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Proposal to kickstart digital skills development

Skills supply Tech-check

IT&Telecom companies' proposal to kickstart digital skills development inspired by the home PC reform

To meet the need for increased digital skills at both the broad and the cutting edge, IT&Telecom companies propose the introduction of a system of individual tech checks. It will be focused on the individual and serve as a complement to the skills deduction aimed at employers that IT&Telecom companies have proposed together with Almega. An important inspiration for the tech check is the home PC reform that lasted from 1998 to 2006, which demonstrably contributed to digital skills development on a broad front. The exact design of the tech checks can look a little different, and here we invite representatives of all sectors of society to a joint discussion. Some ingredients that IT&Telecom companies see as important in a tech check system are:

  • It focuses on professionals who have left initial education behind but need skills development to remain employable and contribute to innovation and growth in later life.
  • That it reaches out widely and includes not only employees but also the self-employed, 'giggers' and jobseekers.
  • That the support opens up not only formal training, but also other forms of skills development, guidance and coaching.
  • The support, which can be in the form of deductions or grants, is in the order of SEK 10 000 per individual. In this respect, the Home PC reform can serve as a cost model at both the individual level and the level of government finances. The cost to the state of home PC amounted to approximately SEK 4 billion for the entire period. This cost probably paid for itself many times over through the strong growth we have seen in the Swedish digital sector since then.

The coronavirus crisis means a slowdown in demand for certain IT skills. However, as in previous crises, there is every reason to expect a sharp rise in the need for digital skills.

The proposal will be presented in more detail in a webinar on October 2.