European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, has announced the need for new measures in ICT education across Europe, in the hope that better education will enable young people to fill more jobs in the industry.
In a speech at Telefonica's Millennials summit in Brussels, Kroes said she had asked her advisers - "some bright minds from across Europe" - what the "younger generation" now requires to succeed in IT, and the "the first thing they [said was] education. Education: that's where it starts".
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Kroes said she will be expanding on her ideas next week via a joint announcement with European Commissioner for Education Androulla Vassiliou, when they will "unveil some proposals to open up education in Europe".
"There are loads of jobs in the digital sector; more than can be filled at the moment. Jobs just waiting for the next generation with the right digital skills. Ensuring we fill them will be good for our workforce, and good for our economy," Kroes said.
But Kroes said she was not just talking about "safe jobs in big companies", stressing the importance of innovation, and the "low costs" and "low barriers of entry" for innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe.
Kroes said it is important to "get kids hooked" on learning the right IT skills, and to nurture "those innovators who can... create jobs".
"We have the tools, we have the technology, we definitely have the talent," concluded Kroes.
"And in a connected continent, there is no limit to our ambitions."
Can Neelie Kroes hope to introduce measures that will make a genuine difference to a Europe-wide education system? Will they fit in with the UK's slowly improving measures and policies, with computing now an active part of the national curriculum? Please add your comments below.
