The signatories of the Broad Agreement on Digital Skills in Poland believe that digital skills are the skills for the future. The Agreement was concluded at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw on July 3, 2013. It was signed in the presence of representatives of the European Commission, Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Administration and Digitalization. President Bronisław Komorowski agreed to be an honorary patron of the Agreement. The PAFF and the Information Society Development Foundation were the signatories of the Agreement.
The initiative, supported by representatives of various sectors (including government and local government bodies, business, NGOs and the media) was started by Minister of Administration and Digitalization Michał Boni and Leader of Digitalization in Poland Włodzimierz Marciński. It aims at improving digital literacy among the Poles and recognition of its crucial role in the country’s development.
‘New technologies are the fastest growing sector of economy of leading countries in the world and their share in GDP grows gradually. Prevalence and level of digital skills of residents in a given country becomes the determinant of dynamics of its civic development, says Michał Boni, Minister of Administration and Digitalization.
According to experts, over 60% of students who now start their education will work in professions which don’t exist yet, and 90% of jobs will require basic digital skills as soon as in 2015. However, the ‘Social diagnosis 2013’ survey shows that 36% of adult Poles don’t use a computer and the Internet, although almost 40% of them have Internet access at home.
Therefore the signatories of the Agreement will launch specific activities aimed at building digital skills necessary on the labor market, increasing access to digital education and in this way improving the quality of life in Poland.
‘We will look for synergy between initiatives implemented by us, as well as collect information about good practices and popularize them even in such environments which seem to be not interested in digitalization issues. The Agreement is open and it is assumed that new members can join it if they declare their support for this idea and undertake to carry out activities compatible with the Agreement’s mission,’ explains the Leader of Digitalization Włodzimierz Marciński.
Neelie Kroes, EC Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, who was present at the today’s inauguration ceremony, emphasized that the Agreement refers to the best European initiatives which respond to the growing demand for experts with digital skills, in particular the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs and the e-Skills Manifesto.
The Agreement was established with the support of organizations which identify themselves with its goals and participate actively in achieving them, acting for the development of digital skills, increased access to knowledge, information, culture and digital participation in public life, centered around, for example, the M@turity in the Net Coalition.
The following organizations acceded to the Agreement:
1. The Polish Information Processing Society – President Marian Noga
2. The Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunications – President Wacław Iszkowski
3. AGH University of Science and Technology – Vice-President for Research Zbigniew Kąkol
4. The Information Society Development Foundation and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation – ISDF President Rafał Kramza
5. Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan – CEO Lech Pilawski
6. Cities on the Internet Association – President Krzysztof Głomb
7. Telewizja Polska S.A. – Member of the Management Board Marian Zalewski
8. UPC Polska – President Simon Boyd
9. Poznań Supercomputing and Networking Center – Director Maciej Stroiński
10. Orange Polska – Director for social affairs and CSR – Wojciech Dziomdziora
11. Digital Center Project: Poland – Director Aleksander Tarkowski
12. Google Polska – Director for Business Development – Agnieszka Hryniewicz- Bieniek
13. Confederation of Directors of Public Libraries –Member of the Management Board
Andrzej Marcinkiewicz
14. The “Visible” Foundation – Chairman of the Foundation’s Board – Artur Marcinkowski
15. Poczta Polska S.A. – Member of the Management Board Janusz Wojtas
16. Mrozy commune – Mayor Dariusz Jaszczuk
17. Huawei Polska – Vice CEO – Mao Haohui
18. The Modern Poland Foundation – Dorota Górecka
19. Cisco – CEO – Dariusz Fabiszewski
20. Rural Development Foundation – President Piotr Szczepański
21. Microsoft Polska – CEO – Ronald Binkofski
22. Legal Culture Foundation – President Kinga Jakubowska
23. Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools of Poland – Chairman of the Information Infrastructure Commission, HE President of the Gdański University of Technology Henryk Krawczyk
24. The Institute of Public Affairs – Memeber of the Management Board, Agnieszka Liszka Ph.D.
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