Abstract:

The accelerated digital transformation of the labour market creates new requirements for digital skills that are not fully reflected in existing frameworks such as DigComp. Young People Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs) are increasingly expected to demonstrate practical, directly applicable digital skills that relate to everyday workplace functioning. These emerging skills include effective navigation of organisational online platforms, the use of cloud-based services, familiarity with integrated digital workflows and – increasingly – the ability to formulate basic AI prompts to support routine tasks and improve work efficiency. Although these skills are now essential in many sectors, they remain only loosely or partially described in existing digital-skills frameworks, which tend to prioritise broader conceptual categories rather than applied workplace abilities.

This study examines how contemporary labour-market needs shape the emerging digital skills required from NEETs and how participation in Vocational Education and Training (VET) contributes to the development of such skills. A structural equation model (SEM) is employed, including three latent variables: perceived labour-market demand for new digital skills, engagement during training, and self-reported acquisition of emerging digital skills. The study involved 322 NEET participants from Greece and Cyprus who attended structured VET programmes.

The findings show that perceived labour-market demand strongly influences engagement in training, while increased engagement is directly associated with the development of practical digital skills that extend beyond what existing frameworks typically cover. A small but stable direct effect from labour-market demand to skill levels was also observed, suggesting that understanding employer expectations acts as an independent motivational driver for skill development.

Overall, the results indicate that VET programmes can function as a crucial alignment mechanism between real labour-market needs and the emerging digital skills NEETs are required to develop. The study highlights the importance of updating training provision so that it integrates directly applicable and workplace-oriented digital skills, thereby supporting smoother transitions into employment and responding more effectively to the needs of modern labour markets.

Keywords:

AI prompting skills, emerging workforce needs, NEET training pathways, practical digital skills, VET participation.