WISE hosts sessions on skills development

The World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) recently partnered with EdTechXGlobal to host a series of sessions at the EdTechXEurope 2016 summit in London.
EdTechXEurope brings together the international EdTech community
and showcases innovations and perspectives from around the world.
In collaboration with LinkedIn, WISE, part of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), organised a session entitled ‘21st Century Workforce: Refining Skills and Talent Development Opportunities.’
The event aimed to raise awareness of employers’ needs when filling jobs that require technical as well as soft skills in communication and critical thinking.
Formal education systems face challenges when training for such hybrid jobs and when addressing the needs of the changing workplace.
The session recognised that technology alone is not the solution to this skills gap, and that learning technologies are helping future workers gain the skills needed.
Partnerships between education institutions and technology companies are on the rise, connecting learners with appropriate, timely content, and providing businesses with access to ample, well-equipped personnel.
The panellists included Charles Hardy, strategic consultant at LinkedIn; Khalid Alkhudair, founder and CEO of Glowork, a Saudi Arabia-based WISE Awards finalist project supporting women’s employment; and Barbara Schack, Libraries Without Borders.
They discussed how learning management systems and massive open online courses have opened doors to lifelong learning and on-the-job training.
The speakers shared their experiences around digital badging in transforming how we measure achievement and demonstrate competencies.
They discussed how big data and stronger links between talent and learning platforms enable personalised learning.
The second session, entitled ‘The Founder Stories,’ featured short presentations from four leaders of EdTech start-ups currently being supported by the WISE Accelerator Programme.
These included Aldo de Pape of TeachPitch, Jo Besford of Green Shoots, Diana al-Dajani of eduTechnoz, and Leonora Dowley, country director for the Varkey Foundation in Ghana.
The speakers shared their inspiring and personal entrepreneurial journeys, highlighting their challenges and unique visions in education.
Stavros N Yiannouka, CEO, WISE, commented: “WISE and the WISE Accelerator Programme support and promote innovative education enterprises that help build a better future for all. These dynamic start-ups have demonstrated their added value to technology in education, and WISE is committed to helping them consolidate and reach even further.”