Further education for doers
The demands placed on municipalities, public utilities, public administrations, and municipal companies are constantly growing: digitalization, smart cities, new legal frameworks, and technological developments require sound knowledge and practical expertise. Tight budgets are a reality; efficiency is paramount.
With the Annual Program 2026 offers that ZDE-Academy once again, a comprehensive training program that addresses this very issue – structured, modular and with clear completion options.
Continuing education that is practice-oriented
The 2026 Academy Program is aimed at all those who want to actively shape digital transformation processes in public or private institutions.
The program combines basic knowledge in-depth specialist seminars and current focus topics offered throughout the year. The modular structure allows for flexible combination of content and individual adaptation to prior knowledge, role profiles, and specific tasks.
Flexible learning paths instead of rigid programs
The basic principle of the ZDE-Akademie is the clear and transparent structure of the graduation models. They are not designed as a rigid sequence, but rather allow for individual learning paths based on thematic modules from the available offerings.
Overview of the graduation models
Digital City Expert (DCEX)
The free introductory course Digital City Expert (DCEX) is aimed at anyone who wants to develop a solid foundation in digitalization, smart cities, and modern organizational and administrative structures. The focus is on orientation, classification, and understanding key interrelationships.
“Smart City Praktiker”
This qualification program is designed to be particularly practical. It is aimed at individuals who work directly on digitalization or smart city projects and address concrete implementation issues. The focus is on application, project experience, and operational implementation.
Smart City Expert (IHK)
The Smart City Expert (IHK) is the recognized qualification for specialists and managers who assume strategic responsibility. In addition to in-depth specialist knowledge, the focus is on project management, strategic planning, and holistic thinking. The original – with IHK certification.
MasterClass
The MasterClass is aimed at participants with advanced professional qualifications and leadership responsibilities in municipalities and districts. It offers a forum for in-depth exploration of selected future topics, current developments, and exchange at an expert level.
All qualifications consist of clearly defined content modules that can be selected from the continuing education offerings of the ZDE-Academy.
Additionally: Webinars and current focus topics
In addition to in-person and online seminars, the 2026 program will include compact Webinars with varying thematic focuses supplemented. These address current developments, new requirements and questions from practice – compact, up-to-date and dialogue-oriented.
Looking ahead
The ZDE-Academy sees itself as a dynamic continuing education platform. This will continue beyond 2026. Formats, content and structures are continuously developed to be able to respond to new challenges.
