CFAs: European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies

The Commission has set ambitious targets in the Digital Decade Policy Programme of reaching 20 million ICT professionals employed in Europe, while promoting access of women to this field, by 2030. Effective collaboration among stakeholders in advanced digital skills is crucial for this investment to bear fruit and to reach the Digital Decade target. An umbrella action at European level, the European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies, will spearhead this effort by federating existing sectoral initiatives (e.g. the Cybersecurity Skills Academy and the EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy), the newly created sectoral digital skills academies (see topic 4.1 of the DEP Work Programme 2025-2027) and other EU-funded projects focusing on advanced digital skills (notably the DIGITAL-funded higher (specialised) education programmes), fostering synergies with related initiatives like the Digital Largescale Partnership under the New Pact for Skills and the European Digital Education Hub. It will leverage platforms such as the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to create a cohesive ecosystem. ELEVATE’s vision is to empower stakeholders through coordination, capacity building, communication, and market analysis, driving collective achievement in advanced digital skills.

A special emphasis of the League will be on the development and piloting of a mechanism to provide a seal of quality/accreditation of excellence for training modules offered by existing or upcoming sectoral academies and initiatives. The total available budget for this initiative is EUR 7,200,000. Initiatives such as the Cybersecurity Skills Academy and the four academies under the DEP Work Programme 2025–2027 tackle the shortage of ICT specialists in specific areas, highlighting critical issues. The League aims to enhance coordination and collaboration among sectoral initiatives and projects, fostering synergies and a collective approach to minimize fragmentation risks.

The European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies will be structured around four pillars. Coordination and collaboration among sectoral academies, sectoral initiatives, and individual projects in advanced digital skills will aim to pool resources and expertise. Using the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, this effort will lead to improved sharing of information and best practices, enhanced stakeholder collaboration, unified advocacy for systemic improvements, and strengthened networking and community building.

Capacity building activities will complement the training offer of the sectoral academies and initiatives through cross-sectoral mentoring programmes. The League will help develop a framework for certifying modular learning credentials and support implementation in alignment with the Council Recommendation on a European approach to micro-credentials. Collaboration with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform will provide access to diverse learning materials, matchmaking tools, and connections with the Data Space for Skills to promote community engagement and practical use cases.

Communication and awareness efforts will boost the visibility and credibility of ICT career paths and promote European advanced digital skills competitions. Cooperation with Member States and industry will further enhance public engagement in advanced digital skills. Market analysis and impact assessment will leverage the League’s extensive network to provide deeper insights into education and training offers, their alignment with labour market needs, and gaps not covered by other studies. A seal of quality/accreditation of excellence developed and piloted by the European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies for training modules offered by existing or upcoming sectoral academies and initiatives; Capacity building activities such as cross-sectoral mentoring programmes;

Collaboration established with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform and learning resources and material provided to the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform catalogue/repository by adding resources/material in the area of advanced digital skills developed by the sectoral academies/initiatives and other EU-funded projects in the area of advanced digital skills (notably the DEP-funded specialised education programmes); A sustainable multi-stakeholder governance structure, fully aligned to the existing and upcoming sectoral academies/initiatives and other initiatives funded by the EU; Networking activities and events to enhance stakeholder collaboration and strengthen community building by creating a community of practice in the area of advanced digital skills and by sharing best practices;

Communication, dissemination and outreach activities carried out supporting the four pillars of activities described under scope; Detailed market analyses and impact assessments, providing further insights into the existing education and training offers and related gaps in the area of advanced digital skills (not sufficiently covered by other studies) and foresight studies provided in close collaboration with the selected proposal of the call DIGITAL-2023-SKILLS-05-SPECIAL-PROGEDU – Advanced digital skills analysis and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.

Eligible participants must be legal entities, either public or private bodies, established in one of the eligible countries. These include EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories (OCTs), as well as non-EU countries (except for topics with restrictions), such as listed EEA countries and countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities are required to register in the Participant Register before submitting their proposals and will need to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For validation purposes, applicants must upload documents demonstrating their legal status and origin. Eligible applicants include public or private legal entities established in EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories, and non-EU countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme.

For more information, visit European Commission.