Digital education as a catalyst for museum transformation: the case of the ”Museums and New Digital Cultures” course

To embrace digital transformation, Continuing Professional Development (CDP) has become a strategic asset. In the cultural sector, new educational needs are emerging around the concept of “digital”, but how to approach them in a way that supports the evolution of previous roles as well as the overall organisational change? This paper addresses the aforementioned issue through the case study of a training programme, promoted by the Veneto Region and aimed at updating the digital skills of the regional cultural workforce. A qualitative study was implemented to explore the impact of such training programme, “Museums and New Digital Cultures”, which involved 120 professionals from 34 cultural organisations, at both individual and organisational levels. The research outcomes show how the introduction and implementation of new digital practices can be a key tool in transforming the individual evolution of different professional roles and trigger a broader organisational change.