Theoretical and Applied Economics (May 2024)
From policy to practice: digital skills development across EU member States
Abstract
The accelerated progress of digital technologies had a transformational impact on the educational landscape, and led to powerful changes in how digital skills are developed, whereas educational policies still play a central role in shaping these competencies across Europe. The current scientific literature mainly focuses on the influence of digital literacy on economic and social outcomes, yet there is a knowledge gap regarding the impact of compulsory education policies on digital skills acquisition across different European countries. For this reason, this research article addresses this gap and applies a cross-sectional comparative analysis of 36 EU member states, whilst it also investigates the impact of the starting grade for mandatory digital skills education on national digital competence levels. Additionally, this study aims to uncover considerable disparities in the educational strategies effectiveness and examines the integration of informatics in primary and secondary education, teacher digital competencies, and national assessments of student digital skills. Next, data extraction is applied from Eurostat database for the period between 2016 and 2023. Thus, a mixed-methods model is used to quantify the impact of these educational practices on digital skill levels. Findings reveal that some countries excel in digital skills without early-grade mandates or national assessments, whilst the gender-disaggregated analysis shows persistent gaps in ICT education employment. Hence, the novelty of this research article is represented by its exhaustive examination of educational policies and practices across Europe, as well as by the identification of effective educational strategies and areas of improvement. Consequently, this study provides a very important set of conclusions that could help policymakers to enhance the quality of Education 4.0. Further research should investigate the longitudinal impacts of educational reforms on digital literacy outcomes.
