Ministry for Technological Innovation and Digitalisation,

Promoting digital skills for the Italian economy and society. The Italian National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs was launched on 8 April 2020 by the Ministry for Technological Innovation and Digitalisation. The Coalition builds on the experience gathered by ‘Repubblica Digitale’, a multi-stakeholder initiative, targeting digital skills on all levels of the Italian society and economy. The Italian Coalition aims to address challenges in the digital ecosystem in Italy, such as gaps in digital literacy levels, skills shortages, and obsolete workforce competences, and support the sustainable digital transformation of the Italian business sector. Another objective of the Coalition is to identify and engage a wide range of stakeholders in order to facilitate cultural change and upskilling at all levels and thereby create favourable conditions for digitalisation of processes and services and a competent workforce. The initiative brings together several Italian ministeries on its coordination board: Education, Work and Welfare, Economic Development, University and Research, with more than 90 organisations from businesses, public administration institutions, and NGOs already on board. The Coalition’s aim is to foster long-term digital inclusion and promote the skills needed for work in the future. To achieve this, the Coalition will: – Provide citizens of all ages with learning and self-assessment and development tools and help them understand how to use digital technology in a secure and responsible way. – Launch new training, upskilling and reskilling initiatives and improve the Italian training opportunities landscape. – Promote the development of skills for digital and emerging technologies through collaborative projects and workshops together with universities, research centres and businesses in the ICT sector. – Raise awareness of the need for new skills and the importance of digital skills on all levels via the Italian national broadcasting network, as well as events and an annual competition for innovative projects.