Greece – National Digital Decade strategic roadmap

• July 23, 2024
• admin

The Greece strategic roadmap for the Digital Decade developed by the Ministry of Digital Governance of Greece sets out the strategic goals to be achieved by 2030, monitoring their achievement, and the target paths and key measures have been developed.  

The report uses the data in the Digital Decade Report 2023 on the National Base Value of the Digital Decade Targets, the EU baseline value for Digital Decade Targets in 2023 and the EU target value for 2030.

Greece has untapped potential to contribute to the EU’s Digital Decade target on basic digital skills, demonstrating a limited dynamic. In 2023, 52.4% of the population in Greece (age 16-74) had at least basic digital skills below the EU average (55.6%), showing no progress since 2021, the last year of data collection (52.5%). The number of ICT specialists in Greece in terms of the share of employment is 2.4%, far below the EU average of 4.8%, showing no progress since 2022 (2.5%). In terms of gender balance, 19.8% of ICT specialists are women, above the EU average (19.4%). 

The Roadmap for Greece consists of 4 chapters:

• Human Capital to drive digital transformation (Digital Skills)
• National Digital Infrastructure 
• Digitalisation of businesses 
• Digital public services 

Priorities for the development of digital skills

In 2023, Greece launched several initiatives to train the population. It launched a five-step learning path, hosted on the Greek digital skills and jobs platform, leading to the development of basic digital skills, under the programme ‘Digital citizen learning sequence’. It created ‘Community of Good Practice for Digital Skills’ to exchange know-how and good practices in view of strengthening the ecosystem of

Greece digital skills training in Greece. Greece is also working on the development of a National Digital Competency Framework and certification system based on DigComp 2.2.In the framework of the digital transformation of the education system, Greece launched a project for teacher’ training schemes in 2023. The plan is to train 120 000 teachers over the period 2023-2025.

The project ‘Digital skills for conscripts’, funded by the RRP started preparatory work in September 2023. It aims to support conscripts in developing the digital skills needed to effectively use the technology embedded in the armed forces and to boost their digital skills to enter the job market after military service.

Private sector initiatives launched by big digital enterprises present in Greece are also contributing to this goal, by providing training courses in digital technologies for all groups of the population.

Measures contributing to the achievement of the target

• Measure 1: Upskilling and reskilling program in high-demand sectors with an emphasis on digital and green skills.

• Measure 2: Reskilling and up-skilling in the tourism sector by the Ministry of Tourism.

• Measure 3: Teacher Training Actions.

• Measure 4: Adaptation of workers in private sector companies by upgrading their digital knowledge and skills, in specialties of the Blue Economy activities.

• Measure 5: Development of digital skills for conscripts.

• Measure 6: Programmes for reskilling and upskilling of General Government public servants.

• Measure 7: Promotion of employment through Programs Public Beneficial Character (Training voucher).

• Measure 8: National Academy for Digital Skills.

• Measure 9: Development of Model Digital Centers in all regions.

• Measure 10: New Strategy for Lifelong Skilling: Modernising and Upgrading Greece’s Upskilling and Reskilling System.

• Measure 11: Cisco International Centre of Digital Transformation and Digital Skills.

• Measure 12: Microsoft initiative “GR for Growth”.

• Measure 13: National Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs (NC).

• Measure 14: Strengthen the digital skills of the general population of all ages, including special population groups with particular characteristics.

Key challenges to overcome

• Greece has a shortage of digital skills especially among the oldest population, and ranks quite low in human capital.
• The country suffers from population decline and is likely to become the fastest ageing EU country by 2030.
• Greece has a rather low number of ICT specialists that is significantly below EU average.
• Greece has suffered a significant “brain drain” during the crisis period that has limited the number of ICT specialists in the country.