On 27 September Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi will be hosting a conference in the European Parliament in Brussels with the theme “Are entrepreneurial skills the key to surviving digitalisation?". This event aims at promoting the importance of digital entrepreneurial skills in Europe.

“Skills shortages and gaps in Europe are rising rapidly. The current skills mismatch, especially in the digital entrepreneurial area, is a growing phenomenon. This deficit - particularly concerning entrepreneurial skills which are so important to help the future workforce thrive in this new digital work order - needs to be urgently addressed,” said MEP Marlene Mizzi.

“Ensuring basic digital skills in today’s society is important, but what is vital for personal and professional fulfilment is to equip people with more specific competences and to provide various entrepreneurial skills. And that is why I decided to host this broad discussion in the European Parliament,” commented Marlene Mizzi.

Participants include scientists, stakeholders, MEPs and the European Commission. They will discuss the new entrepreneurial skills necessary to ensure that people can thrive in the businesses of the future driven by technological innovation, demographics, shifting business models and nature of work, from different perspectives.

Marlene Mizzi said: “The digital world is becoming increasingly demanding. We need to become proficient at developing and working with a new set of survival skills for the 21st century. In order to do that we need to first identify the right entrepreneurial skills requiring new-technology. And then collaborate with universities, schools and national educational authorities to include subjects of entrepreneurial learning at all levels of education and across various topics.”

“Entrepreneurial skills need to be understood in a broader context, as possessing a sense of initiative and ambition. Entrepreneurial skills can help increase employability, support the fight against youth unemployment, as well as encourage creativity, critical thinking, leadership, and transferable skills, such as problem solving, teamwork, and resourcefulness.”

“As a society we need to teach people the skills they need to succeed. Skills that will help them become self-starting, entrepreneurial and literate in digital technology. Skills that will contribute to their personal and professional development and facilitates their transition into the labour market. This will serve as an important step in our fight against unemployment,” commented MEP Mizzi.