Last Monday 22^nd of March, YouthProAktiv participated on the online event “Digital SkillShift: Re-skilling and up-skilling for online” organized withing the ALL DIGITAL WEEK 2021. The aim of the event was to present the Digital SkillShift project, how it was performed and its results.

The event started with a few welcome words from Hanka Boldemann, Executive Director at JP Morgan and main supporter of the program. Boldemann explained the necessity of this project now that the COVID-19 crisis has caused changes on how we approach our working and private lives. The Digital SkillShift project presents pathways for people to support their career, receive guidance and improve their digital skills.

Ian Clifford, project manager at All Digital stated : “Digital working tools for team work and collaboration were already demanded things and now they are even more important.”

The heads and managers for the trainings: Altheo Valentini, Nenja Wolbers, Julie Quatrehomme, Giulia Agusto, Thanasis Priftis and Kate Jackson explained the methodology and results of the project.

Learning content

Within the project, three trainings were carried out in three different countries: France, Germany and Italy, establishing different structures but with similar content. The contents of the trainings carried out within the project where the following:

• Collaborate and interact with others through digital technologies
• Sharing information through digital technologies
• Developing digital content
• Performing workshops on team building and communication

Slightly different ways but similar methods were applied: Group work, peer learning, learning by doing, self-learning, project based learning and flipped classroom among others.

Practical delivery

The main obstacle within participants resulted to be the lack of self-confidence and the lack of confidence towards digital tools. The project worked on that lack by reinforcing links with each other and with trainers, what provided a safe environment to grow in a personal and professional way.

Other personal difficulties of the trainees where: financial difficulties, mental health issues and family responsibilities. In order to solve these difficulties, the project paid the cost of the training and transportation and adapted the rooms and activities for the participants with mental health issues.

Results

Both trainers and participants agreed on three main outcomes:

• Acquiring or improving digital skills as Moodle, Zoom, Meet-up
• Importance of feeling comfortable and working together
• Improving confidence on digital abilities and giving them motivation

Results also showed that the training really gave them motivation and up-skilled participants. Furthermore, employment raised after the training and trainees felt more prepared to enter the labor market, especially in France. Finally, the 62% of the trainees felt they felt more excited about taking new responsibilities within their existing job situations.

Having heard the views of trainers and trainees we can say that the project, was a total success! We hope to keep learning about more projects of this kind that help improving digital skills and prepare the society for the present digital transformation!!

Written by Maria Lopez