Hugo LUEDERS, Director Public Policy Europe

1
Public Policy and eSkills The European
Framework 2004
Federatie van de Belgische Verenigingen voor
Informatica Gent,
2 December 2003

• Hugo LUEDERS, Director Public Policy
  Europe

2
Overview

• Introduction and CompTIA Value Added
• 2. Major European eSkills Schemes
• Political Declarations by the EU eSkills Sector
  -
• 2001-2003 Barcelona, Athens and Hamburg
• 4. The eSkills Certification Consortium (eSCC)
• The European eSkills Forum
• The 2004 eSkills Roadmap
• 7. Conclusions Towards an EU MetaFramework

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1. Introduction and CompTIA Value Added

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eSkills Shortage vs Offshoring

• An eSkills gap equivalent to 1.2 mio jobs was
  identified in
• the EU in 2000, with a possible increase
  to 1.5 mio in 2003
• In 2003, the eSkills gap has narrowed, but
  not disappeared
• The percentage of companies reporting
  difficulties in
• finding adequate personnel remains almost
  the same
• Focus in the media is now shifting to
  offshore-outsourcing
• 
  Any political reply?
• EITO/IDC Survey 2001
  eBusiness Watch Survey 2003

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Lisbon the Goal and the Political Response

• Lisbon objective - EU most competive
  knowledge-
• based economy in the world by 2010
• How to achieve this with an eSkills gap of 1
  mio?
• Context EU Single Market interaction
  between
• high-tech workforce development and
  European
• competitiveness
• The policy response providing incentives for
  high-
• tech workforce development in Europe,
  incl fiscal
• measures for employers/SMEs and employees

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CompTIA Value Added

• Worldwide not-for-profit ICT industry
  association
• Global voice for the ICT industry with
  offices in all
• major ICT industry regions (EU, US, A/P,
  L/A, SA)
• Some 15K corporate and 8K professional
  members in
• more than 80 countries (200 companies in
  Europe)
• Worldwide leader in vendor-neutral,
  cross-industry
• eSkills certifications (e.g. A, Linux,
  Security, etc.)
• CompTIA TechCareer Compass worldwide
• repository for training of a qualified
  e-skilled workforce
• Public Policy offices and advocacy support
  capabilities
• Brussels, Washington, Ottawa, Sao Paulo,
  Hong Kong

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CompTIA Value Added Europe

• CompTIA European public policy
  cluster
• eEurope/eEurope governance and regulatory
  issues
• (EU ICT Governence Tracker, Brussels
  Newsletter, etc.)
• Industry White Papers and advocacy
  (Interoperability, e-
• Invoicing, e-Recycling, Intellectual
  property rights, etc.)
• Initiative for Software Choice (ISC) public
  procurement
• Software Services Europe (SSE) European
  industry
• association for ASPs and other ICT enabled
  services
• High-tech Workforce Coalition (HTW) labour
  development
• eSkills Certification Consortium (eSCC)
  public recognition
• of industry and other informal eSkills
  certifications

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Initiative for Software Choice (ISC)

• Objective to advance multiple competing
• software hardware markets unimpeded by
  policy
• Advocacy to advise policymakers about the
• benefits of software hardware choice
• based on merits value
  against
• money and not on mandatory
  rule
• Members some 300 corporate members
• worldwide - 60 in Europe alone
• Major activities in Spain, Irland, Baltics

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eSkills Certification Consortium (eSCC)

• An CompTIA/HTW launched initiative for the
• public recognition and/or endorsement for
  and use
• of commercial, informal and non-formal ICT
• training certifications within government
  endorsed
• education and training frameworks across
  Europe
• Reason reliance on formal education with
  limited
• industry involvement, not on trilateral
  associations
• Starting to look afresh at the eSkills issue
  (shortage,
• gap and mismatch) by tacking referencing
  practical
• solutions tested by users in global
  markets

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2. Major European eSkills Schemes

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Major European eSkills Schemes

