LITTA Initiative Signe Bāliņa Board member of Latvian Information Technology and Telecommunications Association (LITTA), Managing director, JSC Datorzinību centrs, Latvia

LITTALITTA  The Latvian Information Technology and Telecommunications Association is a professional association that regroups –over 90 ITTE product and service providers and educational institutions –over 170 individual professional members of the ITTE industry sector in Latvia –LITTA members employ over people

LITTA The Principal Objectives of LITTA  To popularise and promote the development of Information Society in Latvia, in order to ensure that every resident in the country can benefit from the Internet technologies and thoroughly participate in the new knowledge-based economy

LITTA The Main Objective of Initiative  To prepare inhabitants of Latvia for information society services  To provide free of charge computer skills training for inhabitants of Latvia –Duration: 3 years

LITTA Initiative  The initiative is a tool for achieving the objectives of LITTA: –Attaining that all inhabitants of Latvia have opportunity to acquire skills for using computer and Internet - to decrease the digital gap –Popularizing the existing content of Internet in Latvia and facilitating the formation of new, useful content –Achieving that for each inhabitant of Latvia there is access to Internet

LITTA Target Audience  Inhabitants of Latvia who: –Do not have experience to work with computer and Internet –Possess some IT usage knowledge and skills, but do not have the experience in using the Internet Inhabitants of Latvia which are difficult to involve in the usage of ICT services

LITTA Prerequisites of Information Society Training Computer skills, opportunities Infrastructure Computers, Internet Content e-services Motivation

LITTA Training Guidelines  To concentrate on practical usage of Internet services  To pay special attention to security aspects in the usage of Internet  To train inhabitants in usage of currently available and essential services  To promote computer skills and internet services

LITTA Stages of Training  In order to train 10% of economically active inhabitants of Latvia, the training process is divided in stages as follows: –Preparation –Adaptation of training program –Pilot training –Training  The duration and scope of project depends on financing

LITTA EQUAL project “Training in Computer and Internet Usage of Unemployed in Latvia”  Initiated in January, 2005  Objectives –To collect information about computer skills’ level, interests and needs of unemployed persons –Development of study methodology that will allow to acquire basic skills of computer and Internet usage within a short time –Preparation of methodology and practical training of new trainers –To gather information about public Internet access points

LITTA Microsoft Unlimited Potential project  The goal of Microsoft UP project is to improve lifelong learning for underserved people by providing technology skills through community- based technology learning centres  The UP program provides: –Software licenses –Curriculum - quality content for the community learner that focuses on real- world skill development –Financial support – to cover training costs

LITTA Project’s Sustainability Ensuring  Establishment of Internet access points simultaneously with training  Collaboration with other projects which are oriented to meet inhabitants needs  Development of e-learning courses  Access via portal  Consultations via phone and Internet  Tax allowances