Future Skills: Bridging the Digital Divide

The question is not whether change is coming, but whether Ireland is ready for it.

Future Skills: Bridging the Digital Divide brings together leaders from industry, education and policy to explore how we equip people with the skills needed for a fast-changing digital economy. As technology moves at pace, this session creates space for practical, cross-sector discussion on how we respond together.

Through expert panels and facilitated discussion, we will examine how to close digital skills gaps, strengthen education and training pathways, and develop policies that ensure opportunity is shared across society.

This session is for educators, business leaders, policymakers, students and members of the public who want to understand what the future of skills really means for Ireland and how we prepare for it.

Featured Speakers

Hear from those working at the forefront of education, innovation and AI:

• Kevin Marshall - Head of Education at Microsoft and Chairman of the National Skills Council
• Prof Joyce O’Connor - Chair and Co-Founder of Block W
• Dr Ciarán Dunne - Transversal Skills Director, DCU
• Shauna Dunlop, Director of Research, Future Skills Needs, Statistics and Risk, SOLAS

Places are limited. Book your ticket now and be part of the conversation shaping how Ireland prepares for the future of work. This is your opportunity to contribute, connect and help define what comes next.

This event is part of the RDS Foundation Festival - Finding Common Ground. This is a two-day public event that explores how Ireland can respond to shared environmental and societal challenges, particularly climate change, sustainable resource use, and bridging skills gaps.

The festival is rooted in the RDS’s long-standing heritage, which dates to 1731, of advancing agriculture, science, enterprise and the arts for the public good. For nearly three centuries, the RDS has provided a platform where different disciplines and perspectives meet to improve Irish society. The festival continues this tradition by creating space for open dialogue, collaboration and learning across sectors at a time when complex challenges demand collective solutions.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher RDS Foundation