Commission delivers 250,000 courses and jobs
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Vice-President Neelie Kroes have brought CEOs from across the global economy together at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to expand a successful year-old coalition that is delivering digital training opportunities and jobs.
The Davos Declaration foresees the creation of 100,000 additional traineeships by the end of 2015.
Since March 2013, 42 partner organisations have filled an extra 2,200 new digital jobs, 5,277 extra internships and apprenticeships, and delivered training courses for an extra 269,000 people. This fulfilled pledges they made to the EU’s Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs. Partners include Cisco, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Samsung, SAP, Telefonica, and a range of industry and civil society associations.
Barroso said: “The Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs uses the economies of scale we have at the EU level to bring qualified people and innovative employers together. This is European integration in practice. I urge all those who have not yet joined up to seize this opportunity to help Europe drive the next ICT revolution.”
A key target in the 2014 expansion of the coalition will be the goods and retail sectors, which increasingly depend on workers with digital skills, including on shop and factory floors.
Kroes added: “I meet so many young people with initiative, who are desperate for opportunity. And I see companies in desperate need of workers with digital skills. The coalition matches the two together, and helps thousands of people to build their lives.”
