Digital Skills Academies dedicated to specific sectors are a key step towards strengthening EU leadership in digital and emerging technologies. Addressing skills gaps, developing advanced training programmes, scaling successful initiatives, and fostering collaboration between academia, industry, training providers, and public institutions, they help align skills with market needs. The Academies will serve to promote digital careers, encourage greater participation by women, and support the return of European talent from abroad.

A multi-pronged approach to digital training

Academies operate under dedicated guidelines that ensure a structured and coordinated approach to digital skills development. They identify skills gaps, design modular training programmes, and scale successful initiatives across sectors. Through partnerships with academia, industry, and public institutions, they help align skills supply and demand while promoting digital careers, with a focus on increasing women’s participation.

They are integrated into the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform (DSJP), where each academy has a dedicated page acting as a one-stop shop for training, funding, events, and community activities, improving access for learners, educators, and industry stakeholders across Europe.

The academies are designed around three core pillars:

Knowledge, education, and training

The Academies develop flexible education and training programmes in collaboration with academia, industry, and research organisations. Offerings include degree programmes, microcredentials, internships, fellowships, and other hands-on learning opportunities.

Building the ecosystem

The Academies strengthen digital talent ecosystems by promoting careers in high-tech fields and fostering industry partnerships. They support greater participation by women and attract diverse talent through initiatives such as scholarships and returnship schemes.

Measuring progress

The Academies monitor skills needs and labour market trends to keep training relevant. They track key indicators and adapt curricula using established EU measurement frameworks.

Academies guidelines

Academies members on the DSJP have specific access and a specific uses on the DSJP. You will find instructions for onboarding new Academy members and a general guide to using the Platform below.  

Step-by-step process

1. Create an account: The first step is to register on the Platform, using EU Login to authenticate. There are mandatory fields (marked with *), and optional fields (such as adding a photo).
2. Academy member role: The next step is to get assigned an Academy Member role. These users have privileges to draft content and access Academy-specific features on DSJP. The Academy will designate 2–3 people with the Academy Member role. One should be clearly defined as the coordinator and main point of contact between the Academy and the DSJP editorial team. 
3. Onboarding meeting with Digital Skills and Jobs Platform team: The DSJP team will meet with the Academy’s coordinator and its Academy Members for an onboarding session as early as possible in the process. This is an 1-hour online meeting.