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The letters OULU in pink in front of Tuira, each decorated in honour of the summer and the year of the Capital of Culture.

Front page › news › Development of digital support continues in Northern Ostrobothnia

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22.10.2020

Development of digital support continues in Northern Ostrobothnia

Digital skills are civic skills, and taking care of them is a matter for the whole of Finland. The Regional Assembly of Oulu Region will continue the regional