CEF Highlight of the Month: boosting digital skills with CEF Telecom

On the occasion of the 10^th anniversary the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Programme, we want to put the spotlight on projects supported by CEF-Telecom. 

Within the programme, the European Commission launched the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition as well as the European Platform for Digital Skills, supporting the connection of the infrastructures (e.g. website and tools) of the National Digital Skills and Jobs Coalitions. 

AI4GOV Master Programme in Artificial Intelligence for Public Services

The AI4Gov project addresses the need for an AI-literate workforce specifically trained for the public sector. The project created a master programme in artificial intelligence for public services, which integrates multi-disciplinary perspectives (e.g. Service Design, AI, Ethics, and Policy) to pioneer a new education approach. It also fosters the creation of an ecosystem that supports the broader European vision of promoting and developing Human-Centric AI.

In 2020, four European universities teamed up to establish the AI4Gov Master Programme in Artificial Intelligence for Public Services:

• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain);
• Politecnico di Milano (Italy);
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, (Germany); and 
• Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia).

In the first three editions (2021-2024), the AI4Gov Master Program successfully trained almost 120 participants from about 50 countries worldwide, including government officials, industry professionals, business and ICT consultants, and officials from European and international institutions.

The AI4Gov Master Program won the European Digital Skills Awards 2023 in the category ‘Digital Upskilling @ Work’  for representing innovative approach to higher education, combining the fields of AI, public services, and digital transformation. 

Interested to learn more about? Follow AI4GOV on LinkedIn and find video interviews and testimonials. 

Stay tuned for the next CEF Highlight of the Month!

Background

Connecting Europe Facility ‘Telecom’ (2014-2020) facilitated the cross-border interaction between public administrations, businesses and citizens, by deploying Digital Service Infrastructures (DSI) and broadband networks.

European master programmes on advanced digital skills like this one are financially supported by European Union programmes like Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Telecom and Digital Europe Programme and cover a wide range of innovative technologies (e.g. AI, cloud, quantum, digital twins, cybersecurity) as well as sectoral applications (e.g. health, construction, agriculture, SMEs, public services).