Boosting E-skills in European Higher Education Requires Political will at National Level
With 25% of adults in the European Union lacking the necessary digital skills to effectively use information and communication technologies, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published in autumn 2013, the European Commission is facing various challenges in order to bridge the competitive gap with the rest of the world, Euractiv reports. On top of the differences with third countries, broad disparities are found between EU member states themselves, the study showed with countries like Spain, Italy or Poland where almost one adult in five has no computer experience. Age disparities were also detected with high school pupils having sometimes better skills than higher education graduates. From the lack of access to digital equipment in schools and higher education institutions to the lack of access to open education resources and effective e-skills, the European Commission has identified a number of priorities for the coming years through its ‘Opening up Education’ strategy. Digital DivideA study by the Commission on ICT in education also showed dramatic results in EU countries: between 50% and 80% of students never use digital textbooks or exercise software while 70% of teachers are asking for training to improve their digital skills. And while more than 90% of pupils are likely to have internet access at school, the number drops to 45% in Croatia and Greece. In an attempt to reduce the digital divide looming over Europe, commissioners Neelie Kroes in charge of the digital agenda and Androulla Vassiliou, responsible for education, launched the joint long-term initiative…
UK has the Second Best Education in Europe
The UK is in second place among European countries for its education services, and sixth overall in the global education league table.
BMW on Track to hit Record Sales in 2014
BMW have reported that they are on track to hit record vehicle sales and pretax profit this year.
Alstom has “one offer on the table” says General Electric CEO
Further to our previous coverage, the CEO of General Electric says that Alstom has only “one offer on the table”, despite French president Francois Hollande’s calls for an improved bid. The French industrial engineering firm is facing a tough takeover battle with reports that Siemens could put in a bid for the unit. President Hollande urged GE to revise its $13.5 billion offer to Alstom’s energy arm and said the current bid “is not good enough”. However, Alstom’s CEO confirmed the group had only received one bid from GE, adding that it was indeed open to a rival offer. “We have today one offer on the table, this is the offer, the binding offer provided by General Electric,” Patrick Kron told CNBC in a television interview. “The board is studying it…Again, if there are new elements in these proposals, should it be an alternative offer, or precisions or improvements of existing ones, the board will consider it.” These comments come after the company scrapped its dividend and reported a 10 percent drop in orders for its full year end (March 31st)/ Net income also dropped 28 percent to 556 million euro’s for the full year, whilst operating profit fell by 3 percent to 1.4 billion euro’s. The French government has continued to push Siemens to put forward a rival offer for Alstom, but the German engineering giant’s CEO Joe Kaeser said that a decision to make a deal with “not be forced on us”. He said he had discussed the opportunities with the German Chancellor Angela…
Tesco to Launch Smartphone by the end of the Year
After the success of its Hudl tablet launched in 2013, the UK's biggest retailer, Tesco, is to release a Smartphone later this year.
EU Must End Landfilling, Says Top Environment Official
The European Union’s lead civil servant for the environment has called for a ban on landfilling and warned that separate collection is not enough if the EU is to improve its environmental performance.
New Horizons in International Goods Transport
Transparency, security and reliability of individual containers are factors that are incredibly difficult to verify in the world of international goods transport.
Russian Start-up Prixel Develop Painting-Copying Technology
Russian company Prixel has developed technology that allows copies of paintings that fully convey the texture of the artist’s brushstrokes to be printed at a cost of no more than $200.
French Government Pushes Double Merger between Alstom and Siemens
The French government has pushed a “double merger” between the energy and transport business of Alstom and its European arch-rival, the German engineering company Siemens.
UK Economy Shows Growth for Fifth Straight Quarter
For the fifth time in a row, Britain’s economy has expanded, although growth rates were still slightly lower than expected.
