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ICT4EMPL: Literature review on employability, inclusion and ICT

‘Employability’ is a longstanding yet contested concept, albeit one that has come to the forefront of policy and theoretical debates at local, regional, national and international levels relatively recently. ‘Employability’ formed one of the four original pillars of the European Employment Strategy from 1997. It has remained an important goal for the revised European Employment Strategy from 2003, it was a precondition for the targets set out in the Lisbon Strategy 2000-2010, and is expected to play an important role in achieving the targets related to employment and education and social targets in the EUROPE 2020 strategy.

The overall purpose of the study is to extract from the literature reliable evidence about how and under which conditions ICT can enhance the employability of sub-groups of the population considered to be at risk of exclusion (including migrants, young people and older people/mature age workers). A further objective of the project is to identify examples of ‘good practice’ in the application of ICT promoting employability. The study involves:

  • a review of the literature on employability;
  • a review of the literature concerned with the ways in which ICT can influence employability;
  • the creation of a database of best practice examples of how ICT can be used to support or enhance employability;
  • a review of selected secondary data sets.

The review will help IPTS, in conjunction with leading researchers in the field through a stakeholder workshop, to identify research gaps and challenges, and define a programme for developing further research and evidence for policy support.

Outputs published by Institute for Prospective Technological Studies, Joint Research Centre, European Commission:

  1. Green A, de Hoyos M, Barnes S-A, Owen D, Baldauf B and Behle H. (2013) Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Report 1: The Concept of Employability, with a Specific Focus on Young People, Older Workers and Migrants. View Report 1
  2. de Hoyos M, Green A, Barnes S-A, Behle H, Baldauf B and Owen D. (2013) Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Report 2: ICT and Employability. View Report 2
  3. Behle, H., Barnes, S-A., Baldauf, B. Owen, D., Green, A. and de Hoyos, M. (2012) Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Report 3: Database of example practices of how ICT can support employability for young people, older people and migrants. View Report 3
  4. Owen, D., Baldauf, B. and Behle, H. (2012) Literature Review on Employability, Inclusion and ICT, Report 4: Review of available data sets on employability and ICT. View Report 4

Project team:

Anne Green, Principal Investigator

Maria de Hoyos

Beate Baldauf

Sally-Anne Barnes

Heike Behle

David Owen

Project duration:

2011-2012

Project funder:

Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), a European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

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