ICON is proud to have become part of the European Comission’s Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, for which the eSkills Foundation is the Maltese national contact point. We have joined this initiative with the intention of further developing the digital skills required in the local digital economy as well as focus on training to increase the skills of our labour force.
“The Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition brings together Member States, companies, social partners, non-profit organisations and education providers who take action to tackle the lack of digital skills in Europe. Developing a digital talent pool is crucial for the Digital Single Market, for European competitiveness and for our digital society to remain inclusive. ICON is committed to assist the Coalition to reach its goals through proactive activities for Malta’s labour force. In this regard ICON assists in the development of digital skills for the digital economy and assists the continuous professional development of its team.”
Dr. Gege Gatt,
Director
ICON
What is the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition?
An initiative proposed by the Commission under the New Skills Agenda for Europe, the Coalition brings together the Member States, companies, social partners, NGOs and education providers in an attempt to further reduce the digital skills gap as a partnership. With notable members such as European Digital SME Alliance, ECDL and Google, the Coalition is committed to tackling the skills gaps at all levels, from high-level ICT specialist skills to the skills needed by all European citizens to work in a digital economy and society. Members are encouraged to pledge for action to train more digital experts, re-skill and up-skill the labour force and provide citizens with the digital skills needed for their lives.
The Coalition has set goals to be achieved by 2020 such as:
- Training one million young unemployed people.
- Support the upskilling and retraining of the workforce.
- Modernise training education and training.
- Reorient and make use of available funding.
ICON’s Pledge
ICON is set to ensure that employees are sent on training programmes to remain at the forefront of technology, increase staff retention as well as increase levels of job satisfaction. To lift levels of innovation with these newly acquired skills, a new product is set to be released to the market at the start of 2018. Also, in recognition of a struggle encountered by many, ICON will focus on promoting ICT skills among the female population. Through participating in various talks and workshops, we aim to encourage more women to take an interest in ICT education and pursue a career within this growing sector. See ICON’s pledge here.
The company will also be offering new internships. This will be a great opportunity for any student who wishes to gain hands-on experience and jumpstart their career within the industry. The internship roles will be within the company’s services, which are software services, web development and digital marketing. Finally, a whitepaper will be published on data analysis which will be free to the public. This in-depth report will help both students and companies who wish to learn how to harness the power of big data and analytics.
Joining the Coalition is sure to be fruitful for both the company and any prospective students wishing to learn and immerse themselves within the growing sector of ICT. ICON will be partnering with eSkills Malta Foundation in various talks and workshops to help guide, teach and motivate young individuals to pursue a career in the industry. Sign up to ICON’s newsletter to be the first to discover about the coming opportunities that will be available in the coming months.
“We’re delighted to have become members of the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition – a partnership which will certainly steer us in the right direction of meeting the demand for digital skills in Europe. Through this membership, ICON will strive to make a significant contribution to boosting digital skills, especially when it comes to promoting them amongst women and girls. For us, this is only the start of many partnerships to come.”
Ms. Rachel Ann Said,
Office Administrator
ICON