Marta Amaral

Organizations increasingly seek graduates with strong digitalDigital competencies to drive innovation and sustainability initiatives aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGsSDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESGESG) principles. The presented study aims to assess organizations’ perceptions of new graduates’ digitalDigitalskillsSkills and compare them to theAssesses students students’ perceptions. The study results can be used to redesignRedesignacademic programsAcademic programs to better contribute to the promotion of SDGsSDGs and ESGESG. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining quantitative surveys, to assess students’ competencies, and focus groups with organization representatives regarding recent graduates’ digitalDigital competencies from the Portuguese Dynamic DigitalDigital Competence Framework. This includes Information Literacy, Communication and Citizenship, Content Creation, Security and Privacy, and Solutions Development. The focus groups delve into experiences with onboarding and training new hires, identifying gaps between curricula and organizations’ demands. The findings inform curricula revisions and pedagogical approaches to better equip graduates with the digitalDigitalskillsSkills and sustainability mindset required by modern organizations. This research recommends academic-industry collaboration to design programs promoting global sustainability goals aligned with industry needs. By bridging academic offerings and industry needs, universities can develop a workforce prepared to leverage technology for positive societal and environmental impact.