The UPSHIFT Digital Skills Training Package is a nationally developed learning package designed to strengthen youth innovation and social entrepreneurship in Bhutan through the use of digital technologies.
Developed by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, in partnership with UNICEF Bhutan and the European Union, the package supports the integration of essential digital skills into the UPSHIFT programme across schools, Youth Centers and Community-Based Scout groups.
UPSHIFT, implemented nationwide since 2022, empowers young people to identify community challenges and design innovative and sustainable youth-led solutions. As the programme scaled rapidly, the need for a structured digital skills framework became clear.
The Digital Skills Training Package responds to this need by embedding practical and appropriate digital competencies into every phase of the UPSHIFT methodology, from understanding problems and designing solutions to building prototypes, pitching ideas, and implementing sustainable projects. More than 143 teachers, Youth Center managers and Community-Based Scout volunteers have been trained with the UPSHIFT digital skills training package to date.
The package focuses on 10 core digital skills organised under four key strands: Information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, and online safety and ethics. UPSHIFT participants learn to use widely accessible tools such as Google Workspace, Canva, CapCut, Figma, Tinkercad, and GenAI tools responsibly to research problems, collaborate in teams, create digital content, protect personal data, and present ideas effectively.
Delivered through a train-the-trainers model, the package is integrated into UPSHIFT orientations with flexibility for schools and youth centers to conduct additional hands-on sessions. Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms at both national and school levels ensure quality implementation, continuous improvement, and measurable impact on youth digital literacy and 21st-century skills development.
Furthermore, by strengthening digital literacy and practical technology use, UPSHIFT aligns with the Ministryโs Digital Drive, ensuring youth are ready to participate effectively in Bhutanโs evolving digital economy and technology-enabled learning initiatives.
The training package includes ready-to-use PowerPoint presentations for each UPSHIFT phase, with clear digital skills and tools mapped to the respective phase activities. These phase-wise PPTs serve as a practical facilitation guide for UPSHIFT focal teachers and Youth Center Managers to confidently introduce digital tools alongside core UPSHIFT concepts, supporting consistent delivery, reducing preparation time, and ensuring that digital skills are meaningfully integrated in the UPSHIFT program.
Please click the link for the UPSHIFT digital skills training package: https://drive.google.com/…/1owOdwGtxWGKY7wLrzAAScE…
–Department of Education Programmes, MOESD
