Digital economy requires different skillsets says ITU

CBS 2018 participants explored how emerging trends in the field of ICT have changed human resource skills requirements for the digital economy and society, and the impacts of this on capacity building initiatives.

​​​​​​The 2018 ITU Global ICT Capacity Building Symposium (CBS-2018) took place 18-20 June 2018 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a special focus on “Developing Skills for the Digital Economy and Society.”

ICTs need to be integrated into national policies and in the implementation of development projects and activities and emphasised the importance of capacity building and skills development as an integral component of the digital agenda.

“Our increasingly digital world offers exciting new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities worldwide,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

“CBS-2018 provided a unique platform from which global decision-makers could explore the evolving human resource skills and knowledge necessary to harness the full potential of these opportunities – so that everyone, everywhere can benefit from these,” added Zhao.

“It is our collective responsibility to transform the workers of today into the work force of tomorrow through institutional and human capacity building,” said Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.

“In doing so, we will ensure that no one is left behind by technological advances and we will put the human being at the centre of the technological evolution. We will make technology work for people, by putting a human face to ICTs,” added Sanou.

CBS-2018 brought together ministers, regulatory authority heads, United Nations experts, company CEOs, representatives from universities and research institutions and ICT capacity building specialists.

The second issue of the Capacity Building in a Changing ICT Environment publication was presented at CBS-2018. It features contributions from international experts on the subject of skills development in a digital era. Its articles contribute to the ongoing discussions on how emerging technologies are transforming job markets, determining new skills sets requirements and driving the digital economy.