Digitalisation
Digitalisation is a buzzword in today’s society. It transforms our way of living, from entertainment to education or from healthcare to business. One of its most important impacts is to our working environment, i.e. the modus operandi of businesses and the public services. There is a broad consensus on its benefits for businesses and the public institutions alike, such as the improved efficiency, increased productivity, reduced costs, improved customer service as well as enhanced delivery of public services to citizens.
More specifically, by adopting digital technologies, such as cloud computing, data analytics, and automation, businesses can streamline their operations and make more informed decisions. Digitalisation can also help businesses reach new customers and markets through digital channels, such as social media and online marketplaces. In the same vein, digital technologies, such as e-government portals, digital identity systems, and online payment platforms can streamline administrative processes and make it easier for citizens to access public services. Digitalisation can also help public entities collect and analyse data to make more informed policy decisions.
So far, so good. But, what exactly is digitalisation? In a simple definition, it is the adaptation of a system, process, etc. to be operated with digital technologies. In this regard, businesses and public institutions need to transform to this digital working environment. More often than not, organisations fall into a trap by focusing too much on searching several or all-in-one digital solutions. However, digital transformation is an overarching and intricate process and cannot be downgraded to acquiring state-of-the-art software. There are three pillars to take into account in digital transformation: People, processes and technology.
For the sake of this article, we’ll focus on the first pillar: people, i.e. the executives, managers, employees and even partners, stakeholders and clients. No doubt that a dedicated change management team is needed to ensure efficient transformation. Nevertheless, digital transformation needs overall buy-in and a harmonised approach of all people in an organisation.
The EU and its Member States are setting standards, working on incentives and providing funds for the European organisations, institutions and business in order not to let them lag behind. In this context, the European Commission is determined to realise Europe’s Digital Decade and has picked digitalisation as one of its six priorities. Thus, the EU is providing funds through Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) as well as other complementary funds, such as Horizon Europe for research and innovation, Connecting Europe Facility for digital infrastructure, and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.
Horizon Global Academy developed an e-learning training through a co-funded project by the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Flemish Government. The “Shape the Future – Digital Transformation in Public and Private Sectors” project, dubbed TRANSFORM(Fland)ERS, is specifically developed for non-technical managers and executives. This target group is specifically selected to empower business and public institutions in their efforts to prepare them for the digital age. Because, transformation is a long-lasting and complex task, and it requires a holistic approach as well as collaborative efforts. Thus, the non-technical managers should also have the required knowledge and practical skills in line with their managerial level.
The Digital Transformation training has a modular design, i.e. it consists of two main modules and each module is divided into micromodules. The main modules are:
- AI-Centric Transformation, and
- Cybersecurity Risk Management.
Artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are two important digital competencies required in the age of digitalisation in which the former promotes competitiveness and ensures global technological advantage, and the latter covers vulnerabilities and ensures the smooth operation of organisations.
Digital Transformation Training & its Features
The Digital Transformation training is a blended training, mixing self-study, live online and onsite sessions. While the self-study parts will provide flexibility to non-technical managers and executives as time is one of the most scarce resources for them, live online and onsite sessions will let them interact directly with the instructor and their peers, further nurturing their learning process.
Self-study material is integrated into the learning management system (LMS) in short and easy-to-learn parts in a variety of formats, such as reading material, videos, gamification, infographics, flashcards, etc. This learning design fosters learning for a wide and diverse audience who prioritise different learning methods as well as makes training content manageable without hampering the holistic training program. Exploiting an enhanced LMS significantly promotes learning. Below is a non-exhaustive list of the features of our user-friendly LMS, Pennademy:
- Visualised and customised learning path
- Mailbox and discussion forum to enable interaction
- Enriched reading material (infographics, statistics, tables, etc.)
- Animated and pre-recorded videos with subtitles and interactive transcripts
- Quizzes, assignments, hands-on practices
- Metaverse scenarios to foster learning by doing
Furthermore, each module has a live online session as well as an onsite workshop at the end of the module, which allows trainees to transform their knowledge into practice. The use of high-tech features, like virtual reality (VR), significantly promotes learning and the long-term sustainability of the acquired knowledge. In this regard, the trainees will be able to take part in scenarios realised in Metaverse (VR) during workshops with Meta Quest 2 headsets.
Way Forward
Horizon Global Academy believes that lifelong learning is indispensable in today’s dynamic environment. Businesses and public institutions have to ensure that their employees and managerial staff continue learning, as earlier university degrees are insufficient to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the digital age.
Therefore, our target audience goes beyond the managerial staff and includes all employees who are heavily using information technologies, leading a team or have a decision-making/shaping role. Training these staff will foster the digital transformation of the organisation, prevent unnecessary friction between the change team and other staff as well as provide a more harmonised approach to the organisation’s digital transformation.
In this regard, the flexible modular design of the training makes it possible to train different target audiences. It offers different combinations of modules and micromodules as a stand-alone service according to the needs of the different target audiences or different organisations, whereas they are also integral parts of a complete training program.
Last but not least, let’s conclude with some good news:
- Digital Transformation training is uploaded to the Flemish Training Database, which means Flemish businesses are eligible for reimbursement through training leave and training checks. Please visit our webpage to contact us for more information and quotes for group training.
- The training is developed in English to reach a wider audience (e.g. international companies’ employees and immigrants). Yet, HGA also provides a Dutch version for those who want to follow the course in Dutch.
- Further, a %20 discount is available for women as they are underrepresented both in leadership cadres and the ICT sector, as well as vulnerable groups, such as the elderly (>60) & immigrants (temporary residents).