• CEDEFOP - the European Centre for the
  Development
• of Vocational
  Training
• SFIA - the Skills Framework for
  the Information Age
• CareerSpace - Consortium of eleven ICT
  companies EICTA
• (eLIG - eLearning Industry Group)
• ECDL - European Computer Driving
  Licence (CEPIS)
• EUCIP - European Certification for
  Informatics
• Professionals
  (CEPIS)
• CEN/ISSS - Workshop on IT Profiles and
  Curricula
• and many more
  

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CompTIA Global ICT CareerPortal

• From the TechCareer Compass to the Global
  CareerPortal
• Worldwide portal with local web sites for each
  country
• CareerPortal will incorporate a multitude of
  schemes
• CareerPortal will be developed in conjunction
  with major
• ICT companies, governments, and academic
  institutions
• The aim is not to compete with other schemes
  but to
• reference them and to link up with them
• CareerPortal objectives are
• to deliver practical advice about
  ICT careers
• to link to job listings and to
  available funded courses
• to have facilities to assess current
  eSkills
• to compare with real vacancies, etc.

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3. Political Declarations by the EU eSkills
Sector 2001-2003 Barcelona, Athens and
Hamburg

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Policy Declarations 2001-2003

• European industry analysts and the ICT training
  channels and companies are convened annually by
  CompTIA to address the status of the ICT training
  . Following the last three events in Barcelona,
  Athens and Hamburg respectively, industry policy
  declaration have been issued outlining important
  public policy considerations
• The Barcelona Declaration (2001)
  awareness
• The Athens Declaration (2002)
  potential
• The Hamburg Declaration (2003) actions

www.comptia.com/sections/publicpolicy/workforce_
coalition.asp
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The Hamburg Declaration 2003

• A strategic Roadmap for eSkills in Europe in
  2004
• Recommendations to European Institutions Member
• States and Accessing Countries Governments,
  relevant
• stakeholders and the European e-Skills
  Forum (ESF)
• Introduced by the eSkills Certifications
  Consortium (eSCC) at the CompTIA Europe
  Strategies event, 24-26
• October 2003, Hamburg (some 200 ICT
  participants)
• Built on the call by the July 2003 draft EU
  Constitution to stimulate cooperation on
  training between educational or training
  establishments and firms to facilitate change
  (art. III/183)

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Hamburg Policy Recommendations

• Organise a spring 2004 European workshop on
  industry
• eSkills certifications in co-operation
  with the eSCC
• Ensure fiscal and other financial support for
  the
• recognition of industry and other informal
  eSkills
• Extend the principle of cross-border public
  recognition
• to include industry eSkills training and
  certifications
• Organise a major European eSkills Conference
  under
• the Irish EU Presidency in June 2004 with
  the eSCC
• Address contribute to the EU eSkills
  Meta-Framework

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4. The eSkills Certification Consortium (eSCC)

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The e-Skills Certifications Consortium

• CompTIA-HTW initiative to secure public
  recognition
• of commercial and other informal eSkills
  training
• certifications within government education
  frameworks
• eSCC trilateral associative approach by
  members drawn
• from Governments, industry, and training
  institutions
• Aims to facilitate ICT training industry input
  to the
• European Commissions European eSkills
  Forum

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The e-Skills Certifications Consortium

• Key eSCC objectives  
• Promote the role of industry and other
  non-formal
• certifications within EU national education
  frameworks
• Harness industry efforts within a European
  structure,
• with National Chapters working to achieve
  national
• and/or regional endorsement/recognition of
  industry
• and other non-formal certifications
• Develop associative agreements with
  stakeholders in
• EU Member States to facilitate the
  incorporation
• of formal and non-formal eSkills training
  and certs
• within a European eSkills Meta-Frameworks

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5. The European eSkills Forum

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From Copenhagen 2002 to Thessaloniki 2004

