If you’re struggling to find people with the right digital skills, you’re not alone. At the start of the European Year of Skills 2023 (an initiative focused on promoting the upskilling and reskilling of individuals to support innovation and competitiveness in companies), the European Commission announced that 77% of EU organizations reported difficulties in finding skilled workers.
The European Commission also said that 4 in 10 European adults, including a third of those currently employed, lack basic digital competencies, which many businesses have long known. It was confirmed. The number of people with advanced digital skills (just 26% of adults between the ages of 16 and her 74) is even more troubling.
There is no doubt that digital is revolutionizing society, business and the economy, but we have a skills gap that threatens to keep us from doing so. Strong technological prowess, more than ever, is key to economic growth and social development as well as individual success in the workplace.
This is not just a European problem. The OECD reports low participation rates everywhere due to the cost, relevance and quality of training. Barriers and limited investment in lifelong learning have slowed efforts to close the gap. That is why the European Commission’s efforts to break down these barriers, as well as its target of 80% of EU adults having basic digital skills and 20 million people employed as ICT specialists by 2030, It is very welcome.
But it’s also important that the tech industry is proactive in addressing this issue. Tech companies should partner with local governments and educational institutions to encourage more people to take advantage of digital training and upskilling opportunities. After all, this is our area of expertise and we have a good understanding of what skills are needed now and what will be needed in the future.
Goals for 2030
At VMware, our commitment to closing the skills gap and making digital transformation more accessible to all is encapsulated in the 2030 Agenda, our program to build a more sustainable, equitable and secure future. . Our commitment to equity is to create an accessible, inclusive and equitable future for all, and closing the digital skills gap is an important part of that.
Our goal is to help more than 15 million people around the world acquire the digital skills they need by 2030. We believe public-private partnerships are essential to democratize access to digital skills and achieve this at scale. Through these partnerships, you can advance your skills in key areas such as cloud computing, application modernization, data center virtualization, end-user computing, networking and security. All of these are essential for mastering important technologies such as cloud, mobile, IoT and AI.
As part of our role in bridging the skills gap, we are targeting people who are already working or looking for a job (VMware Learning) and students at high schools, community colleges, vocational schools, and universities (VMware IT Academy) I have developed a specific program. ).
VMware learning
As part of the VMware Learning Program, we help individuals develop their IT skills through VMware Authorized Training Center (VATC) partners. Working with these partners and government agencies allows us to provide the latest training, resources, and upskilling opportunities to help individuals and their employers acquire the cloud-smart skills they need.
Together, we’ve designed courses and programs that help people succeed in today’s workplace and earn industry-recognized VMware certifications. Our learning partners provide the language support, local schedules and local instructors you need to increase your success rate.
For example, we developed the program in collaboration with Continuing Education specialists at ExperTeach in Frankfurt, Germany. ExpertTeach offers his VMware certification training courses aligned with VMware certifications. Examples include the VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization 2023 (VCP-DCV), which validates a candidate’s skills on VMware vSphere infrastructure that can accelerate their transformation to cloud computing, and the Accelerate Your Transformation to Cloud Computing VMware Certified Professional – VMware Cloud 2023 (VCP-VMC), etc. Validate if the user can connect and migrate to her VMware Cloud solution.
We have helped ExpertTeach to be accredited by the German Accreditation and Licensing Ordinance for Employment Promotion (AZAV). AZAV’s approval means that the student can be eligible for funding from the Federal Employment Agency and for job seekers he can AZAV reimburse her VMware training courses in full. This is very important. As a result of the financial grants provided by this new government program, ExpertTeach will be able to help more people earn her VMware certification, improve their employability and make the companies they work for more competitive. can.
Similarly, in France, we have established VATC partners like Atlas, a National Authorized Skills Operator (OPCO) to support vocational training. Atlas works with over 100,000 of his companies, including micro-businesses and SMEs, broadening our reach and in-house cloud and virtualization skills that more businesses need to succeed in the digital economy. can be developed.
VMware IT Academy
We run VMware IT Academy in EMEA and around the world, working with government agencies, industry partners, educational institutions and community organizations. Together, we provide students with the opportunity for quality learning certifications and hands-on lab experiences using VMware technology. VMware provides free curriculum and materials with the goal of helping a student understand VMware technologies and launch his software career.
In 2022, through the VMware IT Academy, we partnered with 608 European academies to make over €25 million in-kind donations to European education. It’s all about a supportive, anywhere learning environment that helps more students start learning, build foundational skills, and earn industry-recognized certifications. We are building a diverse pipeline of talent and potential leaders to address the digital talent shortage and drive positive change around the world.
As part of this programme, we made a public commitment to provide access to academic resources to all EU accredited academic institutions, research centers and non-profits, making a direct contribution to reducing the digital skills gap in Europe. .
more than certification
Now is the time to bridge the gap between good intentions and decisive action. We know that companies are looking for the types of certifications VMware offers when hiring employees for today’s high-demand, high-paying IT jobs.
But there’s something bigger going on here, too. We believe that working to upskill people means recognizing that the world around us is changing. With the right digital skills, people can adapt to new situations. They can influence, participate in, and lead change in the direction they choose. And the power of great technologies such as cloud, AI, ML and digitization is no longer just an abstract concept imposed on the people, but as a source of better jobs, better quality of life and greater security in the future. can be recognized.
For more information, visit VMware Learning and VMware IT Academy.
