UL HCI THE Conf.
Pictured here at the launch of this digital skills roadmap is Professor Ann Ledwith, Executive Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, UL, Professor Shane Kilcommins, Provost Deputy President, UL, Professor Minna Isomursu, University of Oulu, Dr Sinéad Burke, UL@Work Manager, UL, and Professor Martin Hayes, Digital Technologies Academic lead on UL@Work, UL.
Monday, 21 November 2022

The University of Limerick, in collaboration with universities in Italy, Sweden, Finland and France, has launched a roadmap towards reaching the European Target of 20 Million Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Professionals within the next decade. 

In July 2019, the Digital Economy, Recovery and Skills Unit at the European Commission (DG CONNECT) convened the first in a series of meetings of EU universities, that were offering specialised programmes in advanced digital technologies, with the objective of formulating a coordinated response to the challenge of increasing the pool of ICT talent.

This roadmap, led by UL's Professor of Digital Technologies Martin Hayes, outlines the European universities' response to the challenge issued by EU President von der Leyen in her 2021 State of the Union address to deliver a 'top-level' structured dialogue on digital education and skills. A particular focus of the roadmap is an outline of actions that member states can adopt to mitigate the so-called 'leaky pipeline' affecting the growth of ICT talent across the EU. The recommendations in this report also address measures to promote better gender diversity within the cohorts that pursue the STEM disciplines, promote a better understanding of ICT and STEM more generally, and expand the range and quality of digital skills education offered across Europe.

Successful implementation of the roadmap through programmes like the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) will increase the types of learning opportunities available to all citizens throughout their lives.

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About UL@Work - The UL@Work initiative offers 19 courses for undergraduate, postgraduate, and work-based learners and are designed to be flexible to the needs of students and employers. The initiative is funded by the Human Capital Initiative (HCI), part of the National Training Fund. For information on UL@Work courses, go to ul.ie/gps/ulwork