Contribute to the Populations’ Digital Participation (NO0067)

Summary of the commitment

Contribute to the populations’ digital participation throughout life

Description of the problem

1. What problems will the commitment solve? Help prevent digital exclusion in all age groups • Prevent people from being digitally excluded

2. What is the cause of the problem? Age, lack of knowledge, disability, lack of skills in dealing with public administration, low trust and language and cultural barriers.

Description of the commitment

1. What has been done so far to solve the problem? Since 1999, the Ministry has provided annual operating support to Seniornett Norway so that they can provide training for older people over the age of 65 who lack basic digital skills. Since 2012, the Ministry has announced grants for various initiatives related to digital skills in the population. In recent years, the grants have been targeted at municipalities with the aim of contributing to the establishment of local low-threshold assistance programmes. Around 70 municipalities currently report that they have established a Digihjelpen programme offering guidance on basic digital skills. In 2014, the Ministry organised several initiatives and activities aimed at citizens with low or inadequate digital skills, including in collaboration with Seniornett, the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) and KS. On behalf of DFD, HK-dir operates and furthers the development of various training resources that can be used free of charge by anyone offering courses and training in basic digital skills. In March 2022, DFD and KS entered into a new cooperation agreement on the establishment of municipal assistance programmes to increase citizens’ digital skills. The agreement lasts until 2025. The Ministry manages a grant programme that aims to contribute to increased digital participation and skills in the population. The grant was increased from NOK 2 to 8 million in 2022.

2. What kind of solution is proposed? - facilitate quality-assured and free assistance programmes for citizens with low or inadequate digital skills - further develop cooperation with the municipalities’ KS organisation to facilitate the development of good local guidance services throughout the country - work to make businesses more responsible for including all citizens in their digital service offerings - facilitate that participation in publicly subsidised low-threshold offerings aimed at those with insufficient or low digital skills should, as a general rule, be free of charge - ensure that the population’s level of digital skills is regularly surveyed - collaborate with public, private and voluntary organisations to implement a campaign to motivate citizens who need digital skills training to sign up for courses.

3. What results will be achieved by implementing the commitment? A reduction in the number of citizens over the age of 16 with insufficient or weak basic digital skills from 14 per cent in 2021 to 10 per cent in 2025.

Analysis of the commitment

1. How will the commitment promote openness? Through increased understanding of how public administration works. Digital training increases trust and understanding.

2. How will the commitment contribute to greater predictability? Citizens gain insight into and an understanding of their duties and rights. More people can “scrutinise the public administration”. Increases transparency and openness.

3.How will the commitment improve the opportunity for citizens to participate by publicising, implementing and monitoring the solutions?

Plan for commitment

Action plan with 29 initiatives; Establish a cooperation forum for digital inclusion; Grant programme for increased digital participation and skills

Action Plan Review

Commitment 4. Digital Inclusion

Commitment 4 aims to organize free training programs for people to develop their digital skills, regularly survey digital skills levels, develop local guidance services, and hold businesses accountable for digital inclusion. The trainings are part of a DFD-led grant program that runs until 2025 and carried out with civil society organization Seniornett, HK-dir (Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills), and KS (Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities). An official of the Norwegian Digital Agency (DigDir) noted that the goal of reducing the number of citizens over 16 years of age with weak basic digital skills from 14% in 2021 to 10% in 2025 may not be realistic,. [27] The government has created a multistakeholder forum for digital inclusion which meets twice a year to discuss challenges. [28] At the two-year mark of the action plan, Norway could include the meetings of the forum as an activity in the commitment, and incorporate its feedback into digital inclusion policy. Norway could also include the forum’s entire work plan to ensure that the commitment encompasses all relevant avenues of stakeholder discussion on the issue of digital inclusion. Also, as the training program is expected to end in December 2025, Norway could reassess the success metric at the two-year mark and determine any adjustments necessary for the last two years of the implementation period.