Digital Skills for an Inclusive Future

Major digital innovations facilitated by increased internet access have affected capacity building and skills development for the digital economy. Deploying digital technologies to learn, work and build skills has advanced the COVID-19 pandemic’s digital divide, exacerbating social and economic inequities. Having digital skills is becoming increasingly vital in order to take advantage of digitalization’s benefits and meet new work criteria.

A World Economic Forum research estimates that by 2022, 54% of the population would need major reskilling, with the need in emerging countries being much larger. Digital skills are not only necessary for adequate jobs, but also serve as a catalyst for social inclusion.

Against this backdrop, the LKDF Forum 2021 convened virtually on the 22nd of September, under the theme of Digital Skills for an Inclusive Future, to discuss how fostering digital skills in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will ultimately result in a more inclusive future for all. As part of the LKDF Forum, UNIDO, in cooperation with the European Training Foundation and WorldSkills International, hosted a virtual hackathon on the 23rd and 24th of September to build on the theme of the LKDF Forum 2020 edition Green Skills for a Sustainable Future and create the best green skills solution.

The official opening, by UNIDO Director General Li Yong and Director General Carin Jämtin of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), emphasized the importance of closing the digital divide and the fact that no one should be left behind in the transition to a greener, more digitized and more equitable society.

A series of speeches were delivered by nine high-level officials from recipient countries, the donor community, and UN sister organizations, stressing that the pandemic has exposed rather than created many of the challenges affecting skills development and calling on the global community to harness the Fourth Industrial Revolution to finally achieve a truly inclusive future of work.

A Theme Talk Session featuring industry leaders such as Cecilia Ugaz Estrada of UNIDO, David Hollands of HP, and Gori Yahaya of UpSkill Digital, explored the issues women and disadvantaged groups experience in gaining access to digital skills as well as approaches aimed at addressing digital inclusion.

Six sessions led by experts from businesses, intergovernmental organizations, and academia covered topics such as: anticipating skill needs, inclusive business innovation, and digitalization in inclusive education, workforces with diverse needs, re- and upskilling investments, and life-long learning motivation.

A call-to-action Closing Ceremony featured young leaders, emphasizing the need to make digital skills training open and accessible to all, as well as raising the topic of how the international community can help.

The Managing Director of UNIDO’s Directorate of Digitalization, Technology and Agribusiness, Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, urged the international community to take action to achieve an inclusive future for everyone and to contribute to Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Forum was a unique opportunity to provide a platform for action-oriented debates on potential solutions to reduce the job-skill mismatch, bridge the digital skills gap, and foster future collaborations.