Evelyn discussed the World Economic Forum’s Skills 4.0 initiative, a global initiative to improve education for skills which emphasizes the need for education systems to adopt a “skills-first” approach. However, she also stressed the importance of going beyond this framework to create truly inclusive education for all or what she calls “Skills 5.0”. Based on her extensive experience, Evelyn highlighted four critical skills that EdTech providers must prioritize:

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1. Empathy: Understanding and empathizing with the diverse needs of learners.

2. Design for all: Including marketing for all. Creating products and services that are accessible and effective for everyone, regardless of their abilities.

3. Inclusive language: Using language that is sensitive and inclusive to all learners.

4. Accessibility (physical and digital): Ensuring that EdTech products and services are physically and digitally accessible to all learners.

Listen below to hear Diversity & Inclusion Specialist, Evelyn Loredo, discuss the importance of creating inclusive EdTech products and services.

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In part 2 of the EDiTtalks Evelyn discusses examples of successful projects that have adopted a design-inclusive approach to education. These projects include Microsoft’s Code Jumper, the Iztapalapa Technological University in Mexico, Lazarillo, and Key2Enable. Through these projects, learners with different abilities are experiencing education in transformative and innovative ways.

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