The eSkills Malta Foundation, in collaboration with IT Professionalism Europe (IPE), an organisation created by CEPIS, is organising a half-day event on July 28 to present the European e-Competence Framework and its importance for Maltese industry and education providers.
Frederic Aerden from IPE will present the e-CF. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss the framework and air their views. The seminar will be held at the MITA Data Centre, Santa Venera.
While the skills and technologies related to ICT have changed considerably in the past 40 years, the profession itself has not kept up and matured in parallel, and ICT professionals have been occupied with technological advancements. Many of the concerns expressed in the past relating to low levels of professionalism still prevail today.
But what exactly is the European e-Competence Framework and what is its importance for Maltese companies and education providers?
Last April, the European e-Competence Framework became a European Standard. The e-CF gives organisations, businesses and ICT practitioners in Europe a common language to describe the competences required in the ICT Industry. It also gives a strong indication to ICT education of the competences and roles that their students can aspire to.
The e-CF was developed to provide a reference of competences that apply to the ICT workplace. It describes the skills and knowledge requirements of ICT professionals and is designed to meet the needs of both public and private organisations. It can be localised and streamlined to fit the size of a company. It gives clear definitions to support decision-making with regards to the selection and recruitment of candidates, as well as the training and assessment of ICT professionals.
From an education perspective, formal education and ICT certifications providers need to make reference to ICT frameworks, and especially the e-CF, which is widely supported by the EU. The e-CF aligns to the European Qualifications Framework categories for reference purposes.
The EQF and e-CF levels are not identical as the perspectives are different. While the EQF reflects the qualifications aspect, the e-CF adopts a workplace competence aspect, but both are interrelated because they both contribute to competence development.
The e-CF is not new to Malta and the foundation would like to reignite its potential application for Malta and participation by the ICT community would be valuable. For more information and registration visit http://eskills.org.mt/en/europeane-comptenceframework/Pages/European-e-Competence-Framework-Seminar.aspx .
The eSkills Malta Foundation is an independent government entity with board participation coming from MITA, MCA, MGA, Malta Enterprise, the Education Ministry and the Chamber of Commerce. The aim of the foundation is the expansion and sustainable growth of ICT skills in Malta through the development of a broad set of skills from early on in life, throughout their career and employment.
IT Professionalism Europe is a CEPIS launched organisation. IPE is a network of organisations committed to furthering IT professionalism in Europe. IPE endeavours to promote best practice in IT professionalism, including the e-CF, and will drive its uptake in Europe.