europe’s ability to design appropriate skills pathways. The contributing experts were:

• Angel Herranz, CTO Coowry.
• Eduardo Vendrel, Former president of the European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education Technical University of Valencia.
• Ane Iturzaeta, Cloud Solution Architect (Data&AI), Microsoft.

For those who missed the event, recordings will be made available soon through LEADS’ social media channels and website, ensuring broader access to the discussions and interactions.