CEPIS Awards Female Tech Talent & Other News from CEPIS - 11/2013

In this issue

We reveal the winners of the Digital Woman Award, a new pan-European prize co-organised by CEPIS, and we announce the finalists of the CEPIS ICT Professionalism Award. We also include news from CEPIS Member Societies in Lithuania, Slovakia, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as the latest European developments on e-skills and digital connectivity. To send you feedback or contributions from your Society for the December update, please email Michel Krmek.

51(13) Council Meeting: Supporting Documents Available

The 51(13) CEPIS Council supporting documentation, including the candidate booklet of election nominations, is available in the Member’s Area of the CEPIS website. The 51st CEPIS Council meeting will take place at The Hotel in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday, 21 November 2013 from 08:30 to 16:00. There will be a welcome reception at 19:00 on Wednesday, 20 November, the evening prior to the Council Meeting in the hotel. This welcome reception will include a buffet dinner. For any queries related to Council please contact Michel Krmek. Download the Council Meeting Documents

EC Vice President Neelie Kroes Awards the Digital Women of the Year at ICT2013

Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, presented the winners of the Digital Woman award at the ICT2013 event in Vilnius. The award consisted of three categories. Amy Mathers and Lune van Ewijk are the winners of the Digital Girl of the Year award category. Sasha Bezuhanova was awarded the title of Digital Woman of the Year. The Hocheschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (HTW-Berlin) won the Digital Impact Organisation category for its innovative computing bachelor degree. More on the Digital Woman Award

Discover the Finalists of the CEPIS ICT Professionalism Award

The call for nominations for the CEPIS ICT Professionalism Award is now closed and there are six nominations in competition for this new pan-European prize. The CEPIS ICT Professionalism Award will honour individuals who have demonstrated Outstanding contributions to the development of the ICT Profession. The nominees for the CEPIS ICT Professionalism Award are:

The winner will be selected by a judging panel who have distinguished contributions to and knowledge of the profession though their roles as current and past Presidents of CEPIS. More on the Finalists of the CEPIS ICT Professionalism Award

Lithuanian Computer Society Signs the National Digital Coalition in Vilnius at ICT 2013

Lietuvos Kompiuterininku Sajunga (LIKS), CEPIS member Society in Lithuania, signed a Memorandum of Understanding officially launching the Lithuanian National Digital Coalition in Vilnius at ICT 2013, along with 10 other partner organisations and associations. The Lithuanian Coalition aims to increase the supply of IT professionals, to encourage training programmes via a life-long learning approach, and to raise awareness on the importance of digital literacy and ICT skills. Attracting as many young people as possible to ICT-related studies and careers is a high priority for the Coalition, as well a providing ICT skills to all students. More on the Lithuanian National Digital Coalition

Slovak Society for Computer Science Pledges to Shape Slovakia’s Digital Future

The Slovak Society for Computer Science (SSCS) made three pledges in support of theDigital Future Platform, a new multi-stakeholder initiative aimed to strengthen the ICT sector in Slovakia which is inspired by the European Commission’s Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs. SSCS pledged to increase the participation of students in Slovakia’s Informatics Olympiad by engaging 15 teachers in the competition and by offering them training. SSCS also pledged to improve digital literacy levels by launching the New ECDL in Slovakia, and by providing complimentary ECDL certification to public servants from the Slovak EU Presidency team. More on the Digital Future Platform

Europe’s Leaders Prioritize ICT Skills

Heads of State of the European Union (EU) discussed the digital economy and e-skills at the last EU Council on 24-25 October. In a dedicated thematic session, EU leaders proposed concrete steps to improve digital skills, such as using part of the European Structural and Investment Funds (2014-2020) for ICT education, support for retraining, and vocational education and training in ICT. They also discussed the need for a higher degree of integration of digital skills in education, from the earliest stages of school to higher education, and for tackling skills mismatches by using the newly developed classification of European Skills/Competences, Qualifications and Occupations (ESCO).More on the EU Council Conclusions

Privacy and New Technologies: NovATIca’s Special English Edition

A special issue of the NovATIca journal on the topic of privacy in new technologies was recently published by Asociación de Técnicos de Informática (ATI). It features a series of articles previously published in Spanish in 2012-2013 on various privacy issues such as social media, the European data protection legislation, and airport body scanners. The objective of this special issue is to raise a systematized understanding of the state of the art in relation to privacy in a wide variety of situations and disciplines. Download the Special Edition of NovATIca

Discover ESCO, a New Classification to Help Tackle Labour Market Mismatches

Matching the right worker to the right job remains a challenge. With this in mind, the European Commission developed the ESCO classification in order to bridge the gap between the world of education and training and the labour market. Available in 25 languages, ESCO introduces a standard terminology occupations, skills, competences and qualifications that relevant for the EU labour market and education and training. CEPIS Secretary General, Fiona Fanning, is participating in the sectoral reference group which is looking to expand to ICT service activities. More About ESCO

Join the Europe Code Week

Europe will celebrate coding and programming during the Europe Code Week on 25-30 November. The objective is to connect individuals, groups, organisations, and companies, who are able to help more people experience the joy of coding. Europe Code Week is an initiative of the Young Advisors group which is working closely with Neelie Kroes, the European Commission’s Vice-President in charge of the Digital Agenda for Europe. More on the Europe Code Week

Proposed IT Capability Maturity Framework for SMEs

The ability of small and medium enterprises (SME) to compete on the market is increasingly defined by technological advances. The Innovation Value Institute is currently developing an SME version of its existing IT-Capability Maturity Framework. This will be designed to help SMEs identify, assess and manage core IT capabilities for improved business value realisation. SMEs can take online IT maturity assessments which will clearly define the maturity of its specific IT capabilities and drive capability improvement over time. The framework is currently being tested in several SMEs. For more information, please contact Dr. Marian Carcary. More on the IT Capability Maturity Framework for SMEs

BCS Awarding £25,000 Scholarships to Increase the Number of Computing Teachers in the UK

The British Computer Society (BCS) recently launched a new teaching scholarship programme in order to create the next generation of computing teachers in the UK. Around 100 scholarships, worth £25,000 each, will be available through this scheme which will be coupled with mentoring and development opportunities with schools, universities, and major employers. The objective is to encourage more talented people into teaching computing. More on BCS’ Teaching Scholarships

Important Uncoming Events

21 November 51st CEPIS Council Meeting Brussels, Belgium. Organised by: CEPIS

10 December European e-Skills 2013 Conference Brussels, Belgium. Organised by: European Commission

25-30 January 2014 SOFSEM2014 High Tatras, Slovakia. Organised by: Slovak Society for Computer Science

7-8 February 2014 UTmessan Reykjavik, Iceland. Organised by: Icelandic Computer Society