ProInternet launches a new network of key players in the area of e-Jobs

The Pro-Internet (PIN) project aims at creating a network of key players in the area of e-Jobs and Internet-related jobs converging around a web 2.0 platform: the e-Jobs Observatory.

Through its activities, PIN hopes to contribute improving the employability of job seekers, reducing the e-skills shortages on the EU labour market, improving the quality of Vocational Education & Training (VET) in the field of e-Jobs and making VET more transparent and comparable at European level.

PIN is a concrete answer to the opportunity indentified by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its 2008 ICT Report: "ICT skills are an important contribution to growth […] Over 4% of total employment is in ICT specialist occupations, over 20% in intensive ICT-using occupations.[...]". The PIN partners believe that the opportunity is even larger if one takes into account the knock-on benefits that can be reaped from training a broad section of the workforce in low/medium level ICT and media skills.

At the begining of the second decade of the 21st century, employment opportunities requiring ICT competencies are already plentiful, but vacancies are difficult to fill as qualifications do not match with the requirements of the employers...

The PIN network will contribute to addressing this challenge by fostering better interaction between key stakeholders involving:

1. industry organisations which have in-depth experience of e-Jobs and Internet-related jobs and direct access to ICT SMEs (suppliers and users of technologies);
2. VET institutions with a focus on e-Jobs and Internet-related jobs;
3. relevant public authorities and intermediary organisations.

By a contributing to a better interaction and information exchange, it is expected that all target groups addressed by the network will benefit in their various approaches of the e-Skills gap.

The network will concentrate on state of the art information sharing, notably through the e-Jobs Observatory, a targeted effort to streamline the interaction between employers (particularly SMEs) and VET providers and a number of round-tables and events to gather the various stakeholders.