European SALTO Digital Resource Centre supports digitalisation in education, training and youth activities in EU programmes
The operation of the Resource Centre will support digitalisation in education, training and youth in the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes and promote the EU strategies related to the theme, such as the digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027. The Centre will support the National Agencies of all Programme countries in the promotion of digitalisation and will also work in cooperation directly with the EU Commission.
The special priorities in its operation include digital competence of young people and adults, digital pedagogy and equipment, digital competence of teachers and staff, digital and virtual cooperation, and virtual exchanges in EU programmes. In addition, the themes dealt with include the influence of new technologies on education, working life and the wider society, and the promotion of programming competence, AI competence and the STEM subjects with the help of EU programmes.
- It is important to see digitalisation from a wider point of view than just as a technological issue. We also want to link digitalisation to the themes of environment, inclusion and equality, in other words, to how digitalisation can sustainably increase and diversify participation in international activities, says Director of the Erasmus+ National Agency Mika Saarinen from the Finnish National Agency for Education.
In its justifications, the Commission highlighted the strong networks and expertise of both the entire Finnish National Agency for Education and the Finnish Erasmus+ National Agency, their earlier investments in digitalisation and their future-oriented approach to promoting digitalisation.
The personnel of the Centre will be recruited in early autumn. In the meanwhile, preliminary operations will already be launched by the personnel of the National Agency.
The European Commission has also decided on two other new resource centres during the summer. The theme of the Centre to be located in Croatia is inclusion and participation in the field of education and training. The SALTO Centre supporting sustainable development and the green transition will be located in France.
A total of eight centres have already been established previously in different countries. The programme name of all of the centres is SALTO (Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities) and they work in conjunction with the Erasmus+ National Agency of each country.