The ITC is looking to become more mobile in every sense, however 3 specific opportunities have been idenitified for my project direction:

1// Re-design the Lifelong E-Learning course (http://lifelongelearning.itcilo.org). This is a blended course (partially taught at the ITC campus in Turin, partially taught at a distance) targeted at training professionals in developing countries, teaching them how they can integrate ICT into their practices for technology-enhanced learning. The 6th edition of the course is due to be held in June 2011.

2// Design the new MATCOM course. This is a large-scale international project currently underway, led by the ILO headquarters in Geneva. MATCOM (Material and Techniques for Cooperative Managament Training) was originally a large project undertaken by the ILO in the 1970s, with the goal of teaching farmer organisations how to set up and manage agricultural cooperatives. The project came to a close after 10 years, however in 2009 the ILO made the decision to re-launch the MATCOM proejct with new training material written to reflect a changed world context. The raw content is almost complete, which the ITC will transform into training material and deliver through new courses (blended and on the field) from late 2011 - 2012.

3// Re-design a Delnet course (www.delnetitcilo.net) These are distance learning courses offered by the department of Enterprise, Microfinance and Local Development (EMLD). At the moment the courses are run completely online, however they often focus on post-conflict recovery and development (such as a recent course in Haiti), a context highly prone to limited internet access.Therefore the mobile phone could become an essential tool in communication and disseminating knowledge in this critical context.

Now I'm gathering more info on these 3 options so that I can weigh up the pros and cons, then I'll post the final decision on here next week!

Finally all my hard work searching for collaborators paid off, and I am pleased to make a big announcement:

My thesis will be a real project developed for the UNITED NATIONS!

I got an internship position at the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO), and I already started last week.

So, what is the ITC-ILO?
The ILO is the oldest UN agency, working towards the goal of decent work for all. The unique tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments to ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labour standards and in shaping policies and programmes. In 1965 the ILO realised there was a need to train people on how to put its values into practice in a real world context, and so it created the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy as its vocational training institute, the only one of its kind in the world. With 14,000 participants each year from 192 countries, around half of the Centre's work takes place at its large Turin campus, while courses are also held in developing regions.