Dr Julie Byrne, Assistant Professor in Online Education and Development, is helping to shape European policy discussions on advanced digital skills at a critical moment for the EU's Digital Decade ambitions. This month, those conversations will come to Trinity as the University hosts the Digital Talent EU Days on 15 and 16 October.
The event builds on work already underway at European level. In July, Dr Byrne led a policy workshop on the future of digital skills in Europe at the Digital Skills EU Days in Brussels. The event brought together officials from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CNECT) and the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), alongside representatives of the projects and academies funded through the DIGITAL Europe Programme. Dr Byrne and Professor Na Fu of Trinity Business School are part of the LEADSx2030 consortium, which organised the event and coordinates the Advanced Digital Skills cluster of the DIGITAL Europe Programme, translating its insights into recommendations for policymakers.
Europe has set an ambitious target of 20 million ICT specialists by 2030, one of the goals of the EU's Digital Decade. Ensuring the availability of advanced digital skills is central to European digital sovereignty, its ability to provide high-quality jobs, and its capacity to deliver the economic and social conditions that support citizens' wellbeing. Meeting the Digital Decade targets requires a clear understanding of which advanced digital skills are needed and how the education and training ecosystem can be mobilised to deliver them. These questions are at the heart of Dr Byrne's research.
Europe's digital talent agenda comes to Trinity
LEADSx2030 is now organising the Digital Talent EU Days at Trinity on 15 and 16 October, in conjunction with the Connecting Women in Digital initiative and in partnership with the European Commission, and DFHERIS (Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science).
Driven by expert insights, the latest data and emerging practice, the Digital Talent EU Days will contribute to advancing the strategic objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme and the Union of Skills initiative. The event is an Associated Event of the Irish EU Presidency.
Registration is available at digitaltalentdays.eu.