Huge interest expressed in MCA’s ICT4All training scheme

Following the recent launch of the ICT4All scheme, the Malta Communications Authority said that nearly 6,000 applications have been received from individuals wishing to benefit from this training.

The scheme entitles individuals aged 25 and over to a €35 voucher that is redeemable against the ICT4All training course – an initiative intended to induce more adults to start using ICT for a better quality of life and to enhance employability.

Eurostat statistics show that while 91 per cent of youths (16 to 24) use the internet regularly, 61 per cent of adults aged 25 to 54 and only 22 per cent of adults aged 55 to 74 are using the internet on the same levels.

Philip Micallef, executive chairman of the MCA said: “Being unfamiliar to the internet and its various applications is a cause for both economic and social concern. To sustain our economy we need to ensure that we have our entire workforce digitally competent. From a social perspective we also need to ensure that all citizens benefit from the opportunities that ICTs offer. We need to make sure that no pockets of society become socially excluded as a result of their digital inabilities.”

The training offers participants the opportunity to experience different ICT applications and to learn how to apply these in their everyday life. Sending an email to a friend abroad, using eGovernment services and sharing a digital photo with friends are just some of the many digital lifestyle situations addressed in the training.

The ICT4All training will be delivered at the Community Training and Learning Centres that have been set-up in recent years. These centres are administered by a number NGOs and local councils. Over the past months, the MCA has helped to upgrade each centre by providing new computer equipment, with the support of Microsoft that has donated the software required. In addition, the ETC is also supporting this initiative by making a number of its centres available, in which the training can take place.

The application phase is now closed and no further applications will be accepted as the processing phase is well underway. Once the processing phase is complete, the vouchers will be issued to the beneficiaries who will be invited to select a centre of their choice.