Role Profiles for e-Learning professions on-line

As a results of the Lifelong Learning Project eVirtue, six e-Learning role profiles have been identified and referred to the European Qualifications Framework and the e-Competence Framework, for uniform application in the EU. The profiles are: 

1. e-Learning Architect
2. e-Learning Content Developer (one part of a broader teaching/training role)
3. e-Learning Content Developer (full-time specialist)
4. e-Learning Curriculum designer
5. Online Tutor
6. Virtual Classroom Facilitator

The definition of competences and skills will help Vocational Training Organisation to adapt their curricula to market needs, which will lead to better skilled persons that can bridge the skills gap in digital professions. 

For more information, visit e-Learning focus area or contact us

Results of the first European Business Forum on Vocational Training

The first European Business Forum on Vocational Training took place on 7 and 8 June in Brussels. It was focused on "challenges and trends in skills and career development of the European workforce".

The closing panels debated challenges and the way ahead for policy making putting emphasis on more permeability between the education sectors, flexible learning provision, entrepreneurship, up-skilling of low skilled people quality assurance aspects.

More information on the results of the first European Business Forum on Vocational Training

Key Enabling Technologies to boost European growth in jobs

The European Commission has today called for a European effort to boost Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). The global market in KETs, which comprises micro- and nanoelectronics, advanced materials, industrial biotechnology, photonics, nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing systems, is forecast to grow from € 646 Billion to over € 1 Trio by 2015.

Rapid growth in jobs is expected, too. In nanotechnology industries alone, the number of jobs in the EU is expected to increase from 160,000 in 2008, to around 400,000 by 2015. The European Commission tabled its strategy today to boost the industrial production of KETs-based products, e.g. innovative products and applications of the future. The strategy aims to keep pace with the EU’s main international competitors, restore growth in Europe and create jobs in industry, at the same time addressing today's burning societal challenges. As a matter of fact, Europe is a global leader in KETs research and development with a global share in patent applications of more than 30%. Despite this, the EU is not translating its dominant R&D base into the production of goods and services needed to stimulate growth and jobs. This is why the Commission calls for a European effort to boost KETS.

More information about the Key Enabling Technologies

The Official Portal of French Government underlines the e-Jobs Observatory profiles

The Official Portal of Internet-related jobs of the French Government (Le Portail des Métiers de l'Internet) has just wrote an article in French that underlines the initiative of eJobs Observatory Platform. It is about the 10 ejob profiles, the way of validation and the recommendations the Observatory has made.

More information about the full article on Le Portail des Métiers de l'Internet

Engouement pour la conférence "Les Croisements Numériques"

La Conférence du 22 mai 2012 "Les Croisements Numériques" a réuni à Bordeaux plus de 150 participants. Un engouement à la hauteur d’un secteur en pleine expansion ...en Europe et dans l’agglomération bordelaise.

5 profils de postes, élaborés selon le Cadre Européen d’e-Compétences, ont été mis en avant :

• Responsable de communauté en ligne (Community Manager)

• Responsable Web marketing

• Vendeur web

• Ergonomiste web

• Opérateur de ligne directe internet

« Les recruteurs s’intéressent aux écoles d’où proviennent les candidats. Cependant, très peu d’écoles présentent avec précision leurs formations. Le candidat ne doit pas faire l’impasse sur la culture générale. Elle génère des dispositions et oriente la manière de jauger une situation. Les femmes bien qu’elles soient encore peu nombreuses dans ces métiers ont l’avantage d’avoir un soucis du détail indispensable à la bonne réalisation de projets numériques ». François Adoue - Responsable français de l’Observatoire Européen des Métiers de l’Internet.

Plus d'information à propos du déroulement de la Conférence sur le site La Maison de l'Emploi de Bordeaux.

Pan-European Forum on Media Pluralism and New Media

The new media revolution seems to have overturned many old certainties. But is the technological change matched by fundamental shifts of power and influence, or will the traditional big players continue to wield vast influence? Do the new media contribute to, or undermine, a pluralistic public sphere? Do new technologies overcome bottlenecks related to traditional media – do they create new information gatekeepers? The event will offer a forum to discuss opportunities and risks for media pluralism resulting from new media. It takes place in the European Parliament and will bring together politicians, traditional and new media, academics, NGOs, judges and leaders from the music, film and book industries. Deadline for registration is 12 June.

