IGF 2024 YCIG Future of Education and Work with advancing tech & internet

This session, co-hosted by DTC and YCIG, will address the evolving demands of the workforce shaped by AI, Quantum Computing, BCIs, and Robotics. The focus will be on identifying innovative educational strategies and career pathways that adapt to these technologies. Participants will discuss interdisciplinary learning, project-based models, microcredentials, tech apprenticeships, lifelong learning platforms, and language digital divide, aiming to align educational and professional development with future technological landscapes. The roundtable session will guide dialogues on educational systems and employment, also going through the digital divide and the existing gaps in countries that have less access to digital literacy, empowerment and infrastructure. According to UNESCO, around 3.6 billion people worldwide still lack reliable internet access, and in developing countries, access to digital literacy and infrastructure is limited. ITU reports that only 19% of individuals in the least developed countries use the internet, compared to 87% in developed countries. There is no longer a clear pathway to success through education. A report by the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that by 2030, up to 800 million jobs worldwide could be lost to automation, representing one-fifth of the global workforce. As the Youth and the Teen Dynamic Coalitions on Internet Governance, we see as part or our responsibilities to promote the dialogues on the perspectives of education and future considering the advancement of technology and Internet, and during the session we will present a joint document and position on the topic, opened to collaborations and available in our platforms after IGF 2024.

The session aims to facilitate a 90 minutes roundtable where participants will be part of the session itself. We will Incorporate interactive elements such as polls, Q&A, and breakout rooms to facilitate discussion between onsite and online attendees, supporting real-time interaction, and ensuring comprehensive participation. Tentative agenda: 10’: Introduction and background. The moderator explains how the session will take place and points out that attendees can ask questions by using the hand-raising option or in the chat (online), or by requesting the floor (onsite). 50’: The moderator introduces the policy issues and addresses the speakers with questions in a roundtable fashion. 20’: Open floor. The moderator invites all participants to take the floor either online or onsite. 10’: Key takeaways (rapporteur) and conclusions. Both online and onsite moderators will make sure that the questions and comments are not overlooked through effective communication, but play an important role throughout the session. An open floor moment is reserved for public onsite and online interaction.