• The Copenhagen Mandate
• the Copenhagen eSkills Declaration of Oct.
  2002 called
• to seek means to recognise
  those qualifications
• which have been achieved outside
  formal education
• The Tessaloniki Deliverables
• the Tessaloniki eSkills Conference of
  June 2004 challenges
• ? to comply with the recommendations
  to stimulate
• cooperation between education
  and training firms
• ? to make it easier for employees to
  gain eSkills
• qualifications recognised in
  global markets (e-mobility)
• ? to reduce public/private barriers
  to eSkills acquisition

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European eSkills Forum

• The Forum is composed of representatives of
• EU Member States, EEA/EFTA countries
• Industry and social partners
• Education and training communities
• OECD is also represented
• Four ESF Working Groups have been set up
• Supply and Demand (EICTA)
• Social questions (UNI-Europe)
• International Aspects, incl offshoring
  (CEPIS)
• Public Private Partnerships (eSCC)
• Final report to the European eSkills
  Conference, 2004

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6. The 2004 eSkills Roadmap

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Next eSCC Workshop 9 December
2003, Brussels

•  Subject Public recognition of
  certifications The EU
• eSkills Meta-Framework and the way forward
  in 2004
• Participation Government representatives,
  major ICT
• companies and ICT training institutions, et
  al.
• Speakers Commission, OCR/UK, ECDL, CEDEFOP,
• Cisco, and CompTIA
• Roundtable discussion Public recognition of
  eSkills
• Certifications the EU eSkills Roadmap for
  2004
• The March 2004 Workshop on eSkills
  Certifications
• You are invited to join!

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Workshop on Industry eSkills
Certifications 24-25 March 2004, Brussels

• Organised by the Commission the eSkills Forum
  
• Trilateral stakeholders with more than 60
  participants
• Co-sponsored by CompTIA, eSCC and ICT companies
• The views of awarding bodies, academia, leading
  ICT
• and training companies and European
  employers,
• courseware publishers, EU Governments,
  CEDEFOP,
• and European Commission officials
• Strong participation of EU Member State
  officials
• Breakout session on eSkills outsourcing
  offshoring
• Cases studies of best practices in EU Member
  States
• Policy recommendations to the eSkills
  Conference in
• June 2004 - including the eSkills Forum
  final report

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eSkills Outsourcing Offshoring

Public policy recommendations

• Avoid protectionist legislation - but instead
• Promote investment in high-tech workforce
  development
• Ensure fiscal and other financial support for
  the
• recognition of industry and other informal
  eSkills
• Maintain strong intellectual property
  protections
• Promote next generation technologies and
  eSkills
• Provide risk capital for eSkills training
  companies/SMEs
• Redirect public funding towards ICT training
  through
• the recognition/endorsement of
  industry
• and other informal eSkills
  certifications

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European eSkills Conference 2004

• 2004 expectations To make a real
  contribution
• Policy Report to the Commission in June 2004
• Based on sound and credible analysis
• Consensus of all stakeholders on key actions
• European e-Skills Conference in Thessaloniki,
  June 2004
• Format similar to the 2002 eSkills Summit and
  the
• March 2004 workshop on industry eSkills
  certs
• eSkills Communication to the Council and the
  EP
• Launching of ten priority projects/initiatives
  
• EU Member States implementation

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7. Conclusions Towards an EU MetaFramework

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Conclusions Towards an EU MetaFramework

• Unless policymakers recognise the competence
  and
• expertise of private and autonomous
  training entities in
• eSkills development for the knowledge-based
• economy, it will be impossible for Europe
  to reach the
• quality of eSkills training that present
  times demand
• Trilateral partnerships (Governments, companies
  and
• academic/training institutions) to develop
  the needed
• matrix approach for Meta-Frameworks to
  integrate
• into public endorsed schemes formal,
  industry and
• other non-formal eSkills certifications
  alike

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eSCC Contact

Hugo LUEDERS CompTIA Public
Policy Office Europe B-1040
Brussels, 6, Rond Point Schuman tel
32-2/234.78.22, mobile [phone]
e-mail hlueders_at_comptia.org
eSCC webpage
www.comptia.com/sections/publicpolicy/esc
c.asp