The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has announced the launch of the ITU Academy, as part of its approaches towards delivering training through an e-learning platform.
ITU Academy is expected to facilitate interdisciplinary courses catering for a wide range of ICT educational needs.
According to the ITU, there is a need for organisations and nations to prepare human capital for a digital economy as the move from analogue to digital broadcasting approaches.
Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré, ITU Secretary General, said there is a general need to expedite the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting.
Addressing a consortium at the Global ICT Forum on Human Capacity Development in Cape Town, South Africa, he reiterated that capacity building lies at the heart of future ICT development.
“Digital broadcasting is the future, and it is essential that we make the transition sooner than later to keep pace with the fast pace of change in the ICT sector,” he said.
ITU Director of Telecommunication Development Bureau, Brahima Sanou confirmed the organisations rapport with ICT and the need to provide a detailed insight into what the digital dividend process entails.
The dividend process is explained as the amount of spectrum freed up by the transition of terrestrial television broadcasting from analogue to digital.
According to Sanou, digital broadcasting is inherently more efficient than analogue.
“Spectrum efficiency gained by the transition of terrestrial analogue television to digital is the ‘dividend’ that provides a win-win situation for both consumers and the industry,” he said.
He added that this will in turn enable more choice and quality in television services for users and new revenue streams and business models for operators and service providers.
The ITU academy, according to Sanou, will respond to demand for knowledge and skills in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training, teaching and research.
It will provide a range of general and specialised courses including telecommunications/ICT in Radio communication, Telecommunication Standardization and Telecommunication Development.
Sanou concluded that the programmes will be designed to equip an expanding number of target groups with the specialist knowledge and tools needed in the rapidly evolving domain of ICT.
