ITU: ITU and Cable and Wireless team up to deliver training to least developed countries

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Cable and Wireless Virtual Academy (CWVA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cable and Wireless, to leverage its long-standing collaboration in training for Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the ITU/C&W Training Scheme, the UK operator will extend remote learning opportunities to telecommunication professionals in LDCs, by providing scholarships through the Global Telecommunication University (GTU), ITU’s flagship programme for distance learning. In the year 2002 alone, the allocations will benefit 30 LDC candidates selected by ITU for the formal post-graduate degree in Communications Management and in Law and over 100 enrolled in short-term courses such as “Regulations and Policy in Communications”, “Introduction to IP Technology for Business”, “Managing Partnerships” and “Managing in the Virtual Organization.”

“The agreement offers an excellent vehicle to further education in telecommunication to talented individuals from developing countries” said Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the ITU at the signing ceremony. The lack of appropriate human resources is one of the most crucial constraints facing developing countries in their attempt to bridge the development gap and new delivery paths such as distance-learning can really help make a difference”, he said, adding “we are very appreciative of the sustained support of Cable & Wireless in our training initiatives”.

“ITU’s agreement with Cable and Wireless represents a true convergence of intentions,” said Hamadoun I. Toure, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). “The generous offer of programmes and fellowships for e-education and e-learning from the CWVA will strengthen the repertoire presently offered by the GTU.”

“Cable and Wireless Virtual Academy (CWVA) is actively moving toward the use of distance-delivered postgraduate degree programmes that take into account the needs and characteristics of developing countries,” explained David Mellor, president of Cable and Wireless Virtual Academy. “At the same time, the GTU’s objective is to provide training that is geared to meet the continuous changes taking place in developing countries as a result of privatization, competition and new technologies.”

The GTU of the ITU presently delivers online distance learning to high-level telecommunication professionals through the ITU’s Virtual Training Centre platform, consisting of web-conferencing software on a server located at its headquarters in Geneva. Participants around the world meet electronically at this node and have access to the same training material at the same time. The first academic programme offered by the GTU is a Masters’ degree in Communication Management – also in collaboration with Cable and Wireless, certification being awarded by Strathclyde University in the UK.

The GTU also delivers regionally – or linguistically-oriented short-term distance learning courses on a variety of topics.

Contact

Ms. Barbara Wilson, Telecommunication Development Bureau/HRD, International Telecommunication Union

Tel: +41 22 730 5424

Fax: +41 22 730 5484

e-mail: barbara.wilson@itu.int WWW: http://www.itu.int/newsroom