The development of digital competence is not limited to students but also extends to the teaching profession. Teachers must have a strong grasp of digital technologies to effectively integrate them into their pedagogical approaches and serve as role models for their students. This necessity is underscored by research demonstrating that teachers' confidence in their digital competencies significantly influences their teaching effectiveness and, consequently, their students' learning outcomes, highlighting the mutual reinforcement between educators' abilities and students' academic success in digital environments.

Studies indicate that, as teachers cultivate their digital competencies, they are better equipped to foster innovative learning environments that actively engage students, thereby bridging the gap between technology and meaningful educational experiences (Cook et al., 2023; Gómez-Pablos et al., 2022). The integration of digital tools into teaching practices enables educators to create more interactive and collaborative learning experiences that have been shown to significantly increase student motivation and achievement in various educational contexts.

In this perspective, the digital skills are actually coming to complement the pedagogical ones, being relevant only in correlation, with the specification that the pedagogical competences are evolving in tandem with the new educational realities (Phillips & Fisser, eds. 2023) and are nurtured within favourable institutional contexts. In a study from 2018, Konst & Scheinin explored the implications of a changing world on the teaching profession, especially in higher education. Their research is related to the implementation and evaluation of a training programme focused on innovation pedagogy, deployed in the Turku University of Applied Sciences in Finland, emphasizing the need for teaching staff to adapt to new teaching methods and collaborative practices to enhance learning outcomes and better prepare students for future work environments. The conclusions highlighted the importance of several adjacent aspects such as: growth mindset development (promoting reflection, dialogue, and self-development), collaboration and co-teaching (creating forums for academic staff to collaborate and share ideas, leading to improved team spirit and increased co-teaching practices), curriculum changes (the shift to a module-based curriculum that emphasizes working-life relevance, built through co-planning and co-teaching among different disciplines), long-term change process (changes in education are gradual and involve multiple areas, including strategic approaches, institutional support, curriculum design, and learning environments).

Overall, whilst recognising the necessity for continuous professional development and innovative teaching practices to meet the evolving demands of education and the labour market, the initiatives aiming to improve teachers’ digital skills are successful where a series of conditions are met: a favourable climate in the educational institution(s), a long term digitalisation strategy, strong emphasis on the pedagogical integration and educational use, availability of digital resources, equipment, and technical support. More often than not, the most effective teacher training is the one that is relevant and meaningful for them, coming to fulfil their educational goals (Reyes & Cruz, 2021; González et al., 2023; Grassinger et al., 2022). Therefore, the digital competences development should rather be an integrative part of pedagogical and subject-matter training.