The project aimed to achieve the following objectives: Support the growth of digital skills: The project sought to enhance the digital skills of students and workers involved in VET and continuous training processes, including both technological knowledge and soft skills/e-leadership. Address the skills mismatch: It contributed to reducing the gap between supply and demand (skill shortage) in the labor market, particularly in light of the digital transformation's evolving needs. Promote formal recognition of digital skills: The project worked to support the formal certification of digital skills—both technical and interpersonal—thereby facilitating transitions and mobility across school-to-work pathways, sectors, regions, and countries. Enhance training institutions’ capacities: It focused on increasing the ability of vocational training institutions (both initial and continuous) to design and deliver effective training courses aimed at developing digital skills for students and workers.
The project responded to the challenges posed by Digital Transformation (DT), which impacted three key areas: technology, organizational strategies, and social-economic dynamics. The increasing penetration of digital technologies reshaped business models, organizational processes, and professional skills systems, requiring organizations and workers to adapt or risk losing competitiveness. Despite this urgency, there was a notable skills gap: only 20% of companies had initiated cultural and skills development for DT, while 36% reported lacking adequate digital talent. Moreover, vocational education programs were insufficient to meet labor market needs, and reports from the European Commission and the World Economic Forum forecasted that 9 out of 10 jobs would require solid digital skills by 2022. This "digital mismatch" was expected to cause up to a 50% productivity loss, with 37% of the EU workforce lacking essential digital skills. Additionally, the "technological paradox" highlighted the gap between young people’s familiarity with technology and their inability to align these skills with labor market demands. This underlined the urgency of updating vocational education and professional training to support digital transitions.