Cross-national collection of data and an EU-level target on student digital skills

Current challenges

Basic digital skills are a prerequisite for all citizens to participate effectively in today’s increasingly digital world. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of basic and advanced digital skills for sustaining our economies and societies. 

While young people in Europe generally have more developed digital skills than the rest of the population, research has shown that they do not develop sophisticated digital skills just by growing up using digital devices. 

In contrast to other basic skills, such as reading, mathematics and science, the availability of cross-national data on the current level of digital skills of young people in the European Union (EU) is limited. 

More data is needed to allow us to better understand why differences in skills levels arise and to allow the EU and its countries to formulate effective actions to address these gaps.

Objectives 

To meet these challenges, the European Commission supports the collection and analysis of comparable data on the digital skills of young people across Europe. 

An EU-level target on digital skills was adopted in the 2021 Council Resolution on a Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training Towards the European Education Area and Beyond (2021-2030). 

The Resolution calls for reducing the share of eighth-grade students (13-14 years old) who are low-achieving in computer and information literacy to less than 15% by 2030.

Performance in computer and information literacy is measured using data from the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS). 

The cross-national collection of data improves our understanding of digital education tendencies both at level of the European Union and each EU country. It helps national public administrations to keep track of skill levels among young people throughout time and across borders and to strengthen the basis for evidence-based policy development.

Key activities

• financially support the participation of EU countries and third countries associated to the Erasmus+ programme in ICILS 2023
• monitor progress towards the EU-level target on students’ digital skills using data from ICILS
• report on digital skills in the Education and Training Monitor

Results 

• The coverage of internationally comparable data on digital skills across the EU has expanded to 22 EU countries participating in 2023, compared to 7 countries in 2018.
• We have a more accurate EU-level picture of students' digital skills levels and the factors influencing their development: 43% of students possess only limited digital skills so the EU faces a considerable challenge in reaching its target.

Funding

This action receives funding trough the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.