Abstract:

Digital skills and competences must be accessible to all citizens of all ages and backgrounds. Every school, every education and training institution must take due account of the risks and opportunities presented by technology. Digital competences are becoming an essential element for the successful integration of graduates from graduate, formal education into the current labour market. With the dynamically changing labour market environment, the digital transformation of enterprises, it is important to assess the digital competences of secondary and higher education graduates in terms of their relevance and readiness for jobs. Digital competencies, skills and knowledge are key success factors for graduates in their job search and their success in the work environment. The digital transformation has resulted in increased demands for digital skills in new employees. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to improve the digital readiness of education and training systems in terms of resilience, accessibility, high quality and inclusiveness. The Digital Decade commitment also sets the EU a target of 80% of the population aged 16-74 to have at least basic digital skills by 2030. Employers are looking for graduates with the ability to work effectively with digital tools and technologies, as well as the ability to adapt to new digital environments.

Businesses are often faced with a lack of digital skills among graduates. Many industries require specific technical skills such as programming, data analysis, working with software, etc., which many graduates do not have. This can lead to the need for further training during employment. Businesses and employers assess graduates' digital literacy using a variety of methods, including surveys, tests and face-to-face interviews. These assessments often focus on graduates' ability to solve problems using digital tools, their ability to adapt to new technologies, and their ability to communicate and collaborate effectively in a digital environment. Although graduates may have some level of digital competency, most businesses recognise the need to provide further training in digital skills for their employees. It is important to focus on education and training needs with regard to digital transformation and to take action at all levels of education.

Based on a quantitative research conducted among 550 employers, a detailed analysis of the collected data, scientific methods, the paper assesses the acquired digital skills, competencies of graduates of formal education, identifies the level of achieved digital competencies of graduates from the perspective of employers, presents the employers' perspective on the need to educate students during formal education, and highlights the need for postgraduate and lifelong learning in the field of digital technologies. The originality of the scientific article lies in presenting the employers' perspective, on the digital skills of graduates. The assessment of graduates' digital competencies from the employers' perspective is crucial for their success and successful integration into the modern work environment.

Keywords:

Digital transformation, skills, digital literacy, education, digital competencies.