The Slovak ‘Digital Arrow’ project aims to empower girls throughout Slovakia be confident and educated users of technology.
The project is placed well within core EU ambitions for the next decade (the EU Digital Decade targets) – seeing 80% of EU citizens be digitally-literate, and reaching 20 million ICT experts in employment in Europe by 2030.
About this initiative
The focus of the ‘Digital arrow’ project in Slovakia is to bring digital skills closer to girls – and the IT sphere and digital careers too. With this aim, the project addresses several challenges present in the Slovak digital skills and jobs landscape, but specifically the shortage of girls going into STEM and ICT education, and subsequently – in the job market.
Why is this a good practice?
The initiative has succeeded in bringing about concrete results since its kick-off. Its focus on empowering girls to discover their potential in IT and in digital careers makes it relevant, transparent, and up-to-date with the latest trends and challenges in the field of digital skills and jobs. Within the scope of the initiative, 2 innovative tests have been developed – a testament also to its accessibility and ambition to engage parents and teachers too.
‘Digital Arrow’ is also scalable: as an initiative, it is designed to remain accessible for all. It scores high in accessibility also due to its user-friendly design and alignment with students’, parents’ and teachers’ needs alike. Finally, it has the potential to be replicated as a good practice in other contexts, regions and for other target groups, or even Member States.
In June 2025, the Labour Market Diagnostic Mechanism was introduced as a good practice in all the practices of the European Commission’s European Network of Public Employment Services (PES), including practices reflecting EU employment policy in the context of the Europe 2020 strategy.
Anticipating skills needs
The Greek labour market is evolving rapidly. Within this framework, the Labour Market Diagnostic Mechanism, an online labour market monitoring tool that combines big data analysis with job demand and skills data has been developed that offers solutions for more effective employment services and labour-market policies.
The tool helps anticipate skills needs, with a view to improving labour market information and enhancing the services provided to public employment services counsellors, jobseekers and employers.
It operates under the supervision of the public employment service (DYPA) and the Unit of Experts for Employment, Social Security, Welfare and Social Affairs (MEKY) of the Greek Ministry of Labour and Social Security, and is a pioneering initiative that brings innovation to the monitoring and forecasting of skills needs.
The Facility, which was upgraded in 2024, uses data from the Ergani job register, the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) and the ESCO European Skills Classification System to map the most sought-after skills by sector, demographic group and region. This tool was initially tested in the IT and communications and pharmaceutical sectors, with plans to expand to all economic sectors by the end of 2025.
The initiative is supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) and is part of the Human Resources Development and Social Cohesion programme 2021–2027.
Why is this a good practice?
The Mechanism is an excellent practice for both the Greek and the European labour market for the following reasons:
Data-based analysis: It combines data from multiple sources (Ergani, ELSTAT, ESCO) to provide accurate skills forecasts, overcoming the challenges of traditional surveys based on questionnaires. This allows for a rapid and reliable mapping of labour market needs.
Reinforcement of DYPA services: The tool helps employment advisers to provide more targeted services by improving the match between unemployed and vacancies.
In 2024, 861 advisors and 53 senior DYPA officials received training in the use of the Facility, enhancing the efficiency of their services.
Adaptation of educational programmes: The results of the Facility lead to the reform of curricula in the vocational education and training (VET) institutions of DYPA, ensuring that educational offers are relevant to current and future market needs.
Support for enterprises and employees: By using the European ESCO classification and validation through Employers Focus Groups, the Facility helps businesses identify the required technical skills and invest in the training of their employees.
Flexibility and adaptability: The tool has a user-friendly interactive interface that allows for the selection of demographic or local data, making it accessible to different audiences, such as policy makers, employment advisers and students.
Contribution to policymaking: the Mechanism provided documentation for the update of the National Strategy for Upskilling and Connecting to the Labour Market, which received a positive assessment from the National Labour Force Skills Council .
Results and benefits
The Facility has delivered significant results:
Improved employment services: trained consultants to use skills forecasts to better match jobs and the unemployed.
Targeted policies: support evidence-based active labour market policies, reducing imbalances between skills supply and demand.
Strengthening vocational training: VET institutions receive regular information on skills needs, enabling adaptation of their programmes.
Labour market resilience: helps prevent unemployment and strengthen labour market resilience through preventive measures.
Lessons and success factors
The Labour Market Needs Diagnosis Mechanism is an exemplary practice that brings Greece closer to a modern, evidence-based and flexible labour market. The success of the Mechanism is due to its simplified presentation of complex data, regular training of consultants and validation of results through employer focus groups.
A key lesson is the need for continuous training of users on the tool and its adaptation to more user-friendly formats, such as the provision of unemployment indicators by occupation and region.
By using advanced technologies and data, the tool not only improves DYPA services but also strengthens the link between education, employers and employees, contributing to a more resilient and competitive economy. Its extension to all sectors by the end of 2025 will further strengthen the dynamics of the Greek labour market, and make it a model for other countries to emulate.
The digital competence voucher trainings offered by RAABE Bulgaria are free courses funded by the Human Resources Development Programme 2021-2027. They are aimed at employees wishing to acquire or improve their digital skills at basic, intermediate and advanced level, according to the European Digital Competence Framework DigComp 2.1. The trainings are conducted remotely in a videoconferencing environment with a leading lecturer and include access to learning materials via an online platform. Upon successful completion and passing an exam, participants receive a certificate for the acquired level of competence.
Your new opportunity to acquire and improve your digital skills at basic, intermediate and advanced levels of digital competence in line with the European Framework – DigComp 2.1 levels 1-2 and 3-4.
What is the focus of the programme?
The main focus of the training is to acquire the basic knowledge, skills and attitudes to use digital technologies, build basic digital competences and apply them in different subject areas. The topics in the additional module are aimed at building skills for using basic public digital services in the Republic of Bulgaria.
What is the format of the RAABE trainings?
RAABE offers distance learning in a videoconferencing environment with a leading speaker – an expert in the field. Participants will also be able to prepare independently with unlimited access to the training materials on our platform https://raabeonline.com
What is the duration of the training?
For General Digital Skills (Levels 1 and 2 of DigComp 2.1.), 45 training hours are provided. The additional training module for Public Digital Services is 10 training hours. In total for the basic level – 55 training hours spread over several days according to a pre-announced schedule.
How does the training end?
Participants of the training take a final exam, which is conducted electronically in the electronic certification module of the Single Certification Center. Anyone who has attended a minimum of 80% of the scheduled hours is eligible to take the exam. A trainee may take the exam no more than twice.
Upon successful completion of the exam, the learner receives a Certificate of Competence in accordance with the European Digital Competence Framework DigComp 2.1.
