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e-Skills Website

Watch this video to learn more from key stakeholders on the European e-skills strategy, its implementation and the next steps.

1st Expert working group meeting in London

December 2006 - The first expert meeting in London was the completion of the methodological pre-phase and at the same time the kick-off for a set of EWG meetings to be held during 2007/08.

The most important aims were

to set up a European expert community
to create a common understanding of the framework content and objectives.

Based on previous research work conducted in 2006, the experts, over two days, compared and analysed the specific characteristics and benefits of existing frameworks and definitions, in order to agree on a pragmatic and common approach on how to define competence at a European level. In addition the experts made proposals on how the structure of the forthcoming e-Competence framework should look.

The expert outcomes of the London meeting can be downloaded here.

2nd Expert working group meeting in Milan

May 2007 - The Milan expert meeting was the first meeting in the CEN co-financed phase. It was conducted over three-days, enabling the CEN experts to discuss content to be shared and enhanced by the larger experts working group (EWG).

The main aims were

to consolidate the London outcomes achieved on competence definition and framework structure
to decide on how to identify relevant ICT competence areas and competences, how to describe them and how to define and assign the competence levels.

The competence levels should be compliant with the EQF, but appropriate for an industry-applied competence framework. To demonstrate a working model, a first example of competence definition was commenced and completed although considered as work in progress.

Organised in three sub-groups and continuing their work post meeting by mail and phone, the experts provided important results which provided the elements needed for the guideline "European e-Competence Framework development": Decisions were taken and definitions elaborated about ICT knowledge areas and ICT processes and the way to use them for identifying ICT competence areas and competences. An additional outcome was the establishment of a scheme for level assignment.

3d Expert working group meeting in Paris

October 2007 - The Paris expert meeting was conducted over three-days, enabling the CEN experts to discuss content to be shared and enhanced by the larger experts working group (EWG).

The main aims were

to consolidate the outcomes achieved so far, summarised in the Guideline "Towards a European e-Competence Framework - a guideline for its development"
to identify and agree on main ICT competence areas and their related ICT core competences.

Additionally, decisions were made about practical ways and division of tasks for the operational work on competence descriptions and the testing phase.

The initial presentation of the Paris meeting provides an overview on progress achieved by October 2007 and can be downloaded here.

4th Expert working group meeting in London

February 2008 - A 3 day London meeting enabled CEN experts to discuss content that was subsequently shared and enhanced by a larger expert working group (EWG). The main aims were to achieve further agreement and consolidated results on:

the overall structure of the framework
construction of example competence descriptions to be used for guidance in elaborating competence articulation within the entire framework

The main outcomes were

an agreed structure for the forthcoming European e-Competence Framework. Its four categories will be specified as follows:
1. ICT areas (plan - build - run - enable - manage)
2. a number of e-Competences per ICT area with a generic description for each competence (providing the EU reference definitions)
3. level-specific descriptors for each applicable competence (providing reference level definitions)
4. knowledge and skills (non exhaustive)
a draft consolidated list of e-competences needed and applied in the workplace: 32 competences in 5 areas
Competence descriptor exemplars which could be used as orientation for further elaboration of competence descriptions by the European ICT and HR experts involved.

Final Expert working group meeting in Berlin

May 2008 - The final 3 day expert meeting in Berlin enabled CEN experts and the larger expert working group (EWG) to agree on the draft European e-Competence Framework version 1.0, to be further discussed in the CEN Workshop Community and beyond. The main aims were to achieve experts' final agreement and consolidated results on:

the number, titles, contents and proficiency levels of e-competences identified for each area
concrete input and guidance for the application of the European e-Competence Framework by ICT sector players