Slovakia - Digital Skills Strategy

Overview

The National Strategy for Digital Skills of the Slovak Republic and the Action Plan 2023–2026 (NSDZaAP) is a government-adopted framework setting national objectives, priority areas and concrete actions to build digital competences across the whole of society between 2023 and 2026. The strategy was approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic on 14 December 2022 and forms part of the national digital policy ecosystem alongside the Digital Transformation Strategy 2030, the Action Plan for the Digital Transformation of Slovakia 2023–2026 and the Recovery and Resilience Plan. It sets out six priority headings—governance, ICT specialists, young people and educators, the active workforce, women and girls in ICT, and reducing digital exclusion—and includes a detailed action plan with responsible implementers and timelines. The strategy explicitly links to EU-level goals and monitoring mechanisms (DESI and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform) and is available in Slovak on the Ministry website and in an English-language version hosted by the Digital Coalition. Government meeting materials and resolution; MIRRI strategy page. ([hsr.rokovania.sk](https://hsr.rokovania.sk/0997462022odptms-001/?csrt=915331740757097306))

Definitions

Key terms used in the NSDZaAP include: "digital skills" (competences ranging from basic digital literacy to advanced ICT specialist abilities), "ICT specialists" (professionals with advanced digital and technical skills supporting the digital economy), "digital inclusion" (measures to avoid exclusion of seniors, disadvantaged socio-economic groups and remote regions), "upskilling/reskilling" (programmes to upgrade existing workforce skills), and "gestor" or implementing manager (the entity assigned responsibility for delivery of a specific measure). The document frames skills development across levels (basic, intermediate, advanced, expert) and maps them to educational stages, workforce needs and lifelong learning pathways. The strategy also adopts EU-aligned terminology for monitoring (DESI indicators, national skills metrics) and references national legal instruments relevant to public administration and data handling.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The NSDZaAP establishes an institutional coordination model led by the Ministry responsible for informatization (MIRRI) and the Deputy Prime Minister / Minister in charge of informatization, with mandatory involvement of other ministries (finance; labour, social affairs and family; education, science, research and sport; interior), the Office of the Government and regional/local authorities. The government resolution (approved 14 December 2022) formally assigns responsibilities: ministries and public bodies are required to implement assigned measures and report on progress. The strategy envisions inter‑ministerial cooperation mechanisms, stakeholder councils and partnership frameworks (including the national Digital Coalition) to engage academia, employers, NGOs and training providers in governance and delivery. The strategy requires designated "gestors" for each action and links project management to existing funding channels (national programmes, EU funds and Recovery and Resilience allocations). For the official government record and the list of assigned responsibilities see the Government "rokovania" dossier and the MIRRI publication. Rokovania—material attachments; MIRRI: Digital Skills strategy. ([hsr.rokovania.sk](https://hsr.rokovania.sk/0997462022odptms-001/?csrt=915331740757097306))

Key Focus Areas

The NSDZaAP sets out six main chapters and cross-cutting priorities: 1) Governance & institutional capacity—establishing clear leadership, monitoring and stakeholder engagement; 2) ICT specialists—incentivising study and employment in ICT fields, creating pathways from education to industry and addressing an identified shortage of specialists; 3) Young people and educators—integrating digital competences into curricula and supporting teacher training; 4) Active labour market participants—scaling up upskilling and reskilling programmes targeted at workers and SMEs; 5) Women and girls in ICT—programmes and outreach to improve gender balance in ICT professions; 6) Reducing digital exclusion—actions for seniors, remote and disadvantaged communities to increase basic and intermediate digital literacy. Cross-cutting themes include cybersecurity education, AI awareness, data protection and digital ethics, infrastructure access, and targeted incentives for regional development. The action plan pairs each focus area with concrete measures, timelines and named gestors: measures include national training campaigns, voucher schemes and partnerships with the private sector, development of modular curricula and teacher support, targeted outreach to underrepresented groups, and monitoring aligned to DESI indicators. The strategy intentionally maps actions to existing national and EU funding instruments to enable implementation at scale and sustainment beyond the plan period. ([digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu](https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en/actions/national-initiatives/national-strategies/slovakia-national-digital-skills-strategy-slovak))

Implementation Framework

Implementation is structured around assigned gestors, timelines for each measure and periodic reporting. The government resolution requires all responsible bodies to carry out measures until 31 December 2026 and submit annual information on fulfilment (including update proposals) by 30 June each year to the Deputy Prime Minister / Minister responsible for informatization; an annual implementation brief must also be presented to the Government by 30 September each year (until 2027). Project management responsibilities are allocated to ministries and public agencies, with recommended engagement of local governments, education institutions and private partners for delivery. The strategy emphasises blended delivery (online/offline), modular and stackable training offers, validation of prior learning, and use of digital platforms and national learning resources. It also prescribes alignment of curricula and assessment methods with labour market needs and EU frameworks. For implementation detail and the list of gestors, consult the action plan annexes in the official material. Rokovania attachments (action plan). ([hsr.rokovania.sk](https://hsr.rokovania.sk/0997462022odptms-001/?csrt=915331740757097306))

Monitoring and Evaluation

The NSDZaAP defines monitoring and evaluation through regular reporting cycles, assigned data collection responsibilities and the use of both national indicators and EU benchmarks (notably DESI). Annual information on progress is required by 30 June each year to the Deputy Prime Minister / Minister for informatization, while an annual report to the Government is required by 30 September each year (through 2027). The strategy foresees performance indicators mapped to outcomes (number of retrained/upskilled individuals, number of new ICT graduates, teacher training completion rates, participation of women and disadvantaged groups, reduction in digital exclusion metrics) and recommends periodic review and recalibration of measures based on monitoring results. External stakeholder feedback (private sector, academia, NGOs) and alignment with EU monitoring mechanisms are integral to evaluation. ([hsr.rokovania.sk](https://hsr.rokovania.sk/0997462022odptms-001/?csrt=915331740757097306))

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

The NSDZaAP is a strategic policy instrument and the implementing government resolution primarily imposes administrative obligations (implementation of measures, reporting, coordination). The resolution itself does not establish criminal sanctions or specific fines for non-performance; instead, non-compliance may result in administrative consequences such as withdrawal or reallocation of programme funding, reputational and accountability impacts, and corrective governance measures administered through ministerial oversight. Where specific funding agreements or public procurement instruments are used to deliver actions, failure to perform may trigger contractual remedies available under public finance, grant agreements or procurement rules. Parties implementing curriculum or training measures must also comply with applicable national legislation on education, public administration and data protection, including GDPR obligations for personal data processed in training and monitoring. Government resolution text (obligations and reporting). ([hsr.rokovania.sk](https://hsr.rokovania.sk/0997462022odptms-001/?csrt=915331740757097306))

Relationship to Other Instruments

The strategy explicitly references and builds upon multiple national and EU instruments: the Digital Transformation Strategy 2030, the Action Plan for Digital Transformation of Slovakia 2023–2026, the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the National Lifelong Learning Strategy, and education sector plans (including the Program for Informatization of Education to 2030). It is designed to be operationally compatible with EU frameworks (DESI, Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, Digital Decade targets) and complements sectoral initiatives (labour, education, social inclusion). The NSDZaAP assigns gestors and indicates linkages to financing streams to ensure coherence and reduce duplication; annexes in the action plan map measures to these related instruments. MIRRI strategy page. ([mirri.gov.sk](https://mirri.gov.sk/sekcie/informatizacia/digitalna-transformacia/narodna-strategia-digitalnych-zrucnosti-slovenskej-republiky/))

International Alignment

The NSDZaAP aligns Slovakia’s national priorities with EU-level objectives (DESI targets, the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, Digital Decade objectives) and references OECD analyses used during development. The strategy notes cooperation with EU programmes, mutual learning activities, and integration of EU indicators into national monitoring. International alignment is intended to facilitate access to EU funding mechanisms (e.g., ESF+, Digital Europe Programme) and to ensure Slovakia’s skills ecosystem remains interoperable with regional labour markets and qualification frameworks. The EU Digital Skills and Jobs Platform lists both the Slovak strategy and public links to English-language materials for international stakeholders. EU Digital Skills & Jobs Platform entry. ([digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu](https://digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu/en/actions/national-initiatives/national-strategies/slovakia-national-digital-skills-strategy-slovak))

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References