The CDTO Campus Is One Year Old: Main Results and New Educational Programs of Digital Leader Training

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In November 2023, the team of the Ministry of Digital Transformation and its partners launched the CDTO Campus, which is a national project of digital transformation leader training. And the offline CDTO Campus space was opened in Kyiv in summer 2024. In a year, the project has become a platform for acquiring knowledge and development of skills helping to implement digital initiatives

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“The CDTO Campus is an educational project on digital leader training. We have collected unique content based on Ukrainian experience of digitalization. Within a year of the campus’s work, we have already launched 12 educational programs, particularly in cooperation with Microsoft, Cisco, AI HOUSE, etc. More than 440 Ukrainians have undergone the studies, and part of them is still studying. Those are effective managers that are going to become the agents of changes and transformation and join the unified digital team all over the country. We are going to continue building the digital state together and share our experience with the world,”

Mykhailo Fedorov, the Vice Prime Minister for Innovations, Development of Education, Science and Technologies - Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, has mentioned.

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During the first year of work, more than 1,000 attendees have joined the open educational sessions, and more than 2,600 persons have submitted applications for participation in the project. The lectures for the students have been read by more than 100 lecturers of the national and international levels.

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“Here at the CDTO Campus, we are building the digital future of Ukraine. Here, leaders ready to change the country for the better are born. During the first year, we have received powerful support from our partners, the global technology leaders and organizations sharing our opinions. They include Cisco, Microsoft, Apolitical, UNDP, AI HOUSE, EU4DigitalUA, OSCE, Tolocar, Estonian ICT Cluster and McCourt School of Public Policy under the Georgetown University. Our students have access to cutting-edge tools and knowledge in the areas of AI, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure and immediately apply them practically. The CDTO Campus is proud of more than 440 graduates and 12 successfully implemented projects! Due to the Tallinn Mechanism, the platform has also become an important center for training of the public sector in the area of cyberthreats, their minimization and development of culture of security and innovations. We really appreciate our partners and donors, which are Visa, Visa Foundation, GIZ, East Europe Foundation and Digitality GovTech Center of Excellence, for their support and belief in our mission. Together, we are building digital Ukraine which is going to be an example for the whole world,”

Valeriia Ionan, the Deputy Minister for Eurointegration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, has mentioned.

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Within the framework of the Shaping the Digital Future program, the CDTO Campus students have participated in the educational workshop at McCourt School of Public Policy under the Georgetown University in Washington. The workshop in the USA has included a rich educational program with case studies, practical tasks and networking, as well as lectures from the global leaders in the area of digitalization.

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“Digitalization fundamentally changes the cooperation of a human with the state. Each year and with every new online service, this cooperation becomes easier: issuance of certificates, selling an automobile or marriage registration can now be done with a few clicks. However, digital transformations are not accidental; they are the results of diligent work of the leaders implementing it. These very specialists are trained by the CDTO Campus; they are a new generation of state officials able to implement digital initiatives. In a year, the CDTO Campus has achieved significant results. It has launched 12 educational programs for specialists in public governance and the private sector. It has organized educational trips abroad for the purpose of sharing experience. It has created a modern innovative educational space and implemented many other initiatives. The goal of the CDTO Campus is creating a “gold reserve” of digitalization leaders that are going to implement changes within the regions. The foundation of this has been laid in 2024. Even more achievements are coming,”

Victor Liakh, the President of the East Europe Foundation, has mentioned.

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The CDTO Campus is a catalyst of innovations and new approaches to digital transformation leader training. The project is being upgraded, and 4 new faculties are going to be opened since the next year, namely the following:

• the GovTech faculty focused on implementation of modern digital solutions in the public sector;
• the Cyber faculty implementing programs on the topics of cybersecurity, data protection and efficient cyberthreat countermeasures;
• the AI faculty targeted at AI implementation in the public sector;
• the Diia faculty targeted at support of the ecosystem of the Ministry of Digital Transformation via professional training, cooperation and innovations.

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“Visa proudly celebrates the anniversary of the CDTO Campus and the significant contribution of this project to the process of digital transformation of Ukraine. Support of this initiative is coordinated with our determination to expand the opportunities of communities, providing them access to innovation tools and knowledge. The role of the CDTO Campus during this year has been inestimable, for the project has provided key digital skills to the future leaders and also has supported innovations and increase of digital literacy level all over the country. It is an honour for Visa to be a part of this way, and we are going to continue working on creation of digital and inclusive future of Ukraine together with our partners,”

Tetiana Chorna, the Vice President and the regional manager of Visa in Ukraine, has commented.

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Besides, the intake in terms of new educational programs of the CDTO Campus, particularly the following, has already begun:

• AWS: Introduction into Cloud: on cloud services and advantages of using them, as well as key concepts, security and reliability of cloud services for the specialists of digital transformation in public governance;
• Cisco: Cybersecurity Essentials for Non-Tech Professionals in Public Service: on the basic knowledge and practical skills for data protection that are going to help safely and efficiently use digital tools and confront digital cyberthreats;
• Cisco: AI Fundamentals in Simple Terms: on the basic concepts and working principles of artificial intelligence and the way it transforms the public sector, social services and other public life areas.

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You may apply to participate in the programs by following the link.

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“Despite the full-scale invasion, we see that the Ukrainian government continues its efforts to provide and further digitize its public services keeping them running thanks to the basic digital public infrastructure that has been built in the last few years. Such approach enabled responding to the needs of citizens dealing with the consequences of the war and being in touch with Ukrainians who have been affected by it. Even in such difficult context, we understand it is vital to develop capacities to have specially trained personnel in the government at all levels – national, regional, and local – to help the Government of Ukraine to stay resilient and capable to implement further digital governance reforms. We believe the CDTO Campus is a great solution to proceed with digital transformation through learning and community building. German Government has supported establishment of the CDTO Campus – the initiative which is implemented by the East Europe Foundation in close cooperation with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine as the political partner of the Project „Good Governance through GovTech and Transparency“ implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ). Empowering a new generation of digital transformation leaders, the CDTO Campus is a catalyst for innovation and collaboration. It will connect experts across Ukraine and the world, fostering knowledge sharing and skill development, driving Ukraine's digital transformation to new heights,”

Daniel Busche, GIZ Ukraine Country Director, has stated. 

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The plans for year 2025 include preparing over 500 graduates and implementing at least 12 new educational programs, as well as scale the CDTO Campus up to cover the international audience and teach CDTOs of other countries.

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“Due to diligent work of the team, support of our partners and activity of our students, we managed to create a unique environment for digital manager training. The next year is going to become a year of new opportunities. We are focused on supporting digital transformation in the regions, deepening cooperation with our international partners and adaptation of the best global practices for the Ukrainian context. We are also working on expansion of our international presence, like new partners with innovation organizations and launching new programs with the leading companies of the world. This is going to provide our students with access to the newest knowledge and technologies they are going to be able to use for development of their own communities and organizations. We are going to pay special attention to development of the graduate community during the next year by creating platforms for their cooperation, experience sharing and support. This is all for achieving the main goal, which is making Ukraine the digital leader of the world. I would like to thank our donors and partners for your trust, generosity and believing in our mission. You are an essential part of our success. Without your support, our achievements would have been impossible. Together, we are building the future where digital innovations become available to every single citizen of Ukraine. Thank you for being with us along this way,”

Galyna Pustova, the Director of the CDTO Campus, has commented.

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You can learn more about the development of the CDTO Campus on the social media pages of the project: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin and Twitter, as well as on its official website.

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CDTO Campus is implemented by the East Europe Foundation, funded by Visa Foundation, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ), and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in cooperation with the Digitality GovTech Center of Excellence, under the auspices of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.