Since 2022, UNU-MERIT has been active as a Training Centre of the ITU Academy (ITU being International Telecommunications Union, the UN’s specialised agency for information and communication technologies). Over the past two years, our institute has offered multiple online courses and in-person summer schools organised together with ITU in the fields of digital transformation and evidence-based data use for better policy making.
Last month, Dr. Mindel van de Laar (Head of our Capacity Development Office) attended the ITU Digital Skills Forum 2024 in Bahrain, on behalf of UNU-MERIT. The Forum is one of ITU’s core global events, bringing together its members and other stakeholders to discuss the key issues that must be addressed to ensure that universal digital skills can be achieved, as well as the closure of the global digital skills gap.
During a pre-Forum event on 16 September 2024, the ITU Academy Training Centre representatives held their annual meeting, in which course offerings, didactical improvements, and next year’s planning and developments were discussed.
The focus of this year’s ITU Digital Skills Forum (which took place 17-19 September 2024) was on ‘Developing skills for digital transformation’. The event brought together policymakers, practitioners, and experts from around the globe. Relevant themes - such as upskilling for the future, dealing with the digital divide and cooperation between the public and private sectors - were discussed. Dr. van de Laar presented in the session on ‘Digital and Green Skills’, highlighting that the ongoing twin (digitalisation and green) transition requires higher educational institutions to train not only degree students, but also working professionals – as we will need the current labour force to have up-to-date skills. That training needs to happen not only in the Global North, but also in the Global South, and will require universities to keep up with new developments by training their own academic staff.
As part of its activities as an ITU Academy Training Centre, UNU-MERIT is holding the following online courses in the upcoming months:
- Causes and Consequences of the Digital Divide
(registrations closed; course began on 28 October) - Economics of Innovation Applied to the Digital Sector
25 November – 19 December 2024 (registrations open until 5 November) - Causes and Consequences of the Digital Divide
January - February 2025 (registrations will open later this year)
To join our upcoming ITU course 'Economics of Innovation Applied to the Digital Sector', apply before Tuesday 5 November 2024!
This online, part-time learning opportunity will introduce the core theoretical and practical frameworks of innovation economics, with a special focus on digital innovation. Participants will learn how innovation emerges in today’s economies and its impact on the evolution of digitally driven sectors.
Learn more here.
