The government of Gibraltar has announced the launch of a new advisory group focused on creating education courses covering new technologies such as blockchain. The New Technologies in Education (NTiE) group will be a joint initiative between the government and the University of Gibraltar in collaboration with several tech companies based in the country. The move aims to address the growing demand for related skills, the government said on Thursday.
The new courses, which are expected to commence later this year, will focus on educating individuals on the workings and potential applications of blockchain technology and will include inputs from blockchain companies based in Gibraltar.
Gibraltar’s department of education is a partner in the initiative. John Cortes, minister for education, said:
“Improving the way we prepare our young people within the schools in digital technology in all its forms is a critical part of our plans for education.”
Gilbert Licudi, the Gibraltar minister with responsibility for the University of Gibraltar, said the initiative demonstrated the country’s strong commitment to forming new generations and professionals on cutting-edge technologies and address new skills requirements.
“Providing access to innovative courses with expert input from those using this technology in the private sector is a vital component in the development of a sustainable distributed ledger technology (DLT) commercial community in Gibraltar,” Licudi said.
Members of the advisory group include several professors and executives of the University of Gibraltar, in addition to David Parody, chair of the Gibraltar Association of New Technologies, and Paul Astengo, senior executive of Gibraltar Finance.
Nadine Collado, group chair of NTiE and director of professional development and short courses at the University of Gibraltar, stressed the university’s commitment to developing and enhancing expertise in technologies such as blockchain, DLT, coding and smart contracts across the education sector.
“We are already scheduling a variety of offerings, to include a Professional Certificate of Competence within this area,” she noted.
Gibraltar’s dedication to prepare new generations to cutting-edge technologies including blockchain comes in line with the government’s desire to turn the country into a leading blockchain and cryptocurrency hub. In January 2018, the British Overseas Territory became the first jurisdiction globally to introduce legislation around DLT. Earlier this month, UK cryptocurrency exchange Coinfloor became the first company to gain a license under Gibraltar’s blockchain-specific legislation, according to the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission’s website.
In July, the Gibraltar Stock Exchange launched its Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange (GBX), a multifaceted initial coin offering (ICO) and trading platform.