PresTIC is a new service for loaning 300 Chromebook devices being made available to participants in Barcelona Activa employment programmes, vulnerable groups above all, with difficulties for following the activities provided for in the itinerary they are registered with. This will enable them to stay up to date regarding changes in the labour market. The initiative will be boosted with the necessary training through the Cibernàrium, the facility providing and promoting digital skills acquisition for city residents.
The priority employment programmes for accessing loans will include unique programmes for young people under the framework of the European Youth Guarantee Initiative, the “Work in Neighbourhoods” project and the “Gateways to employment and labour inclusion” programme.
The overall cost of the measure is some 100,000 euros, a third of which Barcelona Activa has contributed. The initiative is enshrined in the Shock Inclusion and Digital Skills Acquisition Plan for mitigating the effects of the Covid-19 crisis, whose main goals are to minimise the existing digital gap among Barcelona’s population and to prevent the pandemic situation from becoming an additional problem for people without digital tools at their disposal.
A commitment to equal opportunities that has led to other initiatives as well, such as a new support programme for city residents with more needs when it comes to carrying out online administrative procedures or preparing a report providing the details of the digital gap in the city.