Brussels, Monday 19 March 2012:  European e-Skills Week 2012– backed by the European Commission launches today in Brussels. 

Vice President of the European Commission, responsible for Enterprise and Industry, Antonio Tajani, is officially marking the start of the European e-Skills Week 2012, by welcoming,  together with conference host, Anna Maria Darmanin, Vice-President of the European Economic and Social Committee,  more than 200 delegates from thirty member states.

The European e-Skills Week 2012, an initiative of the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry, is driven by the Commission’s Communication on "e-Skills for the 21st Century", and complements other Commission initiatives including the EUROPE 2020 Strategy, the Digital Agenda for Europe, and ‘An agenda for new skills and jobs,’ which are addressing the critical unemployment and skills gaps in Europe.

On the epidemic of unemployment of young people in Europe, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE, John Higgins CBE says: “Despite the crisis, the ICT sector has continued to grow by three per cent a year over the last few years.  ICT and e-Skills are catalysts for growth, innovation and competitiveness in Europe. At the same time businesses are reporting difficulties in recruiting and retaining ICT skilled staff.  There is an  e-Skills gap at a critical time for Europe - we must address this issue to remain competitive.”

Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet, says that is a need for strong initiatives to drive awareness: “We want to engage directly with young people through the education system. It is important that the potential of young people be nurtured to ensure that we have strong generations of employable, skilled and engaged youngsters in Europe.” 

Find out more about e-Skills Week here. 

Register for the Brussels Opening Event 19 March 2012 here.

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Media Enquiries: Natalia KUROP – DIGITALEUROPE, Director - Communications & Marketing

www.digitaleurope.org M. +32 487 34 05 71 >> E. natalia.kurop@digitaleurope.org

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.