Project Project Latvia@WorldLatvia@World

An eInclusion success storAn eInclusion success storyy

Imants FreibergsImants FreibergsPresident of LIKTAPresident of LIKTA

19 April19 April 2007 2007

eInclusion – Issues eInclusion aims to get every member of society to use

ICT as part of their everyday professional and social life in order to improve the quality of life

Everyone has to become a producer and consumer of information on the Internet :

Able to find and acquire information from others, Able to make intelligent use of available e-services and

content Able to supply information about himself, his concerns and

his milieu to others Able of multi-way interaction within a network of interested

people and/or organizations

Issue: Stimulate social groups interacting via the Internet to form virtual communities with common interests and strive for social cohesion and participation

eInclusion – Actions to be taken

Integrate people into social processes Raise peoples’ level of awareness and motivation

for making ICT an integral part of their lives Help people to develop their digital and Internet

skills Provide convenient and affordable accessibility to

ICT infrastructure (universal broadband availability) and useful e-services

Enable people to create themselves meaningful and personalised e-content

eInclusion – Partnerships are essential

Form partnerships for complementary roles and networking effect

National and local governments to provide Universal access to cyberspace

Private organizations for financial sponsorship and their special resources

NGOs for sustainability and broadening of eInclusion initiatives

International partners for exchange of best practices and transfer of knowledge

Latvia@World Initiative Latvia@World Initiative Project goals Project goals

DiminishDiminish the digital and social the digital and social gapsgaps in Latvia in Latvia

Provide opportunities to everyone for acquiring the Provide opportunities to everyone for acquiring the skillsskills needed for using computers and Internet, needed for using computers and Internet, regardless of age or social statusregardless of age or social status

Promote the usage of existing Promote the usage of existing e-servicese-services on the on the Internet and facilitate the creation of new and Internet and facilitate the creation of new and useful contentuseful content

Build-up Build-up socialsocial networking through participation, networking through participation, communication and cooperationcommunication and cooperation

L@W eInclusion approachL@W eInclusion approach Provide Provide hands-onhands-on ICT training to selected social ICT training to selected social

groups (unemployed, pensioners, disabled people, groups (unemployed, pensioners, disabled people, people in rural regions) to people in rural regions) to motivatemotivate them to use them to use ICT in their everyday lifeICT in their everyday life

Provide methodologies and Provide methodologies and easy to useeasy to use ICT tools ICT tools for social groups that will enable them to develop for social groups that will enable them to develop networks of interest and networks of interest and virtual communitiesvirtual communities

Form partnerships with municipalities and NGOs, Form partnerships with municipalities and NGOs, to provide training centres and form to provide training centres and form locallocal instructors instructors for project for project sustainabilitysustainability

Form Form internationalinternational partnerships partnerships forfor exchange of exchange of best practicesbest practices

L@W L@W Project partnersProject partners

LIKTA – project initiator and coordinatorLIKTA – project initiator and coordinator Local municipalities – project Local municipalities – project

implementation in the regions:implementation in the regions:Krāslava, Liepāja, Preiļi, Valmiera, VentspilsKrāslava, Liepāja, Preiļi, Valmiera, Ventspils

Other partners:Other partners: National government institutionsNational government institutions Local training centres Local training centres Private sector sponsorsPrivate sector sponsors NGOs and social partnersNGOs and social partners International partnersInternational partners

L@W Project L@W Project stagesstages

Development of Development of motivationmotivation strategy strategy

DDevelopment evelopment of of ttraining programraining program and pilot study and pilot study

ExpandExpand the project to cover the whole country by the project to cover the whole country by forming new public and private partnershipsforming new public and private partnerships

ExtendExtend the project with new ways to further social the project with new ways to further social inclusioninclusion eParticipation eParticipation

ExtendExtend the project through life-long learning the project through life-long learning opportunities (eLearning)opportunities (eLearning)

TransferTransfer the method and best practice to other the method and best practice to other countries countries

EQUAL Project EQUAL Project “ICT and Internet “ICT and Internet training for unemployed people in Latvia”training for unemployed people in Latvia”

Part of Latvia@World initiativePart of Latvia@World initiative Target audienceTarget audience

Unemployed and job seekersUnemployed and job seekers Disabled personsDisabled persons People with special needsPeople with special needs

Improve possibilities to find employmentImprove possibilities to find employment Project duration − 30 months Project duration − 30 months

((JanJan.. 2005−2005−June June 2007)2007)

Project budget − 1 M EURProject budget − 1 M EUR

EQUAL EQUAL Project activitiesProject activities

To assess the level of computer literacy skills, interests and To assess the level of computer literacy skills, interests and needsneeds of the unemployed in rural regions of the unemployed in rural regions

To develop and validate training To develop and validate training programmesprogrammes according to the according to the needs of target groupsneeds of target groups

To develop, test and describe To develop, test and describe methodologiesmethodologies and procedures for and procedures for improvement and evaluation of ICT skills of the unemployedimprovement and evaluation of ICT skills of the unemployed

To To educateeducate the target audience in computer and Internet usage, the target audience in computer and Internet usage, including searching for job opportunitiesincluding searching for job opportunities

To provide a chance to increase knowledge independently through To provide a chance to increase knowledge independently through E-studiesE-studies

To develop To develop recommendationsrecommendations for integration of socially excluded for integration of socially excluded people to join the labour market and lead active social lives, by people to join the labour market and lead active social lives, by using digital skillsusing digital skills

To To integrateintegrate the project results in the project results in nationalnational level life-long learning level life-long learning systems, including employment agency trainingsystems, including employment agency training

Latvia@World productsLatvia@World products Innovative training system in basic Innovative training system in basic

information society skillsinformation society skills Only Only 8 h8 h long basic programme long basic programme (2 x 4 h)(2 x 4 h) MotivatingMotivating – I need this! – I need this! InteractiveInteractive – I can do this! – I can do this! Training co-ordination and logisticsTraining co-ordination and logistics Certification and real benefits to Certification and real benefits to

certificate holderscertificate holders Training materials (for instructors and Training materials (for instructors and

students) in Latvian and Russianstudents) in Latvian and Russian ““Digital maps” Digital maps” Further trainingFurther training programmes (ECDL programmes (ECDL

level): Internet, Text processing, level): Internet, Text processing, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Web sites, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Web sites, Data bases, MultimediaData bases, Multimedia

Certificate “e-trained”Certificate “e-trained”

Benefits of the Certificate “Basic Information Society Benefits of the Certificate “Basic Information Society Skills“ after completion of the training course:Skills“ after completion of the training course: Every student gets the training material (book)Every student gets the training material (book)

Free access to computer and Internet (at certain Public Free access to computer and Internet (at certain Public Internet Access Points – PIAPs, indicated in the digital Internet Access Points – PIAPs, indicated in the digital map of the respective region)map of the respective region)

Free personal e-mail accountFree personal e-mail account

Opportunity to establish an account and use Internet Opportunity to establish an account and use Internet banking at Hansabanka for freebanking at Hansabanka for free

Continued link with the project through the website Continued link with the project through the website www.latvijapasaule.lvwww.latvijapasaule.lv

Latvia@World resultsLatvia@World results

Participating Participating regions and rural districts :regions and rural districts :

Co-operation agreements with 18 regional Co-operation agreements with 18 regional municipalities about implementation of the project municipalities about implementation of the project in Latgale, Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Rigain Latgale, Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale and Riga

Digital mapDigital mapss developed: 345 PIAPs in 14 districts, developed: 345 PIAPs in 14 districts, 284 of them – free access (to be continued!)284 of them – free access (to be continued!)

33663 instructors trained in 18 districts3 instructors trained in 18 districts

Over 15 000 people trained since 01.12.2005Over 15 000 people trained since 01.12.2005

Latvia@World Training CentresLatvia@World Training Centres

Sustainability of Sustainability of L@WL@W Project Project The satisfaction of people trained is encouragement for

continued success (98% level of satisfaction in course evaluations, 90% express the wish for more ICT instruction)

A Latvia@World Web site is continuously updated and open to interaction with course graduates and society

All course material is freely available on the Web site and in printed form (in Latvian and Russian)

A digital map showing the local PIAPs is prepared for each district where the courses take place

The project is continuously expanding to new districts and new partnerships

Development of eCompetence Centres to offer practical support to local residents with respect to ICT and Information Society

Development of eLearning programs

L@W L@W International recognitionInternational recognition

Latvia@World selected as Signpost Project for EC eGovernment Latvia@World selected as Signpost Project for EC eGovernment Conference in Manchester, November 2005 Conference in Manchester, November 2005

Latvia@World project selected as Finalist for Stockholm Latvia@World project selected as Finalist for Stockholm Challenge, May 9-11, 2006 (Competition among 1165 applicants)Challenge, May 9-11, 2006 (Competition among 1165 applicants)

Latvia@World project presented at the EC Ministerial Conference Latvia@World project presented at the EC Ministerial Conference “ICT for an Inclusive Society”, Riga, June 2006“ICT for an Inclusive Society”, Riga, June 2006

Latvia@World project selected as Finalist for Baltic Challenge, Latvia@World project selected as Finalist for Baltic Challenge, August 2006August 2006

Latvia@World project presented at the Microsoft Global Leaders Latvia@World project presented at the Microsoft Global Leaders Forum in Edinburgh, UK, February 2007Forum in Edinburgh, UK, February 2007

We are willing and ready to share and replicate our best practice We are willing and ready to share and replicate our best practice for other countries and regions for other countries and regions (in EU and elsewhere) !(in EU and elsewhere) !

Co-operation partnersCo-operation partners

Project initiator and coordinator:Project initiator and coordinator:

Project supporters:Project supporters:

General sponsors:General sponsors:

Sponsors:Sponsors:

Supporters:Supporters:

Municipal partners:Municipal partners:

Thank you for attention!Thank you for attention!

www.latvijapasaule.lvwww.likta.lv