Best practices
Developing the ITC Upskilling Initiative for the European Space Association
Users: Industry | Theme: Reskilling and Upskilling | Action: Professional Training | Beneficiaries: Labour Force (Employed)
Porini is a DGS Group company specialising in innovative digital solutions. It was contracted to develop a course for teaching employees of the European Space Association (ESA) the fundamentals of Microsoft Power BI Desktop, a self-reporting tool available for free.
The challenge?
Porini faced the challenge of training employees with varying levels of technological proficiency. The programme needed to cater to both beginners and advanced professionals, ensuring that all employees, regardless of their technical background, could effectively use Microsoft Power BI Desktop.
This required the creation of tailored learning opportunities, providing foundational training for non-technical employees while also offering specialised content for experienced data analysts. The ultimate goal was to ensure that ESA employees across different roles could effectively contribute to data-driven projects using Power BI.
Our solution
Key takeaways
- Adapting Course Content to Class Performance is Effective: Starting with fundamentals and adjusting exercises based on participant performance ensures that all learners are engaged and progressing at an appropriate pace.
- Peer Learning Enhances Understanding: Dividing participants into small groups and encouraging the most skilled individuals to mentor others creates an interactive learning environment, reinforcing knowledge and boosting collaboration
Case Summary–
Context: Fit4internet is a non-profit initiative aimed at enhancing digital literacy across Austria. By using the Digital Competence Framework (DigComp AT), which identifies key components of digital competencies and aligns with European standards, Fit4internet helps individuals showcase their digital skills. The Fit4internet platform offers a way to track and prove digital competencies, helping with employability and ensuring that the Austrian workforce has the necessary ICT skills to meet market demands. Through the digital skills profile platform, the initiative supports both individual growth and the development of a digitally capable society.
Challenge: The challenge faced is managing proof of competencies acquired through various learning methods, including formal education, non-formal training, and informal certifications, which can lead to inconsistent records. Securing sustainable funding to support the continuous development of new digital competencies, ensuring that programs remain up-to-date with evolving market needs. The second main challenge was fostering broad participation and engagement, especially among groups who may lack access to digital tools or education.
Identified Approach / Solution: The Fit4internet platform provides a centralised, user-friendly system to manage and showcase digital competencies, aligning with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). Through this platform, individuals can track and showcase their digital skills, making it easier for employers, educators, and organisations to assess their talent.
The platform allows users to create an e-portfolio that showcases their digital skills, with the option to share it through a link or as a PDF. This portfolio highlights the digital competencies that a user has acquired, linked to their certificates. These certificates can be formal, non-formal, or informal.
The platform also supports the generation of a digital skills profile that showcases the user’s acquired skills. Users earn digital badges as a visual representation of their skills. This allows them to continue with their learning journey, while showing off their competencies to others.
Outcomes:
Key takeaways:
Fit4internet engage multiple stakeholders from academia, industry, and policy to develop holistic and relevant digital competency frameworks. They also use widely applied frameworks to measure skills gaps, enabling better planning for individuals and institutions. By doing this they improve reinsertion rates into the labor force by addressing individuals digital skill gaps and aligning them with market needs. This benefits companies by providing clear insights into the skillsets that are being developed and that are available in the workforce.