On 14-15 December 2023, the ASIIN European Informatics Conference brought together thought leaders, education and industry experts in Valencia to discuss the future of informatics education in Europe and how to address the skills shortage without compromising on quality. The conference was organised in collaboration with partners CEPIS (Council of European Professional Informatics Societies), DIGITALEUROPE and EQANIE (European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education) and brought together a wide range of participants, including representatives from the international business community, employers' associations, national and international higher education communities, policy stakeholders, quality management staff from higher education institutions and representatives from international quality assurance agencies and accreditation bodies.

The conference addressed the pressing challenges facing the IT sector, which is severely affected by a shortage of specialists and skilled labour. More than half of European companies are currently struggling to fill vacancies with trained specialists - a trend that is likely to intensify in the coming years. At the same time, the educational landscape in the fields of computer science and information technology is developing rapidly and changing the traditional education markets.

The focus was on how these challenges can be addressed, whether harmonisation of computer science education at a European and global level can be a solution, whether new education providers can replace traditional computer science studies and how computer science education can adapt to new needs and trends such as artificial intelligence, data science and big data while maintaining a high standard of quality in higher education.

With the participation of key European and global stakeholders from academia and industry, the conference aimed to analyse the state of European computer science education and present different ideas and approaches to solve the identified problems. It discussed the potential benefits of new quality standards in computer science education, the role of clear recognition systems in promoting academic and professional mobility of students and graduates, and how alternative learning programmes can revolutionise and complement computer science education without compromising quality. New ways were explored for the European computer science community to join forces and work together to tackle current challenges and work towards common goals.