The European Council has adopted a set of recommendations on key factors for the success of digital education and training and on improving the provision of digital skills and competencies in education and training.

In this way, the Council is addressing the need to make education suitable for a true digital transformation so that it can adapt to the current times, and to provide the skills and competencies that are and will be absolutely necessary in this new reality.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to improve the digital readiness of education and training systems in terms of their resilience, accessibility, quality and inclusiveness became apparent. Furthermore, as part of the so-called Digital Decade commitment, the EU’s goal is for 80% of the population aged 16 to 74 to have at least basic digital skills by 2030.
The adopted Council Recommendation on digital skills and competencies is that Member States agree on strategies or strategic approaches to digital education and digital skills and competencies, which would allow them to:
- Establish objectives for the provision of these competencies.
- Adopt measures aimed at priority or hard-to-reach groups.
- Strengthen digital skills and competencies in primary and secondary education.
- Promote the teaching of digital competencies transversally in different subjects.
- Improve the digital skills and competencies of higher education students at all levels and in all disciplines.
- Provide adults with opportunities to acquire digital skills and address the shortage of ICT professionals.
Likewise, the Council Recommendation on key enablers for the success of digital education and training focuses on how to prepare education and training systems for the digital age. It provides guidance to prepare people to use technology creatively, safely and responsibly based on an understanding of how it works. Among other measures, it invites member states to:
- Integrate digital technologies into teaching and encourage teachers to use them.
- Support the development of digital educational tools such as research on the effects of artificial intelligence.
- Adopt measures to address cybersecurity in education and training, but especially in raising awareness in society.
- Invest in connectivity, digital infrastructure and digital accessibility in education and training.
The European Commission will monitor the implementation of these Recommendations in all Member States and prepare a report to be submitted to the European Council within a maximum period of five years.
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