52(14) Council Meeting: 5 April in Geneva, Switzerland

The 52nd CEPIS Council meeting will take place at the Warwick hotel in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday 5 April, from 08:30 to 16:00 approximately. The Swiss Informatics Society (SI) has kindly offered to host a dinner cruise on Lake Geneva on Friday, 4 April, the evening prior to the Council meeting. Following the Council meeting, there will also be a closing reception in the hotel on Saturday, 5 April. For any queries please contact Michel Krmek.

Last Chance to Register for the CEPIS Micro-Conference on Ethics

The CEPIS micro-conference on professional ethics will take place in Brussels, on Thursday, 13 March 2014. The aim of the meeting is to provide a forum for members to discuss the position of national informatics associations on ethics, as well as how ICT practitioners should address ethical considerations related to their profession. Prominent experts from around the world will attend this event, including Prof. Norberto Patrignani from Italy, Prof. Penny Duquenoy from the UK, and Prof. Donald Gotterbarn from the USA. Space is limited so to ensure attendance please register here. CEPIS will cover travel and accommodation costs for one representative from each member society.

Computing in Schools: A Call for Action from Informatics Societies

The CEPIS Special Interest Network (SIN) on Computing in Schools produced an advocacy paper targeted to Ministries of Education across Europe. It argues that children’s digital education should be reformed to better integrate Computer Science in the school curricula. The paper describes the issues arising from the lack of computing in schools, and it outlines practical steps to develop Computer Science in the classroom. We encourage Member Societies to disseminate this paper as part of their advocacy efforts to their education authorities. Download the Computing in Schools Paper

Version 3.0 of the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF) Now Available

The CEN Workshop on ICT Skills recently published the third version of the European e-Competence Framework (e-CF), the common language for ICT competences across Europe. The Framework features 40 competences that can be used and understood by ICT user and supply companies, the public sector, educational and social partners across Europe. The widespread adoption of the e-CF by companies and organisations will increase the transparency, mobility and efficiency of human resources. Download the e-CF 3.0 Brochure

Get Your Free Tickets to Hannover Messe 2014!

We have 10 tickets to give away for the Hannover Messe 2014, the world’s biggest fair for industrial technologies. Industrial automation and IT will be one of the key themes of the fair which is taking place next month on 7-11 April in Hannover, Germany. Send us an email if you would like to receive a free full-event ticket, worth €76, to attend Hannover Messe 2014. Tickets will be given on a first-come, first-served basis. More on Hannover Messe 2014

Iceland: Successful UTmessan Event Reaches Over 9,000 People

Last month nearly 9,000 people attended the UTmessan exhibition organised by CEPIS Member in Iceland, the Icelandic Computer Society (Ský). 850 participants also attended a large conference organised as part of the event; it featured 10 different tracks including one in English. UTmessan is an annual event which raises awareness on the importance of ICT for individuals, businesses and society. The objective is to generate interest of the younger generations in ICT so as to boost the number of computer science graduates in Iceland. The next UTmessan will be organised on 6-7 February 2015. A call for papers will be announced in May and it will be open for everyone. More on UTmessan

Code Cyprus 2014 to Inspire the Next Generation of Computer Scientists

The Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) is supporting the Code Cyprus 2014 event which aims to inspire students to undertake studies in the field of IT. A workshop will be organised on 8 March in Cyprus to inform students about the value of programming and the career opportunities in computing. Students will also get the opportunity to build their own video game, and to take part in a digital treasure hunt competition using their smartphones. More about Code Cyprus 2014

Measuring Progress of e-Skills for Jobs in Europe

The results of the EC research project e-Skills Monitor are now available, including national reports describing the state of e-skills in 27 countries. The project’s objective was to monitor the supply and the demand of e-skills across Europe, and to assess the impact of the initiatives launched at EU and national level since 2008. A European report was also published which warns of a shortage of 509,000 ICT professionals in 2015, a figure which could increase up to 1,000,000 by 2020. Download your e-Skills country report and share your views with us.

Poll: Does Europe’s ICT Profession Need a Single Foundational BoK?

A new poll question on the CEPIS website homepage of the CEPIS asks whether Europe’s ICT profession need a single foundational, meta-level body of knowledge (BoK). BoKs reflect documented accepted good practices and support enhanced understanding in a subject area. For more information about BoKs, read our report e-Skills & ICT Professionals - Fostering the ICT Profession in Europe. Visit the CEPIS homepage to share your opinion. If you would like to suggest a topic or question for our next poll, please contact Michel Krmek.

Austrian Computer Society (OCG) Takes Part in the Long Night of Research

CEPIS Member in Austria, the Oesterreichisches Computer Gesellschaft (OCG), will take part in the Long Night of Research, Austria’s biggest science event, on 4 April. At the OCG stand, young people will get an insight about career opportunities in Computer Science research and in ICT. This event is aimed at raising awareness about careers in science among younger generations. The event will take place in 37 Austria regions and it will feature over 1,000 individual stands covering 11 scientific themes. More about the Long Night of Research

EU’s App Sector Could Employ 4.8 Million People by 2018, Says New Report

Europe’s app economy currently employs 1 million developers along with 800,000 people in marketing and support positions. These figures could increase to 2.7 million developers and 2.1 million support staff by 2018, according to a new European Commission-funded report. In less than five years, the app sector could contribute €63 billion to the EU economy. Although the future is bright, developers have raised concerns about the skills gap, connectivity and fragmentation which could put the app boom at risk. Download the Report on the EU App Sector

ICS Launches 2014 Scratch Competition

The Irish Computer Society (ICS) recently launched the 2014 Scratch Competition with the support of the Irish Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn. By encouraging students to use Scratch, an easy-to-use programming language, the competition aims to raise student’s interest in software development, and related career opportunities. The competition saw a massive increase in entrants last year, with 683 team projects submitted by 1,245 individual students. More on ICS Scratch 2014

European Commission Calls for a Reform of Internet Governance

The European Commission (EC) published a new communication to reform Internet governance. Revelations of large-scale surveillance programmes and a fear of cybercrime have indeed negatively affected trust in the current governance model of the Internet. The proposal of the EC calls for more transparent, accountable and inclusive governance. The EC put forward concrete actions to strengthen Internet governance such as launching the Global Internet Policy Observatory, an online platform for creating transparency on internet policies. Download the EC Communication on Internet Governance

Important Upcoming Events

13 March Micro-Conference on Professional Ethics Brussels, Belgium. Organised by: CEPIS

18 March OCG Horizons Vienna, Austria. Organised by: OCG

19-20 March European Data Forum 2014 Athens, Greece. Organised by: European Commission

26 March e-Skills 2014 Conference Brussels, Belgium. Organised by: European Commission

2-3 April 1st European Conference on the Future Internet Brussels, Belgium. Organised by: European Commission

5 April 52nd CEPIS Council Meeting Geneva, Switzerland. Organised by: CEPIS