Digital transformation is increasingly modifying people's daily lives and their opportunities in the productive, social and cultural world (Velázquez, Martínez and Palma, 2020). Artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, cloud data and platforms are among these digital technologies (Palma 2024), and their potential impacts are still being determined. Recent labour market analyses show the transformation and creation of new occupations, mainly related to the rise of the technology industry and information management tasks, as well as the elimination of certain types of jobs due to automation processes (Huepe, 2024).

It is urgent that countries advance in the training and preparation of people in order to understand these new languages and take advantage of the possibilities of digital tools to learn, work and participate in social life, as well as to incorporate new knowledge and innovate in the productive processes in which they participate and, thus, contribute to the socioeconomic development of their communities and countries. In this way, digital competences are becoming essential for a considerable percentage of workers. The evidence suggests that higher levels of digital competences are linked to higher levels of labour inclusion, as they increase job stability and improve pay and employment prospects (ILO, 2021).

This scenario has motivated the preparation of the document “Education and the development of digital competences in Latin America and the Caribbean” under the component Strengthening the links between education and the labour market through digital inclusion of the ECLAC-Korea 2024 Cooperation Program. The document is the result of an analysis based on quantitative data from the PISA 2022 measurement carried out by OECD, and then closes with some reflections to strengthen the formation of digital skills in schools.

The event will bring together authorities, experts, civil society representatives and international organizations in order to discuss the report's findings and explore effective agendas and policies to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and promote comprehensive early childhood development.

The objective of the event is to deepen the debate on effective strategies to reinforce the school-to-work transition of future generations in order to reduce inequality gaps and promote inclusive social development for girls, boys and their families. These issues are essential in the Regional Agenda for Inclusive Social Development and will be key to the next World Summit on Social Development in 2025.

AGENDA

Moderator: Amalia Palma Guajardo, Senior Social Affairs Research Assistant, Social Development Division, ECLAC
16:30  Welcome Coffee
16:40  Opening
• Daniela Trucco, Senior Social Affairs Officer, Social Development Division, ECLAC
16:50  Presentation of the report: “Education and the development of digital competences in Latin America and the Caribbean”
• Mariana Huepe, Social Affairs Officer, Social Development Division, ECLAC
17:20  Round Table
• Dr. Jong Sung Hwang, President of the National Information Society Agency (NIA) of the Republic of Korea
• Ximena Órdenes, Senator of the Republic of Chile

• Ellen Helsper, Professor of Digital Inequalities, London School of Economics
17:50  Closing Session