Computer Education Against Marginalisation

Acronym of the case:

ECDLCroatiaInclusion

Web address of the case:

http://www.recipe-darda.com/index2.php

Country of the case:

Croatia

City/region:

Municipality of Darda in North-Eastern Slavonia

Posting Date:

17 July 2012

Last Edited Date:

01 October 2012

Author:

Dimitris Theodorakis (ECDL Foundation)

ecdl | Digital literacy | Employability

Type of initiative

Project or service
Strategic initiative
Promotion/awareness campaign

Case Abstract

Since Croatian independence, governmental agencies have endeavoured to address the social exclusion of marginalised communities throughout Croatia and in war-affected regions in particular. The Municipality of Darda in the North-Eastern Slavonia region has experienced drastic increases in unemployment, mainly due to declining industrial activity. Equipping Serbian, Hungarian, and Roma minority groups in the Darda Municipality with ICT knowledge and skills was identified as an ideal means to address long-term periods of unemployment within these communities and to increase employability. The Municipality of Darda engaged in a widespread partnership and implemented the ‘Computer Education Against Marginalisation’ project.

Description of the case

Domain

eInclusion

Topic

Digital literacy and competences

Sector

Education, Science and Research | Employment | Local/Regional Community Development

Date

January 2011 to January 2012

Date operational

January 2011

Target Users

Authorities dealing with groups at risk | Disadvantaged/deprived communities | Minorities and migrants | People with no or poor digital literacy | Unemployed people

Target Users Description

The overall goal of the ‘Computer Education Against Marginalisation’ project was to increase employment opportunities for the long-term unemployed and socially excluded individuals in the Osijek-Baranja county in North-Eastern Slavonia. The project targeted 120 adult learners, both employed and unemployed, who enrolled in the ECDL programme. Special emphasis was placed on national minorities and farmers; 10 long-term unemployed persons supported through social assistance schemes, 40 unemployed persons from the Serbian national minority, 10 unemployed persons from the Roma national minority, and 10 unemployed persons from the Hungarian national minority were selected. The project also involved ECDL training and testing for 20 unemployed farmers and 30 employed people within the Municipality of Darda, who faced possibly losing their jobs in future due to their lack of ICT skills.

Scope

Local (city or municipality)

Status

Ended

Language(s)

Croatian

Policy Context and Legal Framework

In preparation for European accession in 2013 and to increase the employment opportunities of the socially vulnerable in Croatia, this initiative was funded under the ‘Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance – Component IV: Local Partnership for Employment – Phase 3’. Enabling socially vulnerable groups to become digitally skilled constituted a priority for the Croatian government and the implementation of the ECDL programme in Croatia received the support from various Ministerial Departments as well as the Croatian Chamber of Economy. Also as a consequence of ECDL Foundation’s international reputation and success, and the aforementioned ministerial endorsements of ECDL certification, the Municipality of Darda decided to prepare socially excluded citizens with ICT skills through ECDL. ECDL Foundation’s National Operator in Croatia, the Croatian Information Technology Association (CITA) was one of seven partners in the project to provide ICT skills to socially excluded groups in the Municipality of Darda. The Municipality of Darda in the Croatian North-Eastern Slavonia region was affected heavily by war and Serbian, Hungarian, and Roma minorities were targeted through this project, as they experienced long-term unemployment particularly when industrial decline in the region became prevalent. The ‘Computer Education Against Marginalisation’ project aimed to address the problem of long-term unemployment. ICT skills were identified as an all-important opportunity to raise the employability of the marginalised groups in this region and to address their social exclusion.

Project Size and Implementation

Type of initiative

Training and education

Overall Implementation approach

Partnerships between administration and/or private sector and/or non-profit sector

Technology choice

Not applicable/not available

Funding source

Public funding EU | Public funding national | Public funding local | Charity, voluntary contributions

Project size

Implementation: €49-299,000

Yearly cost:

