The Lifelong Learning Platform, in collaboration with EPALE, invited Sylvia Liuti (Gender Equality Expert and co-founder at FORMA.Azione srl) and Peter Palvolgyi (Chief Executive Officer at ALL DIGITAL), to discuss the role of digital skills in contemporary societies. The discussion kicks off with a focus on the opportunities presented by the digital transition and its impact on education providers as well as on learners. Particular attention is dedicated to the challenges of navigating a fast-changing sea, as well as to inclusion issues in this specific field. According to Eurostat, only 54% of adults aged 16-74 in Europe possess basic digital skills, and we clearly have a long road ahead if we are to meet the objectives of the Digital Decade. At the same time, the European Year of Skills offers the possibility to spotlight digital skills and transversal competences as key factors to empower citizens to actively participate in society. Experts discuss the risks of conflating education to its gateway to labour market participation alone; but recognise that in our fast-paced technological progress it has become indispensable to train attitudes and mindsets before hard, job-specific skills. Another point of discussion was the fact that adult participation in digital education and training, in media literacy (not to mention ICT) fields, is highly unbalanced between men and women. Leveraging on the renewed attention to digital skills and to the digital transition, education stakeholders must ask what opportunities for a truly balanced sector we are missing out on. The conversation developed spontaneously, all the while recognising that the spotlight on skills is an invaluable stage on which to build our future-proof education. EPALE_EU · EPALE Podcast - Digital Skills To Empower Citizens Read the full transcript of the podcast: epale.ec.europa.eu