New €1.6m fund to help boost basic internet skills

Age Action Ireland has welcomed the announcement that a fund of €1.6 million is to be made available to provide basic internet skills for people who might otherwise not engage with the internet.

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte announced he was making the money available at the launch of Age Action Ireland’s new computer training facility on Lower Abbey Street, Dublin, yesterday.

While the fund will support access to the internet for a number of sectors, including the disabled and the unemployed, Eamon Timmins of Age Action said about 80 per cent of people over the age of 65 don’t have internet skills.

He said the internet had potential to be a hugely effective tool for elderly people as it allowed shopping, banking and correspondence without the need to travel. It also provided a range of opportunities from simple online networking, such as bridge playing, to webcam chatting with family and friends across the globe.

“Younger people can generally do all this by travelling about, so it becomes more important to older people that they have access to the internet,” said Mr Timmins. He said Age Action Ireland would be seeking a tranche of the money to run courses itself. The organisation would also be seeking volunteers to assist with the courses.

Mr Rabbitte said he had increased resources originally earmarked for the scheme. He said research had shown that investment in similar schemes, “working with the community and voluntary sector to deliver the training, delivers effectively on our objectives”.

“This scheme will enable thousands of people throughout Ireland – people otherwise likely to be left behind in the knowledge society – to acquire the basic practical know-how to improve their digital skills. In particular this will help older people, those with disabilities, the unemployed and other key target groups. They will learn to use the internet, e-mail and how to conduct simple online transactions,” he said.

Previous schemes have shown how learning basic skills helps people in many ways – giving them new communication options, new opportunities to save money, as well as better access to online services, he said.

“We have also seen how such new skills and the opportunities that result from them improve people’s confidence and wellbeing. More widespread participation in the knowledge society is a win-win outcome, with advantages for citizens, the Government and the wider economy,” Mr Rabbitte said.

Details of the scheme are available at einclusion.ie