Launching ELEVATE+: Building Europe’s Future Digital Talent Ecosystem
Europe’s digital transformation depends on a workforce equipped with advanced digital skills. As demand continues to grow in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, virtual worlds, semiconductors and high-performance computing, ensuring access to high-quality training and clear career pathways has never been more important.
ELEVATE+ , an initiative that has officially kicked off with a mission to establish the European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies.
Creating a stronger digital skills ecosystem
ELEVATE+ aims to become a shared European reference point for quality, excellence and collaboration in advanced digital skills. Rather than creating yet another standalone initiative, the project will help connect and strengthen existing efforts across Europe. The League will bring together the EU Digital Skills Academies, industry partners, education and training providers, and policymakers to improve coordination, increase visibility and reduce fragmentation across the skills landscape.
By building stronger links between stakeholders, ELEVATE+ will support a more coherent approach to developing Europe’s future digital workforce.
Supporting quality, talent and careers
A key objective of ELEVATE+ is to help learners, employers and training providers navigate an increasingly complex skills ecosystem.
To achieve this, the project will introduce:
- European Seals of Quality and Excellence for ICT training programmes.
- Mentoring and fellowship opportunities.
- A European-wide alumni network.
- Mechanisms to identify and promote skills best practices.
- Evidence-based policy recommendations informed by labour market intelligence.
Together, these activities will help strengthen talent pipelines while supporting lifelong learning and professional development across Europe.
Strengthening Europe’s competitiveness
The rapid pace of technological change is creating new opportunities but also widening skills gaps across key sectors. ELEVATE+ will contribute to addressing these challenges by helping align training provision with industry needs and supporting the development of a highly skilled digital workforce.
By fostering cooperation between academia, industry and policymakers, the initiative aims to ensure Europe remains competitive in strategic digital technologies while creating new opportunities for learners and professionals alike.
Looking ahead
The kick-off marks the beginning of an exciting journey for ELEVATE+ and its partners. Over the coming months, the project will launch activities designed to support advanced digital skills development, strengthen collaboration and build a thriving European community of digital talent. Funded by the European Union’s Digital Europe Programme, ELEVATE+ represents an important step towards a more connected, visible and impactful digital skills ecosystem across Europe.
ELEVATE+ is building more than a network. It is creating a framework that connects talent, training and innovation across Europe, helping ensure that individuals, organisations and economies are equipped with the advanced digital skills needed for the future.