As digital transformation spreads across industries and workplaces, the demand for modern, adaptable skills is rapidly increasing. Vocational education and training (VET) is essential for equipping young learners with the digital skills and competences they need to navigate and succeed in this evolving digital environment. Ensuring that digital skills are effectively integrated into initial VET (IVET) curricula is crucial for preparing learners to meet the challenges of the digitalised labour market and empowering them with the tools necessary to build a successful future.
Advancing digital skills in vocational education and training
Cedefop supports evidence-based policy-making to ensure that VET students are equipped to live and work in an increasingly digitalised economy, fostering the development of digital skills in vocational education and training across EU. In this direction, a new research project – Mapping digital skills in IVET curricula – was initiated in January 2025 and will run until December 2027.
What is the project about and why is it important?
The Mapping digital skills in IVET curricula project aims to analyse how digital skills are integrated into initial IVET curricula at ISCED level 3 so as to provide valuable data to align education systems with labour market demands, ensuring that vocational graduates are prepared for the digitalised economy. The project will assess the current landscape of digital skills provision by employing natural language processing (NLP) techniques.
The project is part of the broader digital transformation strategy, aligning with the European Skills Agenda, the European Education Area initiative, the Digital Education Action Plan 2021-27 and the Digital Decade 2030 goals. It contributes to policy development by providing the tools and frameworks needed to address skill mismatches and to support the design of curricula that meet the demands of an increasingly digitalised labour market.
Objectives
The project aims to:
- measure the extent of digital skills provision in initial VET curricula across different EU Member States and vocational sectors;
- analyse variations in digital skills provision across countries and sectors, shedding light on both general and advanced digital competences;
- identify and share good practices in digital skills education within IVET, highlighting innovative approaches that can be replicated across Europe;
- develop a framework to compare digital skills provision with labour market demand data (via Cedefop’s Skills-OVATE tool), exploring potential skill mismatches.
EU Member States coverage
The project will initially cover eight (8) selected EU Member States, namely: Croatia, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Greece, based on a robust set of criteria, considering factors such as geographical diversity, curriculum governance models, and the frequency of curriculum updates.
How it will be done?
In line with Cedefop's focus on evidence-based policy-making, the project will use natural language processing (NLP) to collect and analyse IVET curricula from across eight (8) EU Member States. The focus will be on curricula updated within the past 7 years. Systematic data extraction will allow for a thorough review of digital skills integration across various sectors, enabling detailed analysis and comparison of digital competences within education systems.
The project will also leverage big data to help policy-makers understand both current and future skill demands in the digital economy. By comparing IVET curricula with real-time labour market trends through tools such as Skills-OVATE, the project will provide insights into skill mismatches, enabling effective curriculum planning and adaptation.
Timeline
The project will start in January 2025, with the first findings expected in 2026.
What are the expected outcomes?
The Mapping digital skills in IVET curricula project is expected to deliver new evidence that may support policy-makers and curriculum designers in advancing digital skills in vocational education and training. Key expected outcomes include:
- detailed findings: a thorough analysis of the current landscape of digital skills integration in IVET curricula across selected EU Member States;
- comparative insights: an evaluation of how digital skills have evolved across different versions of curricula, highlighting progress and areas for improvement in selected EU countries;
- good practices repository: case studies showcasing effective approaches to integrating and promoting digital skills in IVET curricula drawing from selected EU countries, offering inspiration and guidance for broader implementation;
- feasibility assessment: a robust assessment of extending the methodology and approach to cover all 27 EU Member States;
- skills mismatch framework: a methodological framework designed to identify and explore gaps between digital skills provision in education and labour market demands.
