Based on the initiative of European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry and as part of the EU e-skills strategy the e-Skills Awareness Raising Week 2010 will take place all around Europe in March 2010 with the goal to raise awareness of the growing demand of highly skilled ICT practitioners and users within the ICT and related sectors.

The consortium responsible for coordinating the eSkills Week 2010 which is expected to bring together 300,000 participants in more than 100 activities in more than 20 participating countries is lead by DIGITALEUROPE and European Schoolnet as the core focus in of the e-Skills Week is the business and education sector.

Today, e-skills and computer literacy are a competitive advantage on the job market, The European Commission and DG Enterprise and Industry desires through an e-skills Awareness Raising Week  ” said Bridget Cosgrave, Director General of DIGITALEUROPE. “The technologies are developing very fast and it is essential to help SMEs and entrepreneurs to keep up with the technology development to remain competitive,” she added.

"Fewer and fewer young people decide to study technology at tertiary level in Europe, and the eSkills week campaign will help to change this situation, by helping students to get realistic views of IT studies and careers, meet inspiring role models and get their hands on inspiring technology," said Marc Durando, Executive Director of European Schoolnet.

The European Centre for Women and Technology (ECWT) and its National Point of Contacts (N-POCs) under start-up all around Europe participate in the consortium as a subcontractor with the goal to safeguard gender-mainstreaming of ICT and related sectors and the have overall responsibility as National Contact Points for co-ordinating the e-skills Awareness Raising Week in Portugal and France with the key events on the 10th of March in Lisabon and the 30th of March in Paris.

Stakeholder representatives from Portugal and France are welcome to contact Eva Fabry, Director of the ECWT ( tel: +47 924 77 960, or by e-mail ) for getting involved in the local events and contacting:

• Nancy Brito, Portuguese N-POC of the ECWT, e-mail
  
• Eric Chreiki, Excellencia Award, Victoya, French N-POC of the ECWT, e-mail
  
• Izabella Lenarduzzi, JUMP and Belgian N-POC of the ECWT is responsible for organizing the final e-Skills conference in Brussels the 5th of March, e-mail

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The official site of the e-skills week: http://www.eskills-week.com