Exploring the Potential of Digital Technologies to Innovate Education and Training Practices: A Conversation with the European Commission - Part I

Today, you are listening to a conversation between Yves Punie, Senior Scientist and Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment, and Cristobal Cobo, Senior Education Technology Specialist at the World Bank, about the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices and improve access to lifelong learning for employment, personal development and social inclusion. This is Part I of a two-part conversation. Part II of the conversation will be an upcoming podcast episode and will focus on digital technologies to innovate education and training practices in the European context. Yves Punie is senior scientist and Deputy Head of Unit at the European Commission Joint Research Centre in Seville, Unit Human Capital and Employment. He is leading its research and policy activities on "Digital Learning and Skills". The research area started in 2005 with the aim to provide evidence-based policy support to the European Commission on harnessing the potential of digital technologies to innovate education and training practices, improve access to lifelong learning and to deal with the rise of new (digital) skills and competences needed for employment, personal development and social inclusion. Recent work on capacity building for the digital transformation of education and learning, and for the changing requirements for skills and competences has focussed on the development of digital competence frameworks for citizens (DigComp), educators (DigCompEdu), educational organisations (DigCompOrg) as well as frameworks on Personal, Social and Learning to Learn (LifeComp) and entrepreneurship (EntreComp). Before joining the JRC in 2001, he was interim Assistant Professor at the Free University of Brussels (VUB). He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences. List of publications, see https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yves_Punie