15 May Out now: Get Online Week 2012 Campaign Report
15 May, 2012
After gathering all national partner campaign reports, Telecentre-Europe has now published the general campaign report for Get Online Week 2012.
It is clear that technology and the internet is continuously changing and challenging us to become more engaged in society. The Get Online Week campaign exists because we don’t want anyone to be left outside, as they will miss a significant number of benefits to their personal and professional lives.
In 2012, more than 10.000 telecentres in 50 countries supported over 200.000 people in their online journeys, during one week. Of all those that were supported by the campaign, about one in ten were first-time internet users. Some of those off-liners that visited telecentres during the Get Online Week, started a journey of discovery about computers and the internet, which will lead them to benefit from better job prospects and wage premiums. Apart from results and statistics about the people reached by the campaign this year, the report also explains how telecentres have doubled their efforts during the last year in the attempt to reach those offliners, but also to shift from digital inclusion to digital empowerment, in order to maximize the benefits of those that are already online.
An example is the introduction of new tools, like the user-friendly Internet buttons that you can set up for those less familiar with the net, to make their online experience easier and more comfortable. Or the Skillage application that finds out if you have the digital skills to get hired in the 21st century workplace – giving you detailed feedback in areas like communications ability, productivity and social media. Also the Employment Toolkit that provides some great online resources to help people choose, prepare for, and successfully get the job of their dreams.
Apart from this, the report also gives an overview of the Get Online Week launch event in Brussels, where Neelie Kroes, EC Vice President and Commissioner in charge of the Digital Agenda for Europe, opened the event with a speech, addressing the role of women in ICT for empowerment, employment and growth.
At the end of the report the country highlights reveal how the national partners of the campaign unleashed an impressive amount of resources and organized thousands of events, trainings, workshops and conferences that all led to the success of Get Online Week 2012. The huge and diverse range of actions is covered in short summaries from each of the participating European countries, with links at the end of each section for much more detail.