eSkills 4Jobs

eSkills for Jobs 2014, part of the EU eSkills strategy, is a major cross sector, multi-stakeholder campaign from the European Commission, involving more than 650 organisations across Europe including companies, associations, education and training bodies and NGOs. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the need for citizens to improve their command of information and communication technology (ICT) skills for work. The campaign is a response to the growing demand for ICT-skilled professionals which is currently not met, despite high levels of unemployment in Europe. 

At the same time that many Europeans are struggling to find work, technology companies face a critical shortfall in ICT workers. Europe may experience a shortage of up to 900,000 ICT professionals by 2015, risking growth and competitiveness. Women are also significantly under-represented in ICT related jobs – less than 30% of the ICT workforce is female.