To support industries across B.C. and beyond in embracing digital transformation, Burnaby’s British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is launching the Centre for Digital Transformation (C4DT) as a resource hub for future-proof education and careers.
Digital transformation is inevitable and has become a key strategic initiative across most if not all organizations. According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide digital transformation (DX) investments on technologies and services that enable digital transformation will reach $6.8 trillion by 2023.
The BCIT Centre for Digital Transformation will attract interdisciplinary teams of experts from fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and the internet of things (IoT), to collaborate, research, and information share on issues, best practices, and opportunities related to the realm of digital transformation. Training will also be made available to industry to support the development of digital skills across the workforce.
In addition to the C4DT online presence, there will be a physical space designated at the Burnaby BCIT Campus. This space will feature an interactive smart wall to enhance education and to bring people together for dialogue exchange, collaboration, and innovation.
“With change comes opportunity. In our day-to-day consultation with industry leaders and business owners, the digital transformation of our world and its associated challenges have clearly become the dominant theme,” said Dr. Tom Roemer, Vice President Academic, BCIT.
“New models of business operation like telecommuting, online collaboration, geographically distributed projects and global marketplaces are increasingly redefining the way people live and work. Digital technologies are at the root of this world-wide transformation, and this generates an open invitation to catalyze innovation, think boldly and reimagine the future. The new Centre for Digital Transformation at BCIT has been conceived to take an inter-professional approach and link our on-staff champions and advocates in pursuit of integrated, often multi-disciplinary solutions. Only together can we tackle complex problems, inspire innovation, and foster global progress.”
As the world changes, so too will the C4DT with the aim to ensure skillset relevancy is prioritized and people are empowered as the surrounding world evolves. Main areas of focus for the C4DT include cybersecurity, data privacy, data analytics, IoT, remotely piloted aircraft systems, simulation and multimedia, and digital strategy development and execution. Some of the emerging focus areas for the C4DT include digital twins, automation, smart building integration, blockchain, and microservices.
Bringing people together and encouraging communication and collaboration is a key component of C4DT.
“Digital literacy is an essential skill for the present and future,” says Steve Wilson, Director, BCIT Centre for Digital Transformation. “The BCIT C4DT will create an inclusive space to help build relationships and to encourage important conversations for the future.”
