"<< Background >>Although many companies are currently in the process of digital transformation, many managers do not feel sufficiently prepared for the upcoming changes. Studies show that the necessary digitalisation skills are not available in many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (IUBH Internationale Hochschule 2020; KFW Research Fokus Volkswirtschaft 2020). Digital competence is the ability to deal constructively with the challenges posed by digitalisation. Digital competence is one of the most important asset for companies and their employees in the coming years. Digital competences (Stifterverband 2020) include, among others:•Technological competences such as in the areas of data analysis, intelligent hardware-software systems, cloud technologies, AI.•Basic digital skills such as digital literacy (basic digital skills such as use of common software), digital interaction, digital collaboration, digital learning and digital ethics.•Classic skills such as creativity, initiative, adaptability (""getting involved in technological"" developments), perseverance, modern methods for corporate planning and development of products, customer-centred thinking, agile working.The digitalisation not only demands the acquisition of digital skills, it also involves new work and learning models as well as innovative approaches to problem-solving and decision-making in companies, which play a role at all management levels. DIGIGEN focuses on this challenges as well as the professional career guidance counselling in this field by HR practitioners and career counsellors. The necessity of the project and the concentration on women in management positions is partly due to the demand of the European Parliament in 2016, which has urged the Commission and the Member States to use the full potential of digitalisation to promote the empowerment of women (cp. European Parliament, 04/2016). Due to its nature, women in management positions have varied needs. DIGIGEN will identify the digital needs of this target group. The required high level of digital competence must be able to adapt flexibly to organisational challenges as well as to individual leadership styles and personality variables. Very important is the professional career guidance of women in management positions in the field of digital competences by HR practitioners and career counsellors. There are many calls for up-skilling programmes for managers, but also a large number of programmes available. In essence, these programmes ‘fail’ because it does not approach from clearly defined competences, experience, abilities, values and strengths of future-fit female leaders. Furthermore, there is not enough professional counselling for managers and companies, especially in qualification counselling and competence development.For this reason, DIGIGEN will develop, test and evaluate a holistic and scientifically up-skilling programme for HR practitioners and career counsellors, that will include the didactic basis, modules and materials to conduct trainings via different channels (face-to-face and ICT based). The direct target group of the project are HR practitioners and career counsellors. The indirect target group are women in management positions who need and ask special digital skills. They are the most beneficiary group of DIGIGEN. The project results can be integrated into HRM in companies, career and coaching services, PES or institutions for further training. Here, the requirements of the companies have to be taken into account (e.g. by theory of work adjustment). To achieve this, however, conventional hierarchically oriented career models must be questioned (Fischer, Häusling 2018). DIGIGEN follows this systemic approach by critically evaluating digitalisation requirements in terms of their responsiveness to the individual conditions of female leaders in their respective corporate and private environments and integrating them into counselling concepts.<< Objectives >>1. Target group and topic-related professional career guidance:Our many years of experience in national and international projects show that such counselling approaches for women in management positions in the field of digital competence do not yet exist in career guidance. For this reason, the main objective of DIGIGEN is developing, piloting and evaluating an up-skilling programme for guidance professionals. All project partners have also clearly confirmed the need to develop an up-skilling programme for HR practitioners and career counsellors. Based on career development and counselling theories, counselling approaches for women in management positions are to be integrated into the programme, which make it possible to offer professional counselling. Here, the counsellors must be able to recognize the individual life plans and personality traits of this target group with a view to digital competences and to include them in the counselling process.2. Improving the personal career chances of women in management positions through professional counselling and satisfying the strong need for professional counselling:Women in management positions would benefit from knowing which competencies and capabilities are required to navigate the future world of work. The professional counselling will be available to aid these individuals to develop and grow the competencies required to be effective managers in the current and future world of work. In this way, career mobility between institutions and industries would be more easily possible for female leaders. With respect to the stated diversity, DIGIGEN will aid in constructing a talent management strategy for women. 