The continuing digital transformation has an impact on our societies and economies. It creates new ways to learn, train, work and actively participate in society, entertain, and communicate. Digital transformation is also a key priority for the EU and the digital decade initiative has set out the EU targets that will guide digital transformation until 2030.

 

Digital technologies are key drivers of innovation, growth and job creation in the global world. Not everybody, however, has the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to use digital technologies in a critical, collaborative and creative way. The EU aims to ensure that 80% of adults have at least basic digital skills by 2030. According to Eurostat data, in 2023, over 90% of people in the EU used the internet at least once a week. However, only 56% had basic or above basic digital skills.

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The lack of digital competence of a large part of the EU population has dramatic repercussions on their employability perspective. The rapid digital transformation of the economy means that almost all jobs now require some level of digital skills, as does participation in society at large. Digital skills are now as vital as literacy and numeracy and Europe therefore needs digitally competent people who are not only able to use but also to innovate and lead in using these technologies.​

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Digital competence is seen as a combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes that enable the use of digital technologies. Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2019) define digital competence as involving “the confident, critical and responsible use of, and engagement with, digital technologies for learning, at work, and for participation in society.” Digital competence is underpinned by basic digital skills in 5 general areas: information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety and problem solving. The means that on a person with basic digital skills should be able to browse, search and filter information, communicate using digital technologies, develop digital content, protect devices, and solve technical problems. Being digitally competent is more than being able to use the latest smart phone or computer software — it is about being able to use such digital technologies in a critical, collaborative and creative way.