The event will focus on media diversity with an emphasis on the new media:

-  Does the new media contribute to, or undermine, a pluralistic public sphere?

- Do new technologies overcome bottlenecks related to traditional media or do they create new information gatekeepers?

- Should existing media ownership regulations for traditional media be relaxed, or extended to new media?

- How have industries, such as music, books and film, faced the challenges presented by the new media?

- Is there a need for diversity obligations on online on-demand media and can they be imposed?

- Should the EU take an initiative in ownership regulation in this era of globalization?

- How do we assess the role of publicly funded media, specifically public service broadcasters (PSBs), but also, where relevant, subsidized press and online operations?

Brussels Hemicycle Debating Chamber, Place du Luxembourg/Luxembourg station

27 June 2012, 09.30-18.00

More information about this event

EQF iServe Final Conference held in Bordeaux

The Final Conference of EQF iServe has been held in Bordeaux on 22 May 2012, in cooperation with Emploi-Bordeaux. With more than 160 stakeholders in the audience – policy-makers, training institutions, companies and students – the event exceeded all expectations. A key note speech by the Director of Emploi-Bordeaux, Gilles de Wavrechin, emphasised the importance of digital professions for the labour market. Moderated by François Adoue, Director of the Observatoire international des metier de l’Internet, Adriana Baer, coordinator of the iServe project, gave an overview of the project while Philippe Wacker, EMF, and Ed Mahood, DEKRA, presented the job profiles and training guidelines. 

A Round Table of ICT representatives discussed “e-Jobs” while the general public was involved through life twits on the screen. In short: the importance of digital competences at all levels has been confirmed but the increased need for transversal skills –often soft skills or entrepreneurial skills – makes training more complex in the future.

More information about the jobs profiles presented at the Final Conference of EQF iServe.

More tweets about the conference : #ejobs

Shortage of ICT workers in many European companies

Europe is facing an “alarming” unemployment level and paradoxically, a shortage of information and communications technology workers. Despite of the crisis, employers are actively looking for technologically proficient workers who also have “soft” business skills and specialized knowledge in areas such as digital media. Recruitment agencies identified this new trend : "Since Mai 2011, the number of job offers posted in our category 'ICT/Software Development' has reached the highest level from 18 months", Hugo Stienstra, Monster Benelux.

ICT skills are critical to the global competitiveness of the European economy and Neelie Kroes, VIce-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, has already underlined the importance of sustaining growth in the technology-driven markets of the future. Many workers are increasingly thinking of turning their back on a career in ICT, which requires that educators, employers, government and recruiters act together to deliver an attractive and accessible career pathway.

In according to this need, the e-Jobs Observatory aims at creating a central point of reference for all activities related to research, training, qualifications, standards, norms, certificates and employment in the field of e-Jobs in Europe. We invite you to check out the e-jobs descriptions and provide comments to the authors.

More informations about e-Jobs Observatory.

Source : Inside digital media, 2011 Oct.

Help us shaping European qualification profiles for jobs in the field of Internet-related services

The EQF-iServe project aims at making qualifications and current competence needs of internet-related services jobs roles transparent at European level by linking them to the European reference framework e-Competence Framework and EQF. The project partnership focused on 5 job roles in the field of internet related services and elaborated the following 5 European Specialist Profiles: Usability specialist, Internet Hotline Operator, Online community manager, Web marketer and Web seller.

Now we would like to validate the results obtained within our project by getting your feedback on those European Specialist Profiles!. If you are interested please fill in this questionnaire and hep us shaping the job profiles.

Eqf iserve jobs-descriptions

These five profiles include all relevant knowledge, skills and competences, needed for the proposed job profiles and refer them to the eCompetence framework and EQF. This will help to render existing qualifications in this field more transparent and comparable at European level which eventually will lead to easier employability of job seekers, and to overcome the skills shortage that SMEs experience in this area.

