ŠAVŠ/TAČR Digital Czechia in a Digital Europe

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expert panel; (2) in the case of admission to the visa application program – usually takes 8 to 16 weeks. According to statistics, approximately every second applicant has a chance of success – out of 1,400 applications submitted to the visa program so far, 750 applicants have received a total of 50 different countries. A similar policy can also be found in Ireland, specifically in the ICT Skills Action Plan 2014–2018 13 . This plan, created in collaboration with the government (Ministry of Education and Skills, Ministry of Labor, Entrepreneurship and Innovation) and industry organizations, followed on from a plan from 2012, during which, among other things, 2,000 university graduates were recruited and retrained for ICT jobs. sector. The action plan for 2014–2018 13 combined two ways of recruiting new ICT professionals. First, the emphasis was on the education of experts from internal sources. Universities were provided with funds to open a total of 1,250 study positions focused on ICT education per year. The aim was to create a student “base” that will “produce” approximately 1,000 new ICT professionals per year from the end of 2018. This measure also included a systematic campaign aimed at promoting ICT disciplines and jobs. The second strategy was to attract top and talented ICT professionals to the country by providing work permits (up to 2,000 per year). 13 This initiative was also accompanied by a (international) promotional campaign disseminated through participation in foreign career and labor markets, the Internet, etc. A strong focus on recruiting new ICT professionals can be found in the Netherlands too (see source above – Dutch Digitalisation Strategy). 11 The research shows that in the Czech Republic it is possible to use both methods of acquiring new ICT experts – a visa- friendly foreign policy and investments in new university fields and subjects. The Danish Digital Growth Strategy for 2018–2025 (Strategy for Denmark’s digital Growth) includes an interesting and encouraging project aimed at attracting ICT experts from internal and external sources) 14 . It involves a so- called digital hub (Digital Hub Denmark) that should bring together private companies operating in Denmark, researchers, digital entrepreneurs and Danish students to develop new digital products, services and business models. On behalf of the government, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will participate in the “hub”. In addition to stimulating interest in digital technologies and fields of study among current and future university students, the “hub” should also attract foreign talent and investment to the country. 13 ICT SKILLS Action Plan, Government, Education and Industry working together to make Ireland a global leader in ICT talent 2014-2018, see https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/ ICT-Skills-Action-Plan-2014-2018.pdf. 14 Strategy for Denmark´s digital growth 2018-2025, see https://investindk.com/insights/the-danish- government-presents-digital-growth-strategy.