Contracting authority:
European Commission, Directorate – General for Joint Research Centre
Feasibility Study of the European Digital Skills Certificate, as Action 9 of the Digital Education Action Plan (2021- 2027) – JRC/SVQ/2022/OP/0013
About the Feasibility Study for a European Digital Skills Certificate (EDSC)
Action 9 of the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 (published by the European Commission) is to develop a European Digital Skills Certificate (EDSC).
The EDSC will address the digital competence of all citizens, involving the confident, critical and responsible use of, and engagement with, digital technologies for learning, at work, and for participation in society, as described by the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp); it will therefore not deal with the skills of IT professionals.
The European Commission is carrying out a Feasibility Study as an EU-level certificate will be useful only if it is trusted and used. Already many certification schemes exist. Understanding of the current offer, the needs and the gaps existing in digital skills certification by multiple actors, including employers’, is required.
The European Digital Skills Certificate, which will follow an agreed set of quality requirements, aims to enhance the transparency and mutual recognition of digital skills certifications by governments, employers and other stakeholders across Europe. It should allow people to indicate their level of digital competence corresponding to the DigComp proficiency levels and encourage individuals to acquire new digital skills. Finally, it should provide a scheme that is complementary to and does not replace existing (national or international) digital skills certification schemes.
The EDSC supports the ambitious objectives of the European Skills Agenda
- ensuring that 70% of 16-74 year olds have at least basic digital skills by 2025
- the Europe’s Digital Decade target of a minimum 80% of the population having basic digital skills by 2030
The EDSC feasibility study is built on the systematic consultation of stakeholders
The European Commission invites all interested stakeholders to register. Registration is necessary to complete before participation in the consultation activities.
Implementation
The EDSC feasibility study is a European Commission initiative, led by the Directorate for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG-EMPL), and managed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) (Directorate B, Growth and Innovation, based in Seville, Spain).
The study is implemented by three partners – NTTDATA, ALL DIGITAL, and empirica
