European Digital Skills Certificate

The European Commission is exploring the development of a European Digital Skills Certificate (EDSC) to help people have their digital skills quickly and easily recognised by employers, training providers and more.

The European Digital Skills Certificate will put forward an agreed set of quality requirements. The certificate will also be based on the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp), which provides a common understanding of what digital competence is and gets continuously updated according to the current digital developments.

Problems recognising digital skills

Digital skills are indispensable for learning, for working and in everyday life. A rapidly changing, technology-driven economy and society require everybody to have digital skills.

However, digital skills can often become "lost in translation" and be hard for people to have them recognised. This is part due to the existence of a large diversity of digital skills training and certification schemes produced by multiple organisations and governments.

Objectives

The European Digital Skills Certificate aims to

• enhance the transparency and mutual recognition of digital skills certifications across Europe by governments and organisations such as employers, education and training providers, social partners, chambers of commerce and industry
• allow people to indicate their level of digital competence and encourage individuals to acquire new digital skills
• provide a scheme that is complementary to existing (national or international) digital skills certification schemes, so not replacing them in any way

The EDSC supports the following ambitious objectives of the European Skills Agenda

• ensuring that 70% of people aged 16 to 74 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

Key activities

Feasibility Study

An ongoing feasibility study is helping the Commission explore scenarios for the European Digital Skills Certificate. The study largely relies on consultations with relevant partners, including certification providers, public employment services, education and training providers. The study maps existing digital skills certification schemes in Europe and carries out an analysis of the gaps, needs and benefits to understand the role and value of an EDSC and how it could support recognition of digital skills in Europe.

EDSC pilot project with national authorities from EU countries

The pilot project will test the building blocks for minimum quality requirements to support the transparency, acceptance, and mutual recognition of the European Digital Skills Certificate. For this, the participating national authorities (Austria, Finland, France, Spain, Romania) will carry out activities in different labour market settings and informal and non-formal education and training settings. The outcomes will feed into the feasibility study.

More information on the Digital Competence Framework (DigComp) can be found below:

• brochure
• video
• Joint Research Centre webpage

Further information about the Digital Competence Certification can be found on All Digital.

Funding

This action is funded via the EU's Erasmus+ programme.

Get in touch

If you are interested to know more about this action, get in touch with us by email at EC-EDSC@ec.europa.eu.