Furthermore, EQF-iServe supports training organizations to develop training curricula that correspond to the market needs and that are based on emerging knowledge, skills and competences description standards that guarantee comparability across Europe. In trying to bridge the gap between the educational world and work, it contributes to the goals set in the policy paper "New skills for new jobs".

Give your feed back on the profiles
More information on EQF-iServe
More information on e-Jobs in Europe
Download the Internet-related services profiles

The Copenhagen Declaration Launched at the e-Skills Week final event

The European e-Skills Week 2012 – a pan-European campaign backed by the European Commission - came to its conclusion last Friday, 30 March 2012, after hundreds of exciting events and activities delivered across thirty-six countries.

As a result, the partners and stakeholders in European e-Skills Week have produced the e-Skills Copenhagen Declaration, which supports the objectives of the 2007 Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions and is a complement to the e-Skills Manifesto.

The Copenhagen Declaration has received the endorsement of thirty eight organisations, and many more will join in supporting the implementation of a grass roots activities to deliver competiveness, productivity and growth to Europe, through a strong commitment to ensuring that all European citizens are equipped to work and participate in the digital economy of the 21st century.

The Declaration is a complement to the latest version of e-Skills Manifesto, which will be published in fully in June 2012 – an interactive version of the Manifesto may be found on line for comment.

Download the Copenhagen Declaration

European e-Skills Week final event, 30 March 2012, Copenhagen

e-Jobs Observatory representants will attend the closing event of the European e-Skills Week 2012 on 30 March in Copenhage. The event will highlight and reward best e-Skills practice observed throughout the campaign and present recommendations to ensure the sustainability of the event. Special attention will be paid to the impact of skills on productivity and growth and on innovation ability.

Venue:  Experimentarium
Address: Tuborg Havnevej 7, DK-2900 Hellerup, Copenhagen
Date:  30 March 2012

More information

Roundtable - "Bridging the Gap between Market Needs and Training Outcomes: Seizing the Opportunity of e-Jobs", 17 April 2012, London

The e-Jobs Observatory organises a rountable in London to explore the gap between market needs and training outcomes in Internet-related jobs. The meeting will take place on 17 April 2012 at e-Skills UK, 1 Castle Lane, London SW1E 6DR.

The roundtable aims at fostering better interaction between key stakeholders, improving the quality of Vocational Education & Training (VET) in the field of e-Jobs, improving the employability of job seekers and reducing the e-skills shortages on the EU labour market.

In addition, a proposal for a Label of Excellence and Seal of Market Compliance for e-Jobs training courses and modules will be presented to key stakeholders to obtain their valuable feedback.

The Roundtable is one of a series organised by the e-Jobs Observatory in different EU countries during the Spring of 2012.

More information and registration

e-Jobs Observatory partner international stakeholder of e-Skills week 2012

e-Jobs Observatory partner EMF, is now part of the international stakeholder network of e-Skills week 2012, together with other industry partners, education bodies and public authorities. The European e-Skills Week 2012 is a European campaign focused on showing people how to get jobs through e-skills in the digital age. Building on the success of e-Skills Week 2010, the DG for Enterprise and Industry has again teamed up with DIGITAL EUROPE and European Schoolnet, to drive awareness of the need for e-skills and their benefits. The campaign will deliver an exciting programme of events and activities in more than 30 countries; culminating in a dedicated e-Skills Week between 26 and 30 March 2012.

More information

Social science: Fancy building your own social network?

"HSBC develops secret plan for 'own version of Facebook'" said the headline from communications industry publication PR Week. The magazine claimed to have a leaked pitch document that laid out the banking giant's plans to create their own social network to rival the likes of Facebook.

The story was picked up by several newspapers and across the internet to a mixed reception. Or "Doomed" as one commenter on the original article predicted. So it's perhaps just as well that the bank says things are not quite what they seem. "There are no plans for the bank to introduce a social network", says James Thorpe, a spokesperson for HSBC.

According to Mr Thorpe the procurement department had decided the bank needed a list of preferred suppliers for social media services and had drawn up the document mentioned above. It got into the wrong hands and was misconstrued.

