Connected Lithuania: Development of Digital Skills
The State Digital Solutions Agency, together with its partners – the association “Langas į ateitį” and the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania – is implementing the project “Connected Lithuania: Development of Digital Skills.”
The aim of the project is to enhance the digital skills of socially vulnerable and socially excluded residents, reduce digital exclusion, and develop adults’ ability to fully and effectively use existing digital solutions. The project seeks to create conditions that enable residents to prepare for broader use of electronic services, reduce digital inequality, and encourage the acquisition or improvement of digital skills among residents of remote areas, older people, unemployed individuals, people with disabilities, and other population groups that still do not use digital technologies or whose skills in using these technologies effectively are insufficient.
As more and more services are being digitalized, social exclusion among older people is increasing. Some elderly residents do not have the means to acquire smart devices. Although they can access the internet at approximately 1,200 public library branches, where they are often also consulted on digital matters, they are frequently held back by a lack of self-confidence or distrust in new technologies, as well as by the absence of a supportive immediate environment (community) that would encourage and support them in acquiring new digital skills and using online services wisely.
The project aims to build on the existing experience of the implementing organizations and further develop residents’ ability to use digital solutions fully and intelligently. This will allow a broader segment of society to benefit from electronic services, reduce digital exclusion, encourage the acquisition and improvement of digital skills, and generally promote digital literacy across society as a whole.
Greater attention will be paid to residents of remote areas, older people, unemployed individuals, people with disabilities, and other target groups that still do not use digital technologies or whose skills in using these technologies effectively are insufficient. These groups often face greater challenges when it comes to technology use: they may lack sufficient skills or feel insecure when using new technologies, access to technology may be limited, and people with disabilities may encounter accessibility barriers.
The project also aims to increase the use of electronic services. This includes public services such as healthcare, education, and social protection, as well as commercial services such as online banking or e-commerce. Improved digital skills enable people to use these services more conveniently and efficiently and to take advantage of the opportunities offered by ongoing digital transformation.
The project contributes to the implementation of the 2021–2030 State Digitalization Development Program of the Ministry of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, specifically the progress measure No. 05-002-01-07-08 “Develop technological solutions and tools that enable safe and convenient use of services” and the activity “Development of artificial intelligence technological solutions for linguistic resource needs.”
Project duration: from October 28, 2024 to April 30, 2026.
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