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EU chief praises Irish Digital Skills Ac

Thursday, October 04 14:36:55

President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, today said that Europe must support initiatives like Ireland's Digital Skills Academy.

On a visit to the Academy, he said that, digital skills for the Information Technology (IT) area has been, and will remain, one of the best opportunities to find a job.

Digital Skills Academy's digital technology programmes are designed to help move people from sectors that have been worst hit by the recession and reskill them for employment opportunities in the digital sector, where there is significant jobs growth. Over 5,000 jobs have been announced in the sector since the start of the year.

"If there is a will to fight against the misery linked to such unemployment of young people then initiatives like the Digital Skills Academy should be supported. The EU has perhaps the best educated generation the continent ever had, yet has such a high degree of unemployment, and this needs to be tackled," Mr Schulz said.

He is visiting Ireland, ahead of Ireland's EU presidency next year.

The Government will be using its presidency of the European Union to advance plans for a youth guarantee scheme, that would ensure that young people under 25 who are unemployed will be automatically directed into employment, education or training.

Mr. Shulz yesterday attended a showcase event at Digital Skills Academy, which showcased the talents of the participant jobseekers of the Academy's WebElevate programme, who have developed range of innovative mobile apps, websites, online videos for industry partners including BT Ireland, Telefonica Ireland, Gill and Macmillan, Digiweb, Pigsback.com and Oracle.

Products on showcase included a visitor mobile app for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, Children's Literacy iPad app for Gill and MacMilan and an iPhone Travel application for Telefonica employees across Europe.