Global investment in Education Technology (EdTech) grew from $888 million to $1.8 billion between 2012 and 2014 and it is estimated that the global market will be worth more than $250 billion by 2017, a conference at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin heard today.
The Learnovate National Conference brought together more than 200 speakers from Ireland and abroad from the worlds of education, technology and development.
Learnovate Centre director Dr Martyn Farrows said: “The EdTech sector is a very exciting and challenging sector to be working in right now. Working with our industry partners in both the corporate and education space we’re seeing really innovative advancements taking place.
“As a country we’ve got the talent, the expertise and the knowledge to drive forward and become world leaders in EdTech. Latest figures for Ireland show that in 2013 there were 2,366 jobs in the EdTech sector and it was responsible for €228 million in revenues and over €170 million in exports that year. At the Learnovate Technology Centre we’ve high expectations for the growth and job potential of this sector over the coming five years.”
Guest speakers included Patricia Chadbourne, a US thought leader in designing and implementing futuristic workforce planning and analytics solutions for global organisations.
“Ensuring we have a future-ready workforce is a key priority for employers right now,” Chadbourne said. “An ageing population, the changing profile of the worker, rapidly developing new technologies, and a fierce competition for talent, are just some of the top concerns for employers in Ireland, in the US and further afield.
“We’re seeing a growing demand for employers to provide ongoing training and development opportunities to employees, replacing the view that the employee essentially finished their education at graduation. The high expectations of the new worker are driving this shift, along with a change in attitude on the part of employers who are realising that a workforce that continues to learn is one that continues to innovate.”
Also presenting at the conference was Regina Murray, senior director, education sector, Microsoft EMEA. “There is currently much discourse about technology disrupting education, learning and development,” said Murray. “These advancements in EdTech are enhancing the way we learn and maximising our abilities to do so. Ireland, with such a rich EdTech background, should and can be trailblazers of EdTech innovation and development – in our schools, our colleges and in the workplace.”
Hosted by Trinity College Dublin’s Pearse Street campus, The Learnovate Centre is an industry-led technology centre for research and innovation in learning technologies funded by Enterprise Ireland and supported by the IDA.
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