"Although your bank's website might not seem like a natural fit for a place to share pictures of your cat, that doesn't necessarily mean that niche social networks, or community platforms as they're often known, have no place in your business plan", says Fiona Graham Technology of business reporter, BBC News. More

What is the key issue from this article, is how social networks, or community platforms become more important in the business world, in the implied need to have qualified people in the field of eJobs.

Digital trends 2011 on Cloud Coputing and Green ICT

The Hellenic Professionals Informatics Society (HePIS), and the Council of European Professionals Informatics Society (CEPIS) are co-hosting Digital Trends 2011, the first Forum in Greece to encourage dialogue on the contribution of the ICT sector to economic growth, increased productivity, the advancement of a creative digital culture, the adoption of 'Green' and 'Cloud' practices and the strengthening of the overall role of industry professionals’ within the business community. The event will be held in Athens, on 5 December 2011.

The main issues to be adressed are:

- "Green" practices, business benefits and migration plans

- The 'business case' of cloud computing and its corporate value

- How do Cloud Computing and Green ICT change the way ICT departments operate?

More

The European e-Skills Week 2012 launched!

Organized by DIGITALEUROPE and European Schoolnet, together with the European Commission - DG Enterprise and Industry -, the second European e-Skills week will take place on 26 -30 March 2012.

The event will be focused on showing people how to get jobs and e-skills for life in the digital age. Options for education, training, and opportunities for jobs and growth will be a highlight, and will demonstrate why ICT is so important for any new job.

Preparatory work for the European e-Skills Week 2012 will commence in December 2011 and activities will continue up until May 2012.

More

Jobs of the future, Microsoft Training and certifying for the Cloud

It has become common to hear about new digital technologies, such as the transition to the “Cloud”, but we do not have to forget about the necessity of qualified people able to manage this kind of technologies.

Don Field, Senior Director of Microsoft Certification programs, talks about the exciting new opportunities that these technologies hold for SME’s and large businesses and the turning point that training platforms can make to equip a well prepared workforce. (Video)

It is important to think ahead and anticipate trends in the workplace in order to prepare the next generation and steer current employees for their future jobs. Microsoft certifications are plotted against a skills roadmap , incorporating new skills for the cloud, that match developments in industry to talent pools. People that have validated skills that are transferable across industries and across boundaries will play a significant role in Europe meeting its goals for 2020.

Increasing the demand of Internet-related professionals in Spain

Since March 2010, the demand of Internet-related professionals is continuously increasing in Spain while demand in the rest of the market is going down.

Most of the Spanish job demand is concentrated in one of the following 5 categories: Informatics and ICT, Communication and marketing, design and graphics arts, commercial and sales, and customer services (for example, through social networks such as Facebook or twitter)

Thanks to this tendency new jobs are being created such as:

Community manager - Chief social media officer - Professional Blogger - Digital Marketing Manager- SEO Manager - Web 2.0 programmer - Web usability specialist - Web Auditor - Web Analyst - 3D developer - Mobile technologies developer - Coolhunter- Virtual tutor.

Read more(In Spanish)
You may participate in the definition of new e-jobs profiles and provide comments through the e-Jobs Observatory: e-Jobs descriptions

Three new e-Jobs Observatory platform supporters

bit media from Austria, Germany and Switzerland, TR Associates from Malta and Métiers du Web - L´observatorire des emplois et compétences from Belgium and France joined recently the e-Jobs Observatory partner network.

The three new partners appear now in the "about" section of the site together with other supporters and they will acquire editorial rights which will allow them to share information on the platform and participate in the restricted collaborative working group of e-Jobs supporters.

If you are interested in joining the network please fill in the form or contact us.

Four new e-Jobs Observatory platform supporters

ANEI, the Spanish asociation for Internet companies, For Business Consulting from Italy, Grup patronal România Moldova from Romania and the French association for multimedia jobs (AME) joined recently the e-Jobs Observatory partner network.

The four new partners appear now in the "about" section of the site together with other supporters and they will acquire editorial rights which will allow them to share information on the platform and participate in the restricted collaborative working group of e-Jobs supporters.

If you are interested in joining the network please fill in the form or contact us.