3. Cooperation between Higher Education Institutions (HEI) and companies (resp. representatives of companies):Seven project partners from four countries – HEI and companies (resp. representatives of companies) from Germany, the Netherlands and Hungary as well as an IT and eLearning specialist from Lithuania – are involved. The project will establish a new partnership between HEIs and companies. As an increasing number of HEI and further training institutions offer special services for counsellors, and companies need concepts to promote digital skills of women in management positions, both sides can profit from each other.4. Transnational exchange and cooperation between partners:The European Parliament underlined that the Member States should inform each other about and exchange best practices in order to promote women's participation in digital developments and their career prospects on a Europe-wide basis (cf. European Parliament, 04/2016). The partnership DIGIGEN promotes an active exchange of experiences and good practices between universities and companies on an European level. The participating organizations can lead to find a solution based on the similarities and differences in partner countries. The professional experience of partners could contribute to high quality level outputs. Especially the combination of the competences and standards, elaborated in previous European Projects in career guidance (i.e. BrainDrain-BrainGain (LdV), InCounselling50+ (ERASMUS)), and internationally used HR approaches and tools generates innovation and enables the transfer of previous outcomes of EU-funded projects into a new innovative context.<< Implementation >>DIGIGEN has a project duration of three years and includes five overaching work packages (WP) to achieve the project objectives. The individual WP build on each other.WP1: Competence profiling.In a first step, the project will carry out comprehensive national literature reviews as well as an analysis of the target groups’ needs, requirements, wishes and preferences. The aim is to design profiles for digital skills for women in management positions, which will form the starting point for the development of an up-skilling programme for HR practitioners and career counsellors. WP2: Up-skilling programme (concept, curriculum, resource package).Based on the outcomes of the literature review and analysis (competence profiling), this WP aims to develop an overarching concept that provides the didactical framework and the basis for the construction of the curriculum and the resource package that includes a trainer guide, PPT slides and material for participants. The curriculum contains five modules in particular: Career development theories and digitalisation, digital skills for women in management positions, qualification offers and skills acquisition, work and learning models, target group-oriented counselling approaches (operative theories).WP3: Piloting and face-to-face trainings.This WP focuses on piloting and implementing face-to-face-trainings on a national level. Based on the WP2 (concept, curriculum and especially resource package), the partners will hold each one pilot course in Germany, Hungary and the Netherlands. Each pilot training will be evaluated. Evaluation outcomes will contribute to optimise the concept and material. Finally, in each partner country two face-to-face-trainings will be held.WP4: Web portal and self-directed online course.WP 4 will develop, test and implement a user-friendly web portal for presenting the project and for using online platform for trainers/teachers. Furthermore, HR practitioners and career counsellors working with women in management positions who need digital competences can use a self-directed online course (SDC). The resource package will be made available online in a trainers section of the project’s web portal. The online course aims to provide additional resources that can be used by participants of the face-to-face courses. At the same time HR practitioners and career counsellors who have not participated at the course can use it as a stand-alone resource.WP5: Project Management.This WP includes the programme and finance management as well as the sustainability management. As a part of the project’s sustainability strategy, the partners will provide recommendations on how to adapt the outcomes and reports on work in progress of DIGIGEN to other contexts. To support the country-specific adaption of the project’s results recommendations will be provided on the project’s elements, which are adaptable. As customizable elements can be seen the basic features of the counselling concept (modules, trainings, manual, self-directed online course). DIGIGEN also promotes extensive dissemination measures at local, regional, national and EU-level. This also includes multiplier events that are organised and carried out in all partner countries.<< Results >>DIGIGEN will provide the following important results in particular with regard to the project objectives and outcomes:•An scientific based, accreditable, field-tested and adaptable up-skilling programme for HR practitioners and career counsellors based on current international standards. Accreditation of the programme is not planned during the project; however, this can be applied for by the using organisations in the respective countries.•Expanding specific counselling competences of HR practitioners and career counsellors in the topic ""digital competences and career development of women in management positions"".•Free available and high-quality materials (training materials, trainers' guides, participants' manuals, online platforms for trainers).•Free available and high-quality self-direct online course for HR practitioners and career counsellors to deepen and review existing knowledge.•Creating the basis for offering counselling services related to the target group of women in management positions. This results in professional counselling for this target group with regard to digital competences and professional career development. It is an important contribution, to promote the gender equality and equal opportunities issue and to support this target group in learning digital skills. This is an elementary demand of the EU commission.•Recommendations for use the project results in other countries and future projects (sustainability strategy). Within the framework of DIGIGEN it is imaginable that its products (such as the programme concept, the modules of the curriculum, the resource package and the innovative conception of SDC) will be transferred to new contexts for instance other countries, companies and associations.•Extensive dissemination of the project results at local, regional, national and EU level to inform many organisations and networks about the project and to point out the benefits of training HR practitioners and career counsellors (e.g. publications, lectures, social media, networks, website, flyers, brochures, multiplier events, trainings, integration of results into existing qualification programmes)•Promoting transnational professional cooperation between the project partners and intensifying relations, also with a view to joint follow-up projects."