Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: How CONVERT Is Reshaping Modern Employment

The Digital Skills Challenge

The rapid digital transformation of the workplace has created a pressing need for new skillsets, leaving many recent graduates and junior employees struggling to keep pace. The gap between what employers need and the skills available in the workforce is widening, threatening both individual career prospects and broader economic growth.

The CONVERT project tackles this challenge head-on by designing and delivering a flexible reskilling programme. Aimed at recent non-ICT graduates and employees with up to two years of experience, CONVERT offers short-term training modules certified through micro-credentials. These modules focus on the most in-demand digital competencies, including data analytics, programming, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), web development, cybersecurity, and data privacy.

A Flexible, Industry-Aligned Approach

CONVERT’s curriculum is shaped by thorough data collection and analysis to ensure each module aligns with current labour market demands. This data-driven strategy guarantees that participants acquire practical, job-ready skills, enhancing their employability and supporting businesses in filling emerging roles.

CONVERT’s approach to bridging the digital skills gap is both systematic and responsive to labour market needs. The project begins by mapping emerging ICT skills required at both national and EU levels, using comprehensive research, surveys, and stakeholder consultations to identify the most in-demand digital competencies.

Building on this analysis, CONVERT develops a set of specialised ICT skills that reflect the latest trends in areas such as data analytics, programming, AI, IoT, web development, cybersecurity, and data privacy.

With this foundation, the team designs a targeted training outline and curriculum, ensuring that the content is directly aligned with employer expectations and industry standards. The training modules are then developed and delivered through flexible, short-term courses, certified with micro-credentials to validate participants’ new skills.

Looking Ahead: A Blueprint for Digital Reskilling

As digitalisation continues to reshape the labour market, CONVERT stands out as a model for effective, ethical, and impactful reskilling. By bridging the digital skills gap, the project empowers individuals to thrive in the digital economy and helps employers build the workforce they need for the future.

The overarching goal for CONVERT is to provide impact and influence:

• Increased attractiveness of lifelong learning via reskilling and upskilling opportunities, leading to continued career growth and advancement for learners.
• Increased representation of women in tech-related professions.
• Improved employment rate in general and, in particular, ICT specialists in the EU.
• Acceleration of the digital transformation of SMEs and the digital transition across the EU, contributing to the usage of advanced technologies in EU companies, including Cloud, AI, and Big Data.
• Increased economic growth and competitiveness at the EU level by building a more resilient workforce that is equipped to improve productivity and adapt to technological changes.
• Technological advancements and innovations across sectors that can benefit society as a whole, such as healthcare, transportation, and education.

Conclusion

What sets CONVERT apart is its commitment to flexibility and relevance. By offering modular, certified training, the programme allows participants to quickly gain skills that employer needs. This approach not only makes digital careers more accessible but also helps businesses accelerate their digital transition by upskilling their workforce in areas critical for modern operations.

CONVERT is more than a training programme - it’s a catalyst for change, equipping the next generation of professionals with the digital skills that will define tomorrow’s jobs.