Understanding Digital Inclusion

The ETF’s January 2022 communication campaign focuses on Digital Skills for Inclusion to promote this fundamental aspect of lifelong learning and to explore how fundamental digital skills are in the EU’s neighbouring regions. Digital inclusion is a key theme for the ETF, and will be followed up in 2022 in cooperation with partners such as the ITC-ILO, which organised the Digital Inclusion Summit in July 2021.

Research shows that digital technologies can have an impact on:

- access to learning - by reaching and motivating potential learners who might face difficulties in taking part in traditional training experiences;

- the quality of learning - linked to the higher levels of engagement and personalisation that digital technologies allow;

- the relevance of learning - thanks to the possibility offered by ICT of recognising competencies by simulating work situations and fostering digital literacy (which is a much needed transversal competence for 21st century jobs).

Nevertheless, at the same time, the unprecedented wave of digitalisation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that digital technologies, as any powerful innovation, also have the potential to exclude people from educational processes, and this has made digital inclusion a priority both locally and internationally.

What is digital inclusion?

The European Commission defines digital inclusion as “the way to ensure that everybody can contribute to and benefit from the digital economy and society” underlining three pillars: connectivity through broadband, wi-fi and mobile, capability to use digital devices efficiently and effectively, and quality of use, with digital services designed to meet the needs of user, including vulnerable people.

Other national and international organisations define digital inclusion in similar terms: for the UK Digital Inclusion Strategy it is about making sure that people have the capability to use the internet to do things that benefit them day to day, while the Digital Inclusion Map from New Zealand considers it a way to ensure that individuals have access to, and the skills to use, ICT and are therefore able to participate in and benefit from today’s knowledge society. 

These definitions agree that digital inclusion is about using digital technology as a means to create social inclusion.

Convergence also exists on the fact that that, in order to build digitally inclusive communities, three components are needed: access to affordable broadband and devices, digital skills to use digital technologies meaningfully, effectively and safely and inclusive digital services and contents able to improve the quality of life of citizens through education, health care, public safety and economic development.

What are digital skills?

The development of digital skills is therefore a key aspect of digital inclusion, mainly because the pervasive presence of digital technologies in our societies is having an impact on the worlds of work and of learning, both in formal and informal settings. The majority of jobs of today and tomorrow require basic digital competences, such as the ability to communicate via digital means, create and edit digital content, search for information, and protect personal data online.

At the same time, the spread of ICT throughout the economy is increasing the demand for advanced digital competences: workers need to be able to manipulate and interpret complex data, solve problems, and digitally interact with the world outside their workplace, and they need to flexibly adjust to technological developments.

Finally, citizens and workers need to be able to actively engage with digital technologies in a collaborative and responsible way through critical digital competences. Competencies such as personal data management, the capacity to work in open online settings, critical media literacy, and the awareness of digital ethical issues must be considered as key components of contemporary digital literacy.

Learn more

To know more about digital skills for inclusion, see the following recent reports:

- ITC-ILO and ETF (2021) 4 — 42: A digital inclusion book, containing the conclusions of the 2021 Digital Inclusion Summit and proposing some of tips to make adult learning more inclusive through digital means.

- European Commission (2017) A concept paper on digitalisation, employability and inclusiveness: The role of Europe, exploring the impact of digitalisation on employability in a European perspective.

- ILO, UNESCO and World Bank (2020) Updated results: Online survey for TVET providers, policy-makers and social partners on addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, presenting the view of different stakeholders on the need to learn from the COVID emergency how to build inclusive skills development systems.

- UNESCO (2018) Designing inclusive digital solutions and developing digital skills: guidelines, presenting some practical ideas to make lifelong learning systems more digitally inclusive.

We would like to hear from you: what do you think about the importance of digital skills for inclusion? Are you aware of any successful initiatives that have helped to build inclusive digital skills? Do you have suggestions as to how to make digital skills development systems more inclusive? Please comment this blogpost and let us know what you think.