Brussels, Wednesday 16 November, 2011 – In a bid to help Europe - and most especially Europe’s youth -  seize the best opportunities for jobs generated through digital technologies, DIGITALEUROPE and European Schoolnet  have joined forces with the European Commission - DG Enterprise and Industry -  to organise a European e-Skills Week in 2012 on 26-30 March 2012. 

Youth unemployment, which has peaked at over 40%, is a worrying trend.  Opportunities created through science, information and communication technology, engineering and maths are critical to building a modern workforce.  The European e-Skills week 2012 is a grass roots campaign focused on showing people how to get jobs and e-skills for life in the digital age.  

Industry partners - including leading ICT companies such as Nokia, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel and numerous SMEs across Europe - in partnership with education bodies and public authorities, will deliver a large and diverse programme of events and activities in more than 30 European countries. Ministries of Education have embraced the importance of ICT and are working with industry to deliver an exciting choice of options for people looking for work, and for young people thinking about what career options are open to them.

“SMEs can only grow through employing highly skilled people,” outlined Dr Erkki Ormala, DIGITALEUROPE President. “The right skills encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. We cannot over-estimate the role of digital technology in job generation,” he said. 

“The European e-Skills Week is a great initiative for you to get involved in to learn more about the skills you need to find a job,” said Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet. “ICT is not just programming; there are so many options to be had from using technology creatively. Some of the greatest jobs can be found through technology -  imagine the world without Twitter or Facebook, which were built out of a passion for technology,” said Mr. Durando.

Industry research from IDC estimates that 90% of all jobs will involve basic level of e-skills by 2015. Addressing this key challenge – skills for jobs for growth over the next few years - is a critical issue.  Public-private partnerships with large companies have recognised the importance of having more people involved in a digital life, both for pleasure and for work. 

The first European e-Skills week delivered hundreds events and activities in March 2010 that raised awareness amongst 65 million citizens in 35 countries of the importance of gaining e-Skills for jobs and for life.  

Preparatory work for the European e-Skills Week 2012 will commence in December 2011 and activities will continue up until May 2012. Options for education, training, and opportunities for jobs and growth will be a highlight, and will demonstrate why ICT is so important for any new job. 

To join the fight against unemployment citizens, companies and governments are invited engage in the European e-Skills Week 2012. To help deliver e-skills for jobs and for life check out http://eskills-week.ec.europa.eu  and find ways to build our digital future together.

Ends

Media Enquiries:

Natalia KUROP – DIGITALEUROPE, Director - Communications & Marketing

T. +32 2 609 53 26 >> F. +32 2 609 53 39 >> M. +32 487 34 05 71 >> E. natalia.kurop@digitaleurope.org

Jakob OHRGAARD – Information and Communication Officer, European Commission T: +32 2 229 505 83 E: Jakob.OHRGAARD@ec.europa.eu

For up to date information on the e-skills project please contact:

Alexa Joyce, Project Director, European Schoolnet, alexa.joyce@eun.org

Tel: +32 2 790 7554

Jonathan Murray, Project Director, DIGITALEUROPE jonathan.murray@digitaleurope.org

Tel: + 32 2 609 5328

European Schoolnet (www.europeanschoolnet.org) is a network of 30 Ministries of Education in Europe and beyond. European Schoolnet was created 15 years ago to bring about innovation in teaching and learning for its key stakeholders: Ministries of Education, schools, teachers and researchers.

ABOUT DIGITALEUROPE (formerly EICTA),

DIGITALEUROPE (www.digitaleurope.org), is the voice of the European digital technology industry. Our membership includes large and small companies in the Information and Communications Technology and Consumer Electronics Industry sectors. DIGITALEUROPE membership is composed of 61 major multinational companies and 41 national associations from 29 European countries. In all, DIGITALEUROPE represents more than 10,000 companies all over Europe with more than 2 million employees and over EUR 1,000 billion in revenues.