The second edition of the International Conference on Digital Skills and IT Professionalism (ICODSIP) concluded after two days of intensive exchange on the future of digital competences, artificial intelligence, and the evolving landscape of IT professionalism in Europe.
Organised by CEPIS, the Spanish Informatics Association (ATI), and the University of Alcalá, and supported by several CEPIS Member Societies and other partners, the conference brought together experts from academia, industry, policy, and civil society for a programme rich in presentations, debates, and European project showcases. Held on 6–7 November at the Escuela Politécnica Superior of the University of Alcalá, the event reaffirmed the urgent need to strengthen digital capabilities across Europe.
Opening: Setting the Stage for Europe’s Digital Transition
The conference opened with remarks from the President of CEPIS and the Director of the Escuela Politécnica Superior, who underlined the strategic importance of digital skills for competitiveness, innovation, and social cohesion.
Their message framed the discussions that followed: Europe’s digital transition requires not only technological advancement, but also robust competence frameworks, high-quality education, and strong alignment between industry needs and workforce development.
AI’s Impact on IT Professionalism Takes Centre Stage
One of the most anticipated moments of the conference was the panel “IT Professionalism: New AI Profiles and the Impact of AI in the Profession”, moderated by Wanda Saabeel with contributions from Suzanne Galletly, David San Benito, and Ernestina Menasalvas.
The session explored how artificial intelligence is reshaping professional roles, generating new digital profiles, and challenging existing classifications such as EN16234 (e-CF) and ESCO. Speakers highlighted the need for continuous adaptation of competence frameworks to ensure that IT professionals can keep pace with AI-driven change.
Exploring the Future of DigComp
Another major thematic block centred on the evolution of Europe’s primary digital competence framework. The panel “Digital Skills and the Future of DigComp” discussed how emerging technologies — from AI to green transformation — require new skill sets and more agile digital education pathways.
Participants stressed that future iterations of DigComp must remain flexible, inclusive, and strongly linked to real-world needs, ensuring citizens and workers can thrive in a rapidly evolving digital society.
Industry Needs and the Missing Talent
The conference closed with the panel “The Missing Talent: Aligning Digital Skills with Industry Needs”, moderated by Marina Cabrini. Panellists discussed Europe’s persistent digital skills gap, emphasising the importance of attracting women and other underrepresented groups to technology fields.
Collaboration across education systems, employers, and public policy was identified as essential for developing the qualified workforce needed to sustain Europe’s competitiveness and innovation capacity.
A Strong Presence of European Projects
A dedicated portion of the programme showcased European-funded projects connected to the conference’s two thematic tracks: E-competences and IT Professionalism and Digital Competence and Skills.
Projects such as EAGLE, PINNACLE, VITA, CyberMe, and AI4Everyone presented their latest results, offering attendees a valuable overview of innovative solutions, assessment tools, and best practices currently being developed across Europe.
This dissemination space allowed researchers and practitioners to exchange insights while strengthening links between EU initiatives and the wider community of digital skills experts.
Diverse Presentations Across Two Days
Throughout the conference, attendees engaged with a wide range of presentations, including topics such as:
- NLP applications for enriching EN16234 and linking it to ESCO
- Inclusive platforms for exploring digital competences
- Digital competence frameworks in public administration
- Computational thinking and green skills
- Accessible robotics and AI in education
- Trends in ICT job-market demands (2020–2025)
- Assessment of teachers’ digital competences
- The evolving alignment of CDIO, EURO-INF, and professional IT skills
These sessions highlighted the breadth and depth of ongoing research in the field, as well as the practical challenges organisations face in assessing and developing digital and IT competences.
Looking Ahead
ICODSIP 2025 reinforced the central role of digital skills in shaping Europe’s technological and economic future. With rapid advancements in AI, increasing demands from the labour market, and persistent talent shortages, the need for structured, evidence-based approaches to competence development has never been stronger.
The conference proceedings will be available in due course.
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