€49-299,000

Implementation and Management Approach

The ‘Computer Education Against Marginalisation’ project was initiated by the Municipality of Darda in partnership with the Osijek office of the Croatian Employment Agency and CITA, which is ECDL Foundation’s National Operator in Croatia. In order to ensure the relevance of the project for the target audience, namely socially-excluded groups, the partnership engaged with the Serbian, Hungarian, and Roma National Minority Councils. The involved partners chose to engage with the leading ICT training provider ‘Algebra’ from the onset of the project given their vast and successful experience in implementing similar projects using the ECDL programme. The cooperation between the involved partners was a critical factor that allowed for the successful roll-out of the project. In addition to this necessary cooperation, the endorsement of the ECDL programme by the Croatian government underlined the importance and relevance of ECDL certification for social inclusion as well as adult learning in general. Achieving an internationally recognised certificate of high quality and an international standard was a motivating factor for all participants. The Croatian Employment Agency aims to tackle unemployment nationally and its Osijek regional office wished to address the local problem of long-term unemployment. It used the ECDL programme to develop the skills and competences of unemployed persons falling within this remit. The Osijek office of the Croatian Employment Agency, under the leadership of the Municipality of Darda, promoted partnerships between various stakeholders in the local labour market to offer employment opportunities for the unemployed targeted and for those at risk of unemployment. The involvement of CITA was crucial in highlighting the opportunities offered by digital skills development programmes to the involved partners, and in raising awareness of the added value that ECDL certification brings. The participation of the non-profit National Minority Councils enabled the selection of relevant candidates in line with the project’s overarching aim, to address the marginalisation of vulnerable groups in the Municipality of Darda. In terms of implementation, ECDL training and testing was offered to all candidates. Some were provided the opportunity to proceed to ECDL Advanced certification and those who were successful advanced candidates were offered the chance of becoming ECDL certified trainers which would greatly increase their employment prospects.

Technology solution

ECDL Foundation's certification programmes are designed, validated, and approved by academics and industry experts from around the world. ECDL Foundation has defined Quality Assurance Standards, which all national operators adhere to in the implementation and promotion of ECDL certification programmes. The national operators of ECDL programmes, and all accredited test centres within a country, are audited regularly.

Impact, innovation and results

Impact

The project enabled 120 people to undergo ECDL training and testing and achieve the ECDL certificate, free of charge. Trainers from the project partner ‘Algebra’ were pleased to witness a high degree of enthusiasm and motivation to achieve ECDL certification, even surpassing the motivation of candidates who had, in the past, paid privately for ECDL training and testing. According to the trainers, the active involvement of the respective Minority Councils leaders also contributed largely to the success of the project. The average pass score for the 120 candidates was around 80%, exceeding the 75% national average. This high success rate proved the adequacy of the delivered training and the effectiveness of the implementation methods. The achievement of ECDL certificates, as an end-result in itself, proved that the training successfully impacted the participants’ competence levels in computer usage. In addition to improving the digital skill sets of candidates and increasing their employment opportunities, the project left a significant infrastructural legacy to the Municipality of Darda. Upon completion of the project, the municipality retained the equipment that was funded by the project and has set up an information stand to promote skills developing through the ECDL programme and encourage future groups to acquire digital skills certification. The Municipality of Darda subsequently offered training in its refurbished cultural centre at reduced prices. User satisfaction with the project was very high and the increased self-confidence in computer use by candidates is exemplified by Esmeralda, ECDL graduate: “When I first started I did not even know what a computer is, now I know I'm computer literate and an equal…” Becoming digitally literate contributed significantly to the candidates feeling empowered and having better chances to participate in the labour market, thereby tackling their social exclusion. Through the fostering of candidates’ employability and productivity, the project positively impacted the local and regional economies in the Municipality of Darda and surrounding counties. The project has had a very positive impact in a region that was severely affected by war and industrial decline.

Track record of sharing

Central, regional, and local employment agencies as well as local and regional administrative authorities facing long-term unemployment in their territories could greatly benefit and learn from this case. Local and regional administrative authorities facing problems of insufficiently skilled employees for the adequate use of computer applications could equally benefit from this project as the ECDL programme enables individuals to become fully competent in the use of a computer thus avoiding the termination of their employment contracts. This project was co-financed by the European Union ‘Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance – Component IV: Local Partnership for Employment – Phase 3’ funding instrument and its successful implementation is one example of how this project could be replicated in countries benefitting from Pre-Accession Assistance. The mechanisms for exchange consist in the first instance of the identification of unemployment pockets at local or regional level and secondly, in the decision to engage with civil society organisations to account for the specific needs of the local population and ensure the relevance of the training programmes.

Lessons learnt

ECDL programmes can address the problem of insufficiently ICT skilled employees in regional and local authority administrations.

ECDL certification is an optimal tool that can increase the employability prospects of unemployed and long-term unemployed individuals in order to meet future labour market requirements.

An indicator of ICT knowledge and skills, such as ECDL certification is considered to be a determining element in stimulating future economic activity. This is all the more relevant in regions affected by long-term unemployment as digital skills certification raises employability and as such addresses the social inclusion of the population, encouraging inclusive economic growth.

Multimedia Content Select a Tab

There isn't any SlideShare for this case

There isn't any Video for this case

practice Computer Education Against Marginalisation