French digital education sector update

I am just back from the French trade show Educatec-Educatice which was this week in Paris.

The main message coming from the Ministry and suppliers is a need for greater structure, collaboration and transparency in the digital education sector which remains today a very immature and fragmented sector (92% of companies operating in this sector in France are SMEs (of which 40% have less than 250 employees and 50% less than 10 employees). The Ministry published a recent report mapping the sector, asking for input from all the actors on how this could be done, and proposing a number of initiatives which are in the pipeline. (http://www.education.gouv.fr/cid73971/la-structuration-de-la-filiere-du-numerique-educatif-un-enjeu-pedagogique-et-industriel.html)

Clarity is called for in defining the roles of public and private organisations (e.g. should the public sector have a resource production role as it does at the moment?), and private sector players called for a longer term view of the political strategy to enable them to develop adapted business strategies. There is a need for granular resources that are both flexible, functional and adaptable to individual (teacher and student) needs, but general enough to allow collaboration. There is a demand for what is called éducation medias – resources teaching children and young adults to use digital tools responsibly and safely (e.g. to be aware of the dangers of social medias) so any resources on this subject will be of potential interest. Finally budget has been allocated to the purchase on tablets to equip a maximum number of individual pupils, so resources that are tablet compatible could be a priority.

Sectors: Digital Services, Education & Training, Software, and Technology
Countries: France and Western Europe
Topics: Legislation & Regulation, Market Research, Product Development, and Trade Fairs
Export Action Plan