The final Report of the Working Group of Education “Digital Skills for Life and Work” was launched in September 2017. It is the result of the Broadband Commission Working Group on Education, re-launched by the UNESCO’s Director-General, and joined by Intel’s Vice President of Government and Education as co-chair of the group. Broadband Commission for Digital Development was established by International Telecommunication Union and UNESCO in 2010 with the aim of boosting the importance of broadband on the international policy agenda, and expanding broadband access in every country as key to accelerating progress towards national and international development goals.
The Report examines how the Education sector can ensure that all people develop essential digital skills for life and work. It points out that broadband technologies can help accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but only if people know how to leverage them.
The Report directs special attention to the often-overlooked ‘soft’ skills required to thrive a technology-saturated world. It further offers a series of pointed policy recommendations and advises governments to maintain public involvement in digital skills development and redouble efforts to address inequalities in the provision of digital skills and competencies. A compendium of case studies illustrating successful examples of public and private sector working together in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America is included in the Report to ensure that all people have the skills and competencies they need to participate in the knowledge-based economy of the future.
Report of the Working Group on Education: Digital skills for life and work