Created in 2016 to give visibility and encourage sharing experiences and ideas on how to equip Europeans with digital skills at all levels, the awards are organised by the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform of the European Commission in collaboration with the National Skills and Jobs Coalition.
EDSA23 aims to reward projects and initiatives that are helping bridge the digital gap in 5 separate categories:
- Empowering Youth in Digital (i.e. projects to attract the younger public to ICT professions, media literacy initiatives for the younger public, emerging technologies courses for the younger public, hackathons etc)
- Digital Upskilling @ Work (i.e digital upskilling and reskilling initiatives in various sectors, facilitation of job placement of ICT professionals of all levels)
- Digital Skills for Education (i.e projects specifically aimed at digital upskilling for teachers and/or students and school administrations)
- Inclusion in the Digital World (i.e digital training and media literacy initiatives for the elderly, unemployed, vulnerable groups, accessibility)
- Women in ICT Careers (i.e projects specifically aimed at increasing the number of women ICT professionals or for the digital upskilling of women in the workforce or younger women in ICT)
Each project or initiative can be presented in only of the 5 categories, and applicants will be able to detail who are their target publics and what impact they are having on the digital skills gap in their specific area of action. Among the criteria for a successful application are the innovative character of the project, the communication activities implemented to maximise reach, the attention to the sustainability and scalability of the project, but also the measures taken to ensure the inclusion of people of all abilities and of all social and cultural backgrounds.
Applications will close on 8 April 2023: the finalists will be announced at the end of May and the winners during the month of June. A jury of experts at European level will ensure the selection of the most significant projects.
For more information on EDSA23 you can visit the dedicated page and learn who can apply and how.
Source: European Commission | News (https://bit.ly/3IvjKa5)