These figures indicate that the programme has a strong immediate impact on participants, but its relatively open nature means that its full effects cannot yet be identified. Because of its innovative features and ambition to create structural and cultural changes, some of the desired outcomes are simply impossible to measure because they are as yet unknown – and unlikely to emerge over the relatively brief period for which Crescere in Digitale has run to date. This does not mean that these bold goals are not worth pursuing.
3.2 SPAIN (GOOGLE ACTÍVATE)
Spain ranks 10th in the DESI index, and is categorised as belonging to the ‘medium performance’ cluster of countries. However, despite recent improvements, its scores for ‘human capital’ remain slightly below the average, with a particular need for upskilling among established workers (European Commission 2018c). Following elections in 2016, the incoming Spanish government established a new Ministry for Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda (European Commission 2017d). This body has launched a consultation to develop an updated and more ambitious digital agenda, one pillar of which is improved digital skills. Key challenges identified include digital inclusion, upskilling, and digital entrepreneurship (European Commission 2018c). Overview Google Actívate is provided through a partnership between Google, the Spanish Ministry of Digital Agenda, five other partners including the EOI Business School (a public Foundation under the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness), and 29 universities across Spain. The programme is co-funded by Google and the Spanish Government. Its online platform offers massive open online courses (MOOCs)10 in eight key topic areas for the digital economy. These are open to any Spanish-language learners, and are accessed throughout Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin America. About 72 per cent of participants choose this online option, while 28 per cent study offline through workshops and mentoring. Among these eight courses is the Digital Transformation for Employment programme, which has three phases: 1. a 40-hour MOOC in ‘digital transformation’, fully open 2. for 400 young people registered with the government’s Youth Guarantee Scheme,11 the option of joining personalised tutorials (online and face-to-face) 3. for 160 young people, an offer of short-term employment where they can put their learning into practice. A face-to-face option, offering the same content as the MOOC, is available through the programme’s higher education partner institutions. This offers 40 hours of classes, which can be taken in various flexible formats at different locations. About 14 per cent of participants learn offline. Background Google Actívate is one of several Grow with Google programmes that currently run in Spain. Since its establishment in 2014, more than 1.2 million participants have enrolled in Spain, plus a further 2.3 million in Latin America. It was originally founded in response to a warning from the then European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who called on Spain to address the possibility of high 10 11
A MOOC is an interactive online programme of learning offered to a worldwide audience with no selection process or fee. Study can usually be self-directed and flexible, and materials generally include video tutorials, text and interactive text, exercises and quizzes. Some MOOCs include a final certificated assessment. This programme is partly funded by the EU.
IPPR | Building the workforce of the future Learning from Grow with Google
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