The aim of the National Plan for Digital Skills is to provide a roadmap, in order to identify the measures needed (on a national, regional and local level) to ensure that all citizens have access to relevant resources so they can acquire and develop digital skills. The National Plan for Digital Skills of Spain was launched  by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez in 2021 together with 2 other National Digitalisation plans: the Digitalisation of SMEs Plan 2021-2025 and the Digitalisation of the Public Authorities Plan. The different digitalisation strategic plans are launched within the context of the Digital Spain Agenda 2025. 

Objectives and aims 

The National Plan for Digital Skills - Spain addresses a variety of challenges related to digital inclusion, access to technology, and lifelong learning for all. It aims to address these by: 

• Ensuring no Spanish citizen is left behind and promoting inclusion in the digital world.
• Bridging the gender digital divide, through actions aimed at increasing the number of women studying, graduating and working in the information and communication technology (ICT) field.
• Supporting the acquisition of adequate digital skills for education, among teachers and students, and at all levels of the education system.
• Fostering the development of more advanced digital skills amongst the working population. 
• Ensuring that Spanish companies in general, and specifically small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), have sufficient digital skills and access to a skilled talent pool of qualified workforce, in order to manage the impact of the digital transformation. 

The Plan sets out seven lines of action and sixteen measures, aimed at improving digital skills in seven different areas. The focus areas operate within the framework of the 4 pillars set forward by the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition: digital skills for all citizens, digital skills in education, digital skills for the labour force, and digital skills for ICT professionals and other digital experts. 

Areas of focus 

• Digital inclusion and access to digital services and tools amongst the general population and workforce in Spain. 
• Bridging the gender digital divide and promoting women's career development in the ICT field. 
• Promoting the development of digital skills for teachers and students at all levels of the education system and fostering digital skills in education, as well as fostering: 
  • Digital skills for the working population, Spanish companies and SMEs in particular. 
  • Digital skills for workers in the public sector.  
  • More advanced digital skills for professionals already employed within the ICT sector. 
• Expanding the talent pool of ICT experts to match increasing demand. 
• Ensuring the availability (and access to) sufficient and high-quality training resources on a national level to proactively address the need for digital specialists in economic sectors, considered key to national productivity. 

The full text of the National Plan for Digital Skills - Spain is available in PDF format in Spanish.