Description
Country
Focus area
The National Initiative in Digital Skills e.2030, Portugal INCoDe.2030 , aims to stimulate and ensure the development of digital skills as a tool for preparing a society oriented to the future and to the new opportunities arising from the accelerated adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). This initiative seeks to ensure the generalization of access to digital technologies to the entire population and the training of younger generations by stimulating and strengthening digital skills. It also aims to professionally train the active population, promote specialization in digital technologies and ensure conditions for the production of new knowledge, enhancing research in the area of technologies/digital technologies, the use of artificial intelligence and programming languages.
Implementation level
At what level is the initiative implemented?
National
Legal base
Legal base (E.g. Law, regulation, implementing provision, other)
Council of Ministers Resolution (RCM Nº26/2018 of March 3rd)
Starting period
TIMESPAN: In what year did the initiative commence?
2018
Perspective
PERSPECTIVE: is the initiative based on evidence derived from skill forecasts or foresight activities?
Yes
Policy area
To which POLICY AREAS(s) does the initiative apply?
To address the challenges and goals identified, the Portugal INCoDe.2030 program proposes to carry out a wide range of measures that aim to mobilize various governmental areas. These measures should be articulated with initiatives from the private sector, academia and civil society with similar objectives, and are structured in five lines of action: inclusion, education, qualification, specialization and research.
Funding
How it is funded?
Funded by national government
Skill mismatch
Skill mismatch target
What type(s) of skills MISMATCH does the initiative aim to addresses?
Underqualification (individuals' qualifications/credentials are below their job's needs)
Skill underutilisation (individuals' skills are not well used in their jobs)
Skill shortages (employers cannot fill their vacancies due to a lack of skills in the labour market)
Skill gaps (worker's skills are below the level of proficiency required by their employers and jobs)
Skills matching focus
How does the initiative address skills mismatches?
One of the programme's aims is about the training of younger generations by stimulating and strengthening digital skills.
The programme also targets the general population regardless of their employment situation.
The programme also targets the general population regardless of their employment situation.
It is focused on the ICT sector and the digital and information society related skills.
The programme targets the general population regardless of their employment situation.
Skills delivered
What types of skill does the initiative deliver?
Basic digital skills
More advanced digital skills
Methods
Methods
What methods of undertaking skills assessments and / or skills anticipation does the policy instrument utilise?
Other
It was created the Digital Skills Observatory, a tool for monitoring, data processing and analysis of results on the evolution of the population's digital skills, the production of new knowledge in digital areas and the ability to exploit the social and economic potential of digital markets. A workgroup created the "Portugal Digital Competencies Reference Framework", a guideline for the general population, training and educational entities, organisations in general and companies.
Use of skills intelligence
How is labour market information / skills intelligence used within the initiative?
This programme is a Digital Agenda used to upskill the whole population promoting, equipping and sponsoring all things Digital in the country. This is achieved by training young people in the use of technologies and in their ability to understand and solve problems; by capacitating and qualifying the active population which, due to their age or out-of-sync training with employment opportunities, struggle to access the job market; by specializing professionals through higher education to become key players in these fields; and by creating conditions for Portugal to become an active partner in the international scientific community, innovating and producing knowledge.
Stakeholders
Main responsible body
Main body or organisation with overall responsibility for the initiative.
Other
A new INCoDe.2030 Technical Secretariat structure was created with several governmental representations (representatives participating: Presidency of the Portuguese Republic; Ministry for State and Public Administration Modernisation; Ministry for Science, Technology and Higher Education; Ministry for Education; Ministry for Labour, Solidarity and Social Security; Ministry for Planning and Infra-Structures; Ministry for Economy)
Other involved organisations
Which other organisations have a role in the initiative?
National ministry
Several government bodies comprise the INCoDe.2030 Technical Secretariat, having the responsibility for monitoring all planned activities, implementation and communication articulating with the Technical Coordination and the Forum for Digital Skills.
National agency
Agency for Qualification and Vocational Education (ANQEP) - Member institution of the work group that created the "Portugal Digital Competencies Reference Framework"
National PES
Instituto do Emprego e Formação Professional (IEFP, I.P.) - Institution member of the work group that created the "Portugal Digital Competencies Reference Framework"
Research centres, universities
Instituto Nacional de Estatística (Statistics Portugal) has a Monitoring and Evaluation role within the Initiative and also a member of the Observatory; Universidade de Aveiro (Aveiro University) - Institution member of the work group that created the "Portugal Digital Competencies Reference Framework"
Other
Direcção-Geral da Educação (Directorate-General for Education); Direcção-Geral da Qualificação dos Trabalhadores em Funções Públicas - INA (Directorate-General for Civil Service Workers' Qualification); Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) - All member institutions of the work group that created the "Portugal Digital Competencies Reference Framework".
The FCT also provides logistic, technical, administrative and financial support for the programme and the programme's Technical Secretariat.
The FCT also provides logistic, technical, administrative and financial support for the programme and the programme's Technical Secretariat.
Beneficiaries
Who are the intended beneficiaries?
Other
Portuguese general population
Sustainability
Success factors
SUCCESS FACTORS in the implementation
The success factors are:
▪ A greater digital literacy and autonomy of populations that are currently most excluded, especially to access dematerialized solutions;
▪ A more complete learning of ICT areas by the young population boosting a new wave of entrepreneurship, a better-qualified workforce and a larger pool of skilled professionals;
▪ A higher qualification of the active population in the digital areas enabling a more competitive industry and efficient public administration;
▪ A skilled workforce with higher education feeding research and innovation centres, and being decisive in providing advanced solutions for many different areas.
▪ A greater digital literacy and autonomy of populations that are currently most excluded, especially to access dematerialized solutions;
▪ A more complete learning of ICT areas by the young population boosting a new wave of entrepreneurship, a better-qualified workforce and a larger pool of skilled professionals;
▪ A higher qualification of the active population in the digital areas enabling a more competitive industry and efficient public administration;
▪ A skilled workforce with higher education feeding research and innovation centres, and being decisive in providing advanced solutions for many different areas.
Monitoring and evaluation
MONITORING and EVALUATION: Is progress measured regularly? What are the indicators used to measure progress of the policy instrument? Have any evaluations been conducted?
The Digital Skills Observatory is a monitoring tool for the population's digital skills, the production of new knowledge in digital areas and the social and economic adequacy of digital markets. Indicators measure: Action axis - Inclusion, Education, Qualification, Specialization and Research; Targets - Access, Human Capital, Utilization and Investment.
Updates
UPDATES: whether there have been any major updates of the initiative since it has been implemented?
No
Effectiveness
EVIDENCE ON EFFECTIVENESS: How effective is the policy instrument?
Some data produced by the Digital Skills Observatory is already evident: the growing attention focused on digital skills has been increasing; the importance and centrality that education professionals and parents feel that digital skills should have in the education of their children; the understanding that young people themselves are gaining of the professional and employment opportunities that ICT areas provide them, resulting in a higher number of applicants within the field transitioning to higher education (about 12% of all applicants); and the vocational track of secondary education to continuing studies experienced an increase of about 30% between 2017 and 2018.
Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY: How sustainable is the policy instrument? Do you expect the instrument to continue over the next few years and why?
The contribution of INCoDe.2030 in the process is partial, but the impetus created is long term and has already had a relevant role. It seeks to stimulate, welcome, and disseminate everything that civil society, companies, associations, and public administration bodies, carry out to improve the national status in digital skills.
Other instruments in Portugal
On this page: