Categories:
- 66% of the Spanish population has basic digital skills
- We must evolve towards multi-format and social learning models that foster critical thinking
Published by El Economista
By: Ainhoa Marcos, VP Education & Public Sector ODILO
Spain has made notable progress in the digitalization of public services, companies, and production processes. In a few years, procedures that previously required in-person attendance are now resolved from a mobile phone, a website, or an application. However, this progress coexists with a structural challenge that, as a country, we cannot ignore: a significant part of the citizenry does not have the necessary skills to function autonomously in this new digital reality.
According to the European Commission’s 2025 State of the Digital Decade Report, 66% of the Spanish population has basic digital skills, a figure that places Spain above the European average. Even so, the report itself points out that significant gaps persist depending on age and socioeconomic context, especially among older people and certain vulnerable groups. Digital transformation is advancing, but not at the same speed for everyone.
In this challenge, artificial intelligence acts as the great equalizer. By applying it to learning, we can offer a hyper-personalization that breaks the barriers of the digital divide: technology is already capable of understanding a user’s starting level and recommending the content and format that best adapt to their capacity, avoiding frustration and ensuring that no one is left behind due to a lack of prior skills.
This context has broadened the meaning of lifelong learning. For years, lifelong learning has been linked almost exclusively to the corporate sphere and employability. Today, that vision is clearly insufficient. Learning is no longer just a demand of the labor market, but also a condition for participating fully in social and administrative life. From requesting a medical appointment to operating digital banking, understanding an electronic notification, or interacting with public services, basic digital skills have become a new form of literacy.
The data clearly shows this reality. According to the European Union’s Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, over 83% of Spanish youth aged 16 to 24 have basic digital skills, while this percentage drops to around 33% among the population aged 65 to 74. This generational gap, which is not only technological, matters on a social level and has direct implications for the autonomy and inclusion of a relevant part of the population.
Aware of this challenge, we do see how Spanish public administrations have gradually placed lifelong learning and digital training at the center of their policies. The need to continue training is also perceived by the working population. According to official data published in the report “Indicators of Artificial Intelligence Use in Spain 2024” (2025 Edition), from the ONTSI (National Observatory of Technology and Society), 78% of workers in Spain consider that their company should offer training in digital technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Data that reflects that the demand for learning responds to public policies and a growing awareness, on the part of citizens themselves, of the importance of continuously updating knowledge.
This paradigm shift forces us to rethink how access to knowledge is articulated. Digitalization, by itself, does not guarantee inclusion. When not accompanied by accessible and adapted training, it can become a new factor of inequality. Conversely, when supported by flexible and people-centered learning models, technology becomes a powerful tool for social cohesion.
The true success of digitalization lies not in the citizen knowing how to access a tool, but in their development of a constant learning habit. For this, we must evolve towards multi-format and social learning models that foster critical thinking and turn access to information into a motivating and recurrent experience, integrating training into the citizen’s day-to-day life.
In this scenario, collaboration between public administrations and companies with a social focus is key. Institutions need allies capable of offering scalable, personalized, and accessible learning solutions that make it possible to reach diverse audiences and respond to very different needs. Digital learning platforms and projects aimed at democratizing access to knowledge are playing an increasingly relevant role in this ecosystem.
Lifelong learning has become a social and economic policy. An educated citizenry is a more autonomous citizenry, better prepared to adapt to change, and more capable of participating actively in public life. In a country like Spain, with an increasingly diverse and aging population, investing in lifelong learning is a strategic investment in cohesion and competitiveness.Public administrations have before them the opportunity to lead this transformation. It is not enough to acquire content; the goal must be to provide society with intelligent and scalable learning solutions that allow measuring the real impact on employability and citizen well-being, transforming entire regions through the democratization of top-quality knowledge.