APCICT celebrates its third anniversary today with the launch of the APCICT Virtual Academy, an online distance learning platform for the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders.” The Academy is APCICT’s flagship training curriculum that aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which ICTs can be effectively used to develop societies and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
Press Release No. G/42/2009
UN Launches Remote Training on Information Communication Technology for Development
UN hub for ICT human capacity building marks its third anniversary with an online training programme for policymakers
Bangkok (UN/ESCAP Information Services) – In its continuing efforts to promote the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool of development through human capacity building, a United Nations training centre has launched an online training programme designed to provide policymakers with the necessary tools to effectively embrace new technologies.
The United Nations Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (APCICT) celebrates its third anniversary today with the launch of the APCICT Virtual Academy, an online distance learning platform for the “Academy of ICT Essentials for Government Leaders.” The Academy is APCICT’s flagship training curriculum that aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which ICTs can be effectively used to develop societies and achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
In an increasingly digital and inter-connected global environment, it is more important than ever that policymakers are empowered to make timely and appropriate decisions in the choice and adoption of relevant ICT tools for sustainable development.
“The APCICT Virtual Academy is designed to reach the millions of decision makers that are not able to participate in face-to-face training due to resources or time constraints,” explained Hyeun-Suk Rhee, Director of APCICT. “Our aim is to help nations embrace the opportunities available through the use of ICT for social and economic development, as well as promote continuous learning.”
The Virtual Academy facilitates learning by providing easy-to-follow virtual lectures with quick quizzes. Registered learners are rewarded with APCICT’s certificate of participation upon successful completion of courses.
The Virtual Academy’s courses - developed and peer reviewed by prominent ICT for development experts - include: the linkages between ICT and the Millennium Development Goals; ICT policy and governance; e-government applications; ICT trends; Internet governance; network and information security and privacy; ICT project management in theory and practice; and options for funding ICT for development.
These courses are being regularly updated to ensure their relevance to policymakers, and new courses that focus on ICT for the 21st century will be added. A DVD version of the APCICT Virtual Academy is available for those with no or limited Internet access.
The APCICT Virtual Academy can be accessed at: http://ava.unapcict.org
Press Release [PDF, 134kB]
