The digital transformation is reshaping people’s lives, workplaces and economies. It changes what individuals do at work, how they interact with each other, where and when they buy products and how they learn. Skills are crucial to thrive in an increasingly digital and interconnected world. To reap the benefits of the new technological wave, each country relies on the skills of its population and its skills-related policies. Latin American countries are still lagging behind many countries in terms of the skills of their citizens, but the digital transformation provides new opportunities to catch up. New technologies bring countless opportunities for learning at any time, in any place and at all stages of life. From online tutorials to open education resources, online degrees or educational software, new technologies open the door to new forms of developing skills and acquiring knowledge.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the lives of all individuals around the globe and changed the way people work and learn. As a response to the COVID‑19 health crisis, for instance, many countries have decided to close schools, colleges and universities. Online and digital learning have become key for students to continue developing their skills and schools around the world have implemented digital solutions to face the crisis. Similarly, lockdowns around the globe have impeded many adults from physically going to work, making the use of digital technologies and smart working arrangements, whenever possible, more important than ever. Strengthening the digital skills of populations and improving access to online learning opportunities is critical to face the challenges of the future, and its importance will be heightened in the turbulent post COVID-19 world. This report provides valuable information on the specific challenges Latin American countries face in making the most of digital technologies for learning.

Societies around the globe are rapidly changing and digitalisation is bringing challenges as well as opportunities for learning and skills development. In Latin America, reducing digital divides and boosting Internet adoption is a first step to making the most of learning opportunities brought about by new technologies. That is not enough: new technologies should be integrated more efficiently in initial education by, for instance, providing high quality and comprehensive training to teachers. In turbulent post COVID-19 times, in Latin America as in other countries, there is also scope to further harness the potential of open education and MOOCs in reaching adults most in need of training.

Digitalisation brings many opportunities for learning and developing skills, in initial education and throughout life. This chapter examines the extent to which digital divides (gaps or inequalities in the access, use or benefits derived from the use of information and communication technologies) in Latin American countries are likely to hinder individuals’ ability to make the most of new technologies for learning. Schools can help bridge connectivity gaps by providing access to ICT infrastructure to a large number of children, but many digital divides remain in Latin American countries.

This chapter investigates Latin American students’ use of digital devices and how technology use relates to students’ performance. Results show that the way technology is embedded in teaching and learning practices is crucial to raise student outcomes. In this context, teachers in Latin American countries report high levels of openness to innovation in their school, similar to those observed among OECD countries. Yet Latin American countries still show margin for improvement in the integration of ICTs in initial education.

This chapter investigates Latin American teachers’ use of new technologies in the classroom. It identifies the main enabling factors for teachers’ frequency of ICT use and self-efficacy in supporting student learning using digital technologies. Many Latin American teachers rely on ICTs in the classroom, and many train in and with technology. However, teachers’ self‑reported training needs in ICT skills for teaching remain high in Latin America.

This chapter investigates the new opportunities that digitalisation offers for adult learning, in the shape of open education and massive open online courses (MOOCs). In Latin American countries, patterns of participation in online learning activities tend to reproduce gaps in participation in standard forms of adult learning. Highly skilled, highly educated individuals are more likely to benefit from these new learning opportunities.