Date: 12/10/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic coupled with fast-moving digital technology and a lack of digital competence in SMEs are all putting pressure on today’s IT industry professionals and practitioners. The IT Professionalism Online Conference, held on 12 October 2020, looked at how organisations can tackle the challenges related to IT staff and how the e-Competence Framework (e-CF) can help advance their skill sets.
The IT Professionalism Online Conference was co-hosted with our partners eSkills Malta Foundation and the Irish Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition and included keynote speakers representing the European Commission as well as other public and private sector stakeholders. Discussions centered on the initiatives that can be taken to advance digital skills and competences in Europe. The event was organised ahead of a larger, face-to-face event to be held in early 2021.
A full summary of the event can be found here:
Useful links
- Winners of the Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation (software)
- DSJC Pledges for tackling the COVID-19 pandemic
- DiversIT event registration
- Video lessons for SMEs using the e-CF
- ITPE’s e-CF Explorer
The event programme, as well as session recordings and presentations, can be found below.

Programme
Welcome to the conference and background setting
14:00-14:10
- Austeja Trinkunaite, IT Professionalism Europe
- Carm Cachia, eSkills Malta Foundation
- Mary Cleary, Irish National Coalition
Developing IT Professionalism in Europe
14:10-14:20
- André Richier, DG GROW, F2 – see slides
Tackling skills needs in Software through the Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation for skills
14:20-14:30
- Luis Busquets, DG CNECT, E2 – see slides
National Coalitions on digital skills
14:30-14:40
- Jakub Kajtman, DG CNECT, F4 – see slides
Panel 1 – Spearheading the Covid-19 recovery through digital skills: challenges and solutions
14:40-15:30
- Izabela Milewska, Digital Europe and AWS
- Alexa Joyce, Microsoft
- Sebastiano Toffaletti, Digital SME Alliance – see slide
- Carm Cachia, Maltese National Coalition
- Gillian Arnold, BCS and CEPIS Women in ICT Taskforce
Moderator: Mary Cleary, Irish National Coalition
Panel 2 – e-Competence Framework in Practice: Companies and Higher Education
15:30-16:15
- Pascal Ravesteijn, HU University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht – see slides
- Carlo Silva, Poste Italiane – see slides
- Ronald Scherpenisse, Influsense
- Austeja Trinkunaite: Remarks on the ‘e-CF Explorer‘
Moderator: Mary Cleary, Irish National Coalition
Final remarks and looking forward to the conference in 2021 and Questions & Answers
16:15-16:45
- Austeja Trinkunaite, IT Professionalism Europe
- Carm Cachia, eSkills Malta Foundation
- Mary Cleary, Irish National Coalition