=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-1152/paper66
|storemode=property
|title=Request e-Abilities to Labour Market
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1152/paper66.pdf
|volume=Vol-1152
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/haicta/VarallyaiHC11
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==Request e-Abilities to Labour Market==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1152/paper66.pdf
Request e-abilities to labour market
László Várallyai, Miklós Herdon, András Cseh
University of Debrecen, Centre for Agricultural and Applied Economic Sciences,
Faculty of Applied Economics and Rural Development,
Institute of Economic Analytical Methodology and Applied Informatics,
H-4032 Debrecen, Böszörményi út 138., e-mail: varal@agr.unideb.hu
Abstract. The 35 percents of EU total population uses the advanced Internet
services. This rate is very low and has to increase in the next years, because the
employed person needs ICT user skills. The digital literacy knowledge getting
is very important. Taking part in organized courses and training can be helped
to increase the digital literacy and ICT users’ skills. Nowadays, the importance
of e-skills and e-learning is growing rapidly, partly due to the information and
communication technologies in the information / knowledge-based society to
evolve. The aim is to enable the knowledge and skills to help the individual
can be an active member of society, teamwork, motivation and possess the
skills necessary to find place in the labour market.
Keywords: e-Skills, e-Learning, digital literacy, labour market, education.
1 Introduction
The European Union needs to ensure that the knowledge, skills, competence and
creativity of the European workforce - including its ICT practitioners - meet the
highest global standard and are constantly updated in a process of effective lifelong
learning.
The European Commission adopted in September 2007 a Communication on “e-
Skills for the 21st Century” presenting a long term e-skills agenda for Europe and
including key action lines at EU level. The Competitiveness Council of Ministers
welcomed this Communication and adopted Conclusions on a long term e-skills
strategy at its meeting on 22-23 November 2007. Stakeholders also welcomed this
initiative and have established the e-Skills Industry Leadership Board to contribute to
implementing the strategy.
To take full advantage of the strategic and operational opportunities offered by
information and communication technologies (ICT), it is clear that more and better
qualified ICT practitioners as well as e-skilled managers and citizens are needed
(Brixiova et al., 2009).
The e-skills strategy has progressed with several visible achievements and the
European e-Skills Conference which took place on November 2009 in Brussels
_________________________________
Copyright ©by the paper’s authors. Copying permitted only for private and academic purposes.
In: M. Salampasis, A. Matopoulos (eds.): Proceedings of the International Conference on Information
and Communication Technologies
for Sustainable Agri-production and Environment (HAICTA 2011), Skiathos, 8-11 September, 2011.
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delivered some welcome messages of encouragement in today‘s challenging times.
Europe is increasingly developing its human capital to be globally competitive and is
making significant progress towards the important goal of implementing a long-term
e-skills strategy.
It is necessary to continue to work at providing a rich science and technology
environment and the availability of a breadth and depth of skilled labour force
performing well in the latest technologies.
E-skills are a central aspect of European policies to boost competitiveness,
productivity and employability of the workforce. Europe needs to ensure that the
workforce’s knowledge, skills, competences and inventiveness - including but not
limited to ICT professionals - meet the highest global standards and that they are
constantly updated in a process of effective lifelong learning.
This consensus on the importance of e-skills in Europe is in line with the work of the
European e-Skills Forum and the November 2006 report of the ICT Task Force, the
European Commission’s September 2007 Communication on “e-Skills for the 21st
Century: Fostering Competitiveness, Growth and Jobs”, and the November 2007
Competitiveness Council Conclusions on “A Long-Term Strategy for e-Skills”.
2 e-Inclusion and Digital Literacy
Digital literacy is the skills required to achieve digital competence, the confident and
critical use of ICT for work, leisure, learning and communication. Digital literacy is
underpinned by basic technical use of computers and the Internet.
In response, EU Member States meeting at Riga in 2006 agreed on a series of e-
Inclusion targets, including reducing by half the gap between digital literacy levels of
disadvantaged groups and the average for the EU by 2010.
470 digital literacy initiatives across the EU were analysed together with the results
of the digital literacy. The main conclusions are:
Member States have invested in large digital literacy programmes over the
last ten years as part of their Lisbon priorities for information society and as
a result regular Internet use has grown rapidly, particularly among young
persons for who skill levels and usage rates exceed that of the USA.
Digital literacy remains a major challenge and more efforts need to be
dedicated to supporting disadvantaged groups, in particular those over 55.
There is evidence that secondary digital divides may be emerging in relation
to quality of use and more needs to be done to increase the levels of
confidence and trust in online transactions and the use of ICT for lifelong
learning for all.
Digital Literacy is one of the most important but also challenging areas to achieve an
information society for all. Despite its inclusive effects, the information society has
also created new divides. The knowledge society is becoming ubiquitous with more
everyday activities, goods and services available electronically and, increasingly,
only available online. Digital Literacy is increasingly becoming an essential life
competence and the inability to access or use ICT has effectively become a barrier to
social integration and personal development. Those without sufficient ICT skills are
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disadvantaged in the labour market and have less access to information to empower
themselves as consumers, or as citizens saving time and money in offline activities
and using online public services.
The i2010 Annual Report in 2007 found that 40% of the EU population have no
Internet skills but higher percentages are to be seen in older age groups, people
outside the labour force and those with a low level of education. Since 2000, the
European Union has stepped up its activities to improve e-Learning and to develop
skills. The e-Europe Action Plan put eLearning and e-Skills high on the political
agenda and led to the e-Learning Programme, which directly promoted Digital
Literacy. This has continued under the renewed Lisbon Agenda, which highlights
Digital Literacy as a key area for policy intervention.
The Table 1. shows the EU-27 countries in the rank of the persons, who employed
with ICT users skills. Here can be seen, Hungary 7th in the rank, so it takes clear,
why so important at first level the digital literacy and at second level the higher
knowledge of ICT. Nowadays, without these abilities is not easy to get qualified jobs
in Europe as well as Hungary.
Table 1: Percentage of persons employed with ICT user skills (EU-27) (2008)
Source (Eurostat)
Ranking Country % Ranking Country %
1. Luxembourg 29,1% 15. Cyprus 18,9%
2. United Kingdom 25,2% 16. Belgium 18,8%
3. Lithuania 23,4% 17. Germany 18,3%
4. Denmark 22,8% 18. Czech Republic 18,3%
5. Malta 22,4% 19. France 17,8%
6. Latvia 21,3% 20. Austria 17,5%
7. Hungary 20,9% 21. Spain 16,0%
8. Sweden 20,0% 22. Slovakia 15,9%
9. Finland 20,0% 23. Poland 15,4%
10. The Netherlands 20,0% 24. Greece 12,9%
11. Slovenia 19,6% 25. Bulgaria 12,1%
12. Italy 19,4% 26. Portugal 11,8%
13. Ireland 19,2% 27. Romania 9,8%
14. Estonia 18,9%
How is the Digital Literacy measured? The most obvious way to measure the digital
literacy, ask the users to evaluate their own knowledge. In the World Internet Project
evaluation (Internet1) - which made in every two years - did not find a significant
disparity between the evaluation of average internet usage knowledge and that of
computer usage. In both cases, most people thought that their knowledge is good.
Approximately every tenth person surveyed characterized their knowledge is
outstanding and in a similar proportion of users thought their knowledge is weak.
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Fig 1. Percentage of own knowledge of Computer and Internet usage
Source: (World Internet Project - 2007)
3 e-Skills in Europe
The growth of ICT has always been marked by fluctuations of activity and there
has been an element of boom and bust. It is estimated that there are 4.2 million ICT
practitioners within the EU and that approximately 180 million people are using ICT
at work (Cepis, 2007). A study on the supply and demand of e-skills (Rand Europe,
2005) over the period 1998-2004 reported an increase in the estimated number of
employed IT practitioners during this period of about 48%. After a peak in 2001 a
low point was reached in 2003. There is some evidence of a cycle, and the European
e-Skills Forum warned that significant e-skills gaps will again appear and called for
the preparation of a long-term e-skills agenda. A 2005 industry report predicted that
there would be a shortage in 2008, across Europe, of up to half a million people with
advanced networking technology skills (IDC White Paper, 2005). A sectoral survey
on e-business in 2006 reported that enterprises are anticipating skills shortfalls for
ICT practitioners, particularly in ICT strategy, security and new business solutions
(E-Business Watch Survey, 2006).
Shortages of ICT practitioner skills have been endemic due to technological
innovation and the fast growth of ICT activity in comparison with the relatively low
supply and availability of new employees and entrepreneurs with relevant
educational qualifications. This was observed in particular with the uptake of the
Internet. In response to industry pressure several Member States launched policy
initiatives in the late nineties and at EU level a conference on the e-Economy was
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organised in March 2001. The bursting of the dotcom bubble and the recession of
2001 adversely affected investment in ICT and reduced temporarily the demand for
ICT practitioners. Several industry-led initiatives were terminated while political
interest and support decreased rapidly. Now e-skills shortages are increasing. The e-
skills issue received attention from policy makers in peak times when the ICT sector
was booming but suffered a loss of interest in difficult periods. This must alter if
Europe is to anticipate and manage change effectively.
22 million (~10%)
60% of finished
unemployed in
secondary school is
Europe, end of 2009, 37% of
digitally illiterate
but 4 million jobs European people
vacancies are are digitally
illiterate
In 2010 will be
Over 65 years
~300 000 specialist
75% of people
deficit in the ICT
missing the e-Skills
sector in the EU
Fig 2. Some European data about e-Skills and digital illiteracy (Source: Eurostat)
The European e-Skills Forum identified solutions bringing added-value at EU
level, but these have so far not been implemented. For example, developing and
retaining skills required for business success is a necessity to ensure that enterprises
have employees with the right skills in the right jobs at the right time. For this
purpose, many of them are developing ICT competence catalogues, processes, tools
and strategies.
Several sources report a deterioration of the image of the ICT sector and ICT
work, which is reflected in the decline in the number of students starting ICT
courses. Adding to the concerns related to the demographic decline, young people
seem less and less interested in studying mathematics, sciences and technology, and
the gender issue still remains. There is a need to communicate better with the public,
especially young people, parents, teachers and women, and to adopt measures to
facilitate the adaptation of the workforce.
The traditional notion of literacy needs to embrace the complete set of e-skills
and media competences required in a knowledge-based economy and society.
Eurostat figure (Eurostat, 2006) indicate that 37% of the EU population has no
computer skills whatsoever and that more than 60% of people not educated beyond
lower secondary level have no basic e-skills. A lack of e-skills will prevent these
people from using e-commerce and e-government applications and participating fully
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in the information society. Furthermore, the lack of e-skills exacerbates social and
educational disadvantages, inhibiting lifelong learning and up-skilling.
4 e-skills in the Hungarian agriculture
I analysed farmers’ situation – with regard to information circulation – just in
connection with government because growers must be in contact with members of
this sector.
A sort of information systems are at work by all members in the government sector;
these systems common attribution are to collect, analyse, store, retrieve and forward
information about economic participant so help the government in decision making
(Hetyei, 2002). Several administrative studies have revealed that client associations
are primary among areas which should be converted into electronic processes. The
supplier character demands that office provides communication channel for clients in
an easily practicable way.
Many experts claim, that in the operation of public administration the use of
information technologies may cause fundamental change, because electronic
administration may evolve. Nowadays the judgement of opportunities of e-
democracy is not clear. On the one hand, one part of people regards e-democracy as
the solution of all problems on the other hand others look it as a future dream. The
main argument of oppositions is that e-administration generates digital gap in the
society due to its costly appliances (PC) and the relative high demand of knowledge
(PC and internet use) (Buday and Tózsa, 2007).
Figure 3. represents why farmers, who have own internet access, use internet
browser. In the course of browse almost everybody searches for information and at
least half of them use it in reference to market research or services of e-government
and bank.
Fig.3. The purpose of web-browsing by private farmers who have own Internet access, 2010
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With the help of my questionnaire, we can see (Figure 4.) what measure private
farmers visit web sites of government and public administration. Web sites of the
Ministry of Rural Development, Agricultural and Rural Development Agency
(ARDA) and Agricultural Administration Office (AAO) are visited because of actual
laws and regulations. On the web site of ARDA we can find training assistances
related to electronically submission of the application form.
Ministry of Rural Development 44 41 15
Agricultural and Rural Development Agency 44 41 15
Central Agricultural Office 32 41 18 9
Hungarian Central Statistical Office 9 26 65
Tax and Financial Control Administration 3 29 32 36
Customs and Excise 9 21 35 35
Government Portal 9 21 38 32
Land Parcel Identification System 12 29 24 35
Market Price Information System 15 9 21 55
Farm Accountancy Data Network 3 21 76
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
several times a week several times a month
annual ad hoc frequency not visiting
Fig.4. Attendance of web sites of government and public administration offices by private
farmers, 2010
On the governmental web pages located the client gate which helps for citizens to
arrange their administrative, official proceedings and attain services related to them.
After registration online users are able to use electronic governmental services with
the help of client gate.
The cause of less attendance of Market Price Information System may be that
respondents are mainly plant growers. But the system is much more important and
useful those farmers who produce fresh, easily deteriorating foods (e.g. fruit, milk,
egg, meat) so the measure of attendance is higher by them.
5 “e-Migrations” in Europe
The development and recognition of citizens' knowledge, skills and competence are
crucial for the development of individuals, competitiveness, employment and social
cohesion in the Community. Such development and recognition should facilitate
transnational mobility for workers and learners and contribute to meeting the
requirements of supply and demand in the European labour market. Access to and
participation in lifelong learning for all, including disadvantaged people, and the use
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of qualifications should therefore be promoted and improved at national and
Community level.
The Lisbon European Council in 2000 concluded that increased transparency of
qualifications should be one of the main components necessary to adapt education
and training systems in the Community to the demands of the knowledge society.
The Council Resolution of June 2002 on lifelong learning invited the Commission, in
close cooperation with the Council and Member States, to develop a framework for
the recognition of qualifications for both education and training, building on the
achievements of the Bologna process and promoting similar action in the area of
vocational training.
The objective of the directive of 2005 of the European Parliament is to create a
common reference framework which should serve as a translation device between
different qualifications systems and their levels, whether for general and higher
education (Dill, 2010) or for vocational education and training. This will improve the
transparency, comparability and portability of citizens' qualifications issued in
accordance with the practice in the different Member States. Each level of
qualification should, in principle, be attainable by way of a variety of educational and
career paths. The European Qualifications Framework (Young, 2010) should,
moreover, enable international sectoral organisations to relate their qualifications
systems to a common European reference point and thus show the relationship
between international sectoral qualifications and national qualifications systems. This
recommendation therefore contributes to the wider objectives of promoting lifelong
learning and increasing the employability, mobility and social integration of workers
and learners. Transparent quality assurance principles and information exchange will
support its implementation, by helping to build mutual trust.
6 Projects relating to e-abilities
We are taking part two European projects. One of them is the Socrates Grundtvig
program (NODES) with 6 partners, which deals with adult training / lifelong learning
in order to facilitate competitiveness, employability and mobility of adults who are
victims of the digital divide, the second one is the ImpAQ, where process in the
Lifelong Learning Transversal Program with 9 partners, which deals with definition
of EQF for the Agricultural sector.
6.1 NODES
They are taking part 6 countries in the Socrates Grundtvig project. The NODES
project aims at promoting the use, in adult training / lifelong learning, of multimedia
knowledge, in order to facilitate competitiveness, employability and mobility of
adults who are victims of the digital divide or of some of its components such as
distance, initial level of knowledge, language and use of complex technologies.
There are three target groups: the people victims of physical and sensorial handicaps,
the victims of digital divides and/or of a social handicap, the rural inhabitants
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(distance handicap). Lots of these people often have several handicaps: geographical
and social isolation, handicap and digital divide. This is why the NODES device
proposes to reach these target groups through the intermediary institutions and their
networks. Each partner-country will associate one specific test group, for whom the
follow up will be integrated to the project.
One type of the target groups of the NODES project is group of farmers who are
living in rural areas. They are victim of digital gap because of lack of knowledge in
using computers and lack of broad band Internet connection. 32 percent of farmers
has computer and 28% of farmers use the Internet in Hungary. This rate is very low
compare to other sectors. That is why the Hungarian National Rural Development
Plan for 2007-2013 periods contains actions for developing the computer usage skills
and developing Internet accessibility in rural areas and developing extension services
and activity. In the NODES project we would like to create an open system for e-
Learning and provide training for using this technology and provide a service for
content development and distribution for farmers.
In the framework of the National Rural Development Plan 2004-2006 carried out 400
consultants for public-benefit advisory tasks. From among the civil servants of the
Ministry’s Agricultural Offices in the counties the village agri-economist experts
(650) – related to their public administration tasks, also supply farmers with general
information and advice. The aim is to increase the number of farmers making use of
the special advisory services by 35.000 in the years between 2007 and 2013.
Relating to this aims the Hungarian partner of NODES project organized NODES
training for village agri-economist experts. The numbers of participants were 21
village agri-economist experts from Hajdú-Bihar county (neighbourhood of
Debrecen). It is important, because they can be potentially tutors of the farmers.
Their tasks are the training of the farmers by distance learning using the modern
information and communication technology (e -Learning).
6.2 ImpAQ project
Qualifications of agricultural sector in EU have a common base but show significant
geographical characteristics, reflected in the composition of the Learning outcomes
and hence in their comparability, that could result partly critical. ImpAQ project
considers these qualifications by identifying/analyzing the main specific issues to be
addressed for relating them to the EQF and providing solutions, according to the best
fit criterion.
Sample Qualifications Inventory describes the qualifications issued in the partner
countries, related to the EQF levels through the analysis of their Learning outcomes
which will help understand what the quota of common Learning outcomes is for the
Qualifications comparable at the same level and the quota of specific Learning
outcomes related to territorial specific features.
Range of issues and scenarios of possible solutions organized on different pillars of
analysis: referencing process, quality assurance, recognition of non-formal/informal
learning, recognition of credits, etc.
The project impact concerns the implementation of EU qualifications comparison in
agricultural sector with the Learning outcomes approach to contribute to gain the
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EQF goals. The increased comparability/portability of qualifications will bear a
consistent interpretation/approval across systems, sectors, countries. In a long term
the VET actors involved in the certifications could consider these criteria to promote
qualifications more and more comparable at EU level. Besides, if the EU
Qualifications/Inventory of Agriculture at sectoral level turns out to be the best way
to describe comparable qualifications, this process will be started at institutional/EU
level. EU citizens also benefit from the project: promotion of students/workers
mobility thanks to EU shared qualifications; recognition/validation of
informal/nonformal learning.
6.2.1 Aims and objectives of the project
ImpAQ aims to compare the Qualifications related to the Agricultural sector, by
identifying and analyzing the main issues to be addressed with the purpose of
connecting them to the EQF and focusing on the best resolving approaches,
following the "best fit" criterion. ImpAQ specific objectives are:
Make a comparative analysis of the use of the Learning Outcomes approach
to describe the agriculture related Qualifications issued in the partner
countries. The partners adopting the research hypothesis and the defined
investigation model will carry out an analysis of their own national context
and will compare the results, verifying the presence or absence of quota of
comparable Learning outcomes units.
Develop guidelines to implement the referencing process by comparing the
results of the envisaged comparison/ in use in the respective countries and
those reached by using only the Learning Outcome - Learning outcomes
approach.
Indicate applicative hypothesis of the different models of the macroscopic,
microscopic (in function of the country’s having or not a NQF) (Figure 5.)
or combined referencing process confronting the problems and the adopted
solutions for the management of the two processes.
Establish guidelines to increase the coherence of the Qualifications Systems
(regional, national and sectorial) by using the best practices analyzed.
Establish guidelines to coherently achieve the referencing at different levels,
in function of the present contextual characteristics, by involving the
different target groups of the partner countries.
Produce a synthesis framework which collects precise indications regarding
the characteristics of the created NQF and the related construction process,
and which specifies operational indications to be submitted to the competent
Authorities in the partner countries.
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Fig 5. Referencing National Qualifications Frameworks (NQF) to the EQF
(Source: EQF Newsletter (April 2010)
The used acronyms are the followings in the Figure 5:
NQF: National Qualifications Framework
NQS: National Qualifications System
EQF: European National Qualifications Framework
Our aims to compare the Qualifications related to the Agricultural sector, by
identifying and analyzing the main issues to be addressed with the purpose of
connecting them to the EQF and focusing on the best resolving approaches following
the "best fit" criterion.
Conclusion
The 35 percents of EU total population uses the advanced Internet services. This rate
is very low and has to increase in the next years, because the employed person needs
ICT user skills. The digital literacy knowledge getting is very important. Taking part
in organized courses and training can be helped to increase the digital literacy and
ICT users’ skills. Nowadays, the importance of e-skills and e-learning is growing
rapidly, partly due to the information and communication technologies in the
information / knowledge-based society to evolve. The aim is to enable the knowledge
and skills to help the individual can be an active member of society, teamwork,
motivation and possess the skills necessary to find place in the labour market.
We are taking part a Lifelong Learning Transversal Program with 9 partners, which
deals with definition of EQF for the Agricultural sector. The name of this project is:
Implement Agriculture Qualification (ImpAQ). This is not easy task, because the
agriculture includes several sectors.
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ImpAQ aims to compare the Qualifications related to the Agricultural sector, by
identifying and analyzing the main issues to be addressed with the purpose of
connecting them to the EQF and focusing on the best resolving approaches following
the "best fit" criterion.
Earlier work in this area was the NODES project in the Socrates Grundtvig program.
Acknowledgement
This paper supported by the ImpAQ Project. The project has been funded with the
support of the European Commission. Project Number: 167173-LLP-1-2009-1-IT-
KA1-KA1EQF.
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