Despite recent progress in digital inclusion levels throughout Europe, further efforts are needed to improve the lives of people with disabilities, including the equal right to work. The European Disability Rights Strategy (2021-2030), adopted in March 2021, represented a step in the right direction, but also highlighted urgent disparities from one EU citizen to the next. In the field of employment in particular, the contrast is stark: just over half of people with disabilities in Europe are employed, compared to 75% of European citizens. In Luxembourg, ‘work and employment’ is a key priority of the Luxembourg national plan on the rights of people with disabilities, out of 8 total areas of focus. 

Handi-Diag: measuring disability inclusion

Nevertheless, barriers for people with disabilities to access and maintain employment remain. What is more, companies often lack information on the best strategies to evaluate and assess the extent to which their company or organisation is digitally inclusive towards those with different abilities, and therefore fail to tap into a key segment of the talent pool. The Handi-Diag digital tool is the result of a long-standing cooperation in the area of digital inclusion for people with disabilities and can provide solutions to companies looking to boost their digital inclusion level. 

To break down stereotypes, raise awareness among employers and facilitate access for this target group to the regular job market, IMS Luxembourg has been working on the inclusion of disability in companies since 2015, in collaboration with companies and in partnership with the Ministry of Family, Integration and the Greater Region, the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, and the European Social Fund. In 2022, Handi-Diag was born with the goal to facilitate labour market inclusion for people with disabilities. Handi-Diag allows employers to evaluate their approaches to disability inclusion within their organisations. Through about 50 questions, the tool assesses 6 fundamental aspects to determine the maturity index of work areas such as: 

• Recruitment and Career
• Legal framework
• Accessibility of the working environment
• Employability
• Management
• Performance

The tool is free of charge, available to all employers in Luxembourg, since 21 March 2023. It is available in French and English. It is recommended to repeat the assessment once a year. To access the tool, you need to register and create an account. This can be done in less than 2 minutes, quickly and easily. A person from the organisation fills in the various questions after having worked out the answers collectively with the parties concerned (HR, communication, facilities, etc.). In 2023 and 2024, the project went one step further in measuring and evaluating the impact of the actions implemented by the organisations by surveying employees’ perception of digital inclusion for people with disabilities. 

The recommended process

1. Download the questionnaire in PDF from the platform.
2. Work on the questionnaire with the parties concerned (HR, communication, facilities, etc.).
3. Record the answers online to have access to the results and the action proposals.
4. Find out the maturity index, the strengths and areas for improvement of the organisation.
5. Build the action plan from the suggestions adapted to the organisation’s profile.

CyberNinja is a free interactive online game created by CRIF to raise awareness about phishing. Research from CRIF’s Cyber Observatory – which examines vulnerabilities to cyber attacks – has shown that there were over 780,000 alerts relating to data on the dark web in the first half of 2022, which is a 44% increase from the previous 6 months. Within this context, the CyberNinja game was launched in October 2022 during the European cybersecurity awareness month. 

Raising awareness on cybersecurity through gamification 

The CyberNinja game offers quizzes through which players can test themselves on their knowledge of phishing and on recognising different forms of phishing. In the game, the player must use their skills as a ‘CyberNinja’ to avoid falling into the traps of hackers or criminals.

Available in English and Italian, the game seeks to provide players with an engaging opportunity to test their skills, increase their awareness of skilling to combat future real-life attempts to access their data. Users can personalise their avatars and nicknames, and share the results and badges obtained with their friends, ultimately aiming to reach as wide of an audience as possible.

Regardless of the result obtained, players can download a guide at the end of the game to avoid ‘falling into the net’ of phishing, recognise the main threats to their cyber safety, and learn how to defend themselves against cybercrime.

About CIRF 

Founded in 1988 in Bologna and currently operating on four continents, CRIF is a global company specialising in credit information and business information systems, analytics, outsourcing and processing services as well as advanced digital solutions for business development and open banking. CRIF is a global end-to-end knowledge company committed to create value and new opportunities for consumers and businesses. 
 

In Germany, there is a lack of professionally trained IT security specialists. Although there is a lot of demand for specialised cybersecurity training, only a fraction of major universities with computer science departments offer courses in IT and cybersecurity. In response to this, several Fraunhofer Institutes and universities of applied sciences have developed a modular, part-time continuing education program to alleviate the unmet demand for training opportunities.

The Cybersecurity Training Lab 

Within this context, the Cybersecurity Training Lab will receive €6 million per year in funding from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) during its first years of operation to offer a modular concept for cybersecurity training. The Fraunhofer Academy intends to develop new modules based on demand and provides end-to-end quality management.

The Lab’s collaborative approach enables the incorporation of the latest theoretical or practical research findings into the teaching programme, and participants have the opportunity to work in modern laboratories equipped with simulation tools allowing real threat scenarios to be tested. The training lab offers the following thematic specialisations:  

• Industrial manufacturing / Industry 4.0
• Critical infrastructures / Use cases for energy and water infrastructures
• High-security and emergency-response facilities
• Internet security and IT forensics
• Software quality / Product certification
• Embedded systems, mobile security and the internet of things

Learning format 

The content of the trainings are condensed into compact formats in order to allow for part-time attendance. In addition, the modules can be combined to match the IT security requirements of various professional functions. The online format of the Learning Lab allows for flexible learning, and for participants to stay up to date with the latest developments in IT security and technology. Fraunhofer Academy offers trainings in three different formats: 

• Online seminar
• Blended-learning seminar
• On-demand courses

Expert advice for your company

In addition to training offers, Fraunhofer Academy’s Cybersecurity Training Lab specialises in delivering tailored advice and expertise for increased IT security to your company’s needs. This comes in the format of tailored continued education, or consultations and analyses. Visit the Academy’s website for more.