Spain’s National Plan for Digital Skills

January 2021

View the original document

Strategies and Action Plans

Spain’s National Plan for Digital Skills (Plan Nacional de Competencias Digitales) was published in 2021 as part of Spain’s broader digital transformation strategy under the Agenda España Digital 2025. The plan aligns with the European Digital Strategy and Sustainable Development Goals, addressing the urgent need to improve digital skills across various sectors and demographics in the country

Key elements of the plan:

  1. Digital inclusion: Ensuring no one is left behind in the digital transformation. This includes providing basic digital skills to the 43% of the Spanish population that lacks them, especially targeting vulnerable groups such as the elderly, unemployed, and rural residents.
  2. Bridging the gender gap: The plan prioritises increasing female participation in technology-related careers by addressing the gender digital divide, particularly by encouraging young girls to pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.
  3. Education digitalisation: A significant component focuses on modernising education by equipping both students and educators with the necessary digital tools and skills. This involves integrating digital skills into school curricula and providing devices to students and teachers.
  4. Workforce upskilling: The plan supports lifelong learning and upskilling programs for the working population, targeting both employed and unemployed individuals, to ensure they can adapt to the digital economy’s demands.
  5. Digital skills for businesses (PYMEs): Special attention is given to small and medium-sized enterprises (PYMEs), providing them with the digital competencies needed to thrive in an increasingly digital marketplace.
  6. TIC specialists development: Another major focus is on fostering specialists in ICT (Information and Communications Technology) to meet the growing demand for these skills in Spain’s labour market.

The plan includes seven lines of action with specific measures tailored to different sectors, ensuring comprehensive coverage of all necessary areas for a fully digitally capable society. These actions are backed by significant investments aimed at fostering public-private partnerships, promoting innovation, and creating inclusive opportunities for all segments of the population.