Skills for Life Series: Digital Skills

Digital skills encompass the ability to safely and effectively access, manage, evaluate, and create information using digital technologies. These skills are critical for modern life, enabling individuals to engage with technology in a critical, collaborative, and creative manner. Essential for economic growth, employability, and social inclusion, digital skills can reduce inequalities, providing marginalized groups with access to education and resources. However, data indicates that people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) often lack these skills, with disparities evident by gender and age. Integrating these skills into curricula and ensuring teachers are proficient with digital technologies are crucial steps towards students digital skills development. Various initiatives in LAC, such as Enuma School in Nicaragua, Digital Platform for Indigenous Languages in Peru, Laboratoria, and Ceibal in Uruguay, are efforts to promote digital skills across diverse contexts. Measuring digital skills involves self-reported instruments and performance-based tests, such as PIAAC, ICILS, and PISA. Online platforms like the EU's competence assessment and Guia Edutec offer additional resources for skill evaluation and development. Digital skills are pivotal not only for personal and professional growth but also for fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.