It is time to share some results from the implementation of the Digiskill - Retail Project, in which the Sofia City of Knowledge Cluster participates together with organizations from the EU. The lead partner in this project is the Central Office for Vocational Training in Retail eV. The project started in September 2022 and will end in August 2024. It aims to develop a toolkit to address the challenges of digital transformation in retail.

In particular, specific study units and e-learning modules are under development to be used to improve the digital competencies and skills of retail trainees and their trainers (digicompEDU).

After the launch of the Green Skills for Better Employability (DEGREBE) project, which actually took place at the beginning of 2022, there are already some interesting results achieved by the project partners. Recall that the goal of the project was to develop an innovative and digital educational package for Generation Z learners and their trainers.

The first result had to be visual online novels for students and young professionals who would use as a basis for a subsequent novels (story telling) already on their behalf and in their own way, entering and using the concept of green and transversal skills. The second planned result was a Training Manual for trainers to help them apply the gamification method in the teaching process.

One month ago, led by the University of DEUSTO, we completed one of the expected results of Project XD Media Hub, namely the Competence Self-assessment Tool. It is a questionnaire with which entrepreneurs and managers working in the media and creative industries can measure and optimize their skill set and knowledge. Anyone who has the patience to take this approximately 15 minute test will receive a quantitative assessment of the knowledge and skills required to work and/or do business in these industries. Undoubtedly, the final figure gives a synthetic answer about the level of measured competencies, although more important is the self-assessment process itself.

This short article is the result of a search for relevant sources that examine, describe and forecast the development of the creative industries. This, in turn, is motivated by our participation in the implementation of the XD Media Hub project under the Erasmus + Program, which is the object of the collective efforts of several international partners.

At its core, the article builds on the report  Creative Industry 4.0 - towards a new globalized creative economy, examining the implications for the creative economy of the rapid changes in automated technology and advanced internet communication that have come to be known as Industry 4.0.