Roscommon Integrated Development Company has been awarded €595,000 under the Digital Skills for Citizens Grant Scheme to provide basic digital skills training to 7,000 people in the county.
Roscommon Integrated Development Company has been awarded the funding by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment. In announcing the news Minister Denis Naughten said: “For those already online, the benefits of the internet are clear. A few simple steps and a digital world opens before you – one where old friends can catch up, businesses and customers can find each other and access to information is easy.”
Minister Naughten went on to say “In a ‘connected’ society, digital skills for everyone are absolutely essential if we’re going to realise the full social and economic potential of this digital world. But many people have never had a chance to learn these skills. Helping these individuals, communities and businesses acquire them is a significant policy priority for me. That is the idea behind my Department’s Digital Skills for Citizens Scheme. It aims to give people the confidence, motivation and skills to take their first steps online, so that they can play their part in an increasingly digital world.”
“Working in partnership with the 15 community and not-for-profit organisations that have been awarded grant funding, we are actively supporting people to move online and enjoy all that the internet offers.”
He added “I would also encourage all those who attend the training classes to share at least one skill they’ve learned with a friend or colleague, and help make these skills an integral part of everyday life in Ireland. It’s one more way we can help more people benefit from this national initiative.”
The Digital Skills for Citizens Scheme is a key part of the Government’s National Digital Strategy which recognises the importance of enabling all citizens to realise the full social and economic potential of the digital world. Digital skills can empower and enrich the lives of people, giving them better access to information, culture, entertainment, social networking, eGovernment services, as well as online goods and services.
Training in basic internet skills will be delivered free of charge to more than 26,000 people across Ireland during 2017. Details of the Roscommon Integrated Development Company classes will be published early in the New Year.