The European Year of Skills falls on the current time for us, i.e. 2023. During this period, the assumptions of the European Union are being implemented, increasing the intensity of activities to improve the skills of employees. Thanks to this, skilled workers and the companies in which they work will be able to contribute to the ecological and digital transformation, while supporting innovation and competitiveness.
What are the ecological and digital transformations?
The reality that surrounds us has a significant impact on our lives, in every aspect of it. Broadly understood environmental problems related to human impact on the environment and, as a result, climate change, force us to adapt to the current reality. At the same time, technological development triggers and drives our enormous human progress. We develop and use artificial intelligence for more modern startups that facilitate our everyday life. The Green Deal and digital transformation, i.e. the two pillars of the EC policy, go hand in hand. It is stated that environmental protection is not possible without new technological applications, and digital technologies, in turn, are important to achieve the goals of sustainable development. To achieve this, they should strive to achieve climate neutrality. In this whole eco-digital arrangement, it is extremely important for us that it has a large impact on our … work! The labor market is changing because technological development is progressing and environmental problems need specific human decisions and actions. This forces us to create new professions and change the qualifications of employees by increasing the intensity of activities in the area of their professional education.
What digital skills are needed today?
We have noticed a rapid pace of technological development in the last 20-25 years. Today, work is completely dominated by technology, the Internet and digital solutions, in every industry and in every position. Digital skills are becoming the skills necessary to perform professional work. New opportunities that computers and technologies give us affect the creation of new professions.
Employers are looking for qualified employees who will understand the need to use the digital world, will find themselves in the digital reality and will be willing to develop in this direction.
Valuable and needed employees should have digital skills and competences related to the use of data and information, communication and cooperation, digital content creation, programming and cybersecurity.
The young generation versus sustainable development as well as ecological and digital technologies.
There is a clear trend among young people to pursue education. Statistical data indicate that in 2021 in Poland, 147,760 women and 125,659 men took the matriculation exam (a total of 273,419 people). In the same year, 297,368 young people graduated from higher education.
According to a Deloitte study from 2021, representatives of Generation Z, to a greater extent than the older generation Y, are concerned about climate change and its impact on the planet and our daily lives. They identified the climate crisis as the biggest current problem, more important than unemployment and healthcare. They try to fight climate change, and in the workplace they pay attention to the implementation of solutions beneficial for the planet by their superiors. In addition, digital reality is a place where they find themselves perfectly.
By gaining many educated representatives of this young generation every year, it is worth realizing that they constitute a huge potential for future entrepreneurs who can implement ecological and digital technologies, striving to achieve the assumptions of sustainable development.
Entrepreneurs and the implementation of ecological and digital technologies.
Both representatives of the Z generation and every responsible entrepreneur can contribute to the care of the environment and the quality of our life by using digital technologies. Positive impact startups that combine technology with social good are a fitting example of this. Every year, entrepreneurs turn their bold ideas into reality by establishing companies based on new technologies that improve our everyday life while taking care of the planet. Examples include:
The start-up PhiLabs SA uses innovative solutions in pediatric physiotherapy using a device called Phibox. It contains therapeutic exercises that, together with a set of mini-games controlled by the child’s motion, motivate them to exercise regularly. Regular exercises that the child willingly performs improve posture defects.
Another startup, Foodsi, pays particular attention to reducing food waste. By using the Foodsi application, you can buy (at prices with a discount of at least 50%!), fresh food from nearby restaurants, bakeries and shops. Thanks to this, the purchased food, as unsold production surplus, will be consumed and will not end up in the trash!
What will the future bring us?
It is assumed that in the education system it is necessary to carry out a digital evolution through slow implementation of changes adapting it to the challenges of the future. Educate teachers who will have the appropriate qualifications to prepare students for the technological revolution. Educated students, on the other hand, each year will be the next link in the chain of entrepreneurs implementing new technologies.
Educating young people who open their businesses and think innovatively by combining technology with ecology is extremely important. Entrepreneurs can receive support in business education determining how to develop their startup in order to succeed on the market with the help of various foundations. An example is the Youth Business Poland Foundation, which, by implementing assistance programs for young entrepreneurs, such as Young Entrepreneurs Succeed! supports them in the implementation of innovative ideas and in being competitive on the market.
Let’s consider what trends in 2023 are conducive to the development of companies? Young, novice entrepreneurs should prepare for the implementation of digital transformations by e.g. investing in automation, regular adaptation to the current market and customer requirements, investing in the concept of total experience (digital employee and customer experience), using enterprise intelligence (integration of systems that allows the use of data and building a company’s market advantage), care for digital security and which is crucial for us, running a business based on the assumptions of sustainable development.
