The pandemic has accelerated a trend in the digital transformation of higher education institutions that was already taking place. Greater access to education can help bridge the widening disparities in educational attainment and employment opportunities made worse by COVID-19. Higher education institutions can leverage technology to create more accessible degrees, design degree programmes to be more hands-on and skills-based and remove admission barriers.
Higher education institutions worldwide are undergoing unprecedented digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic. Meanwhile, COVID-19 has also exacerbated pre-existing gender gaps and worsened employment prospects for many young people. Youth employment fell by 8.7% in 2020, more than twice the rate for adults aged 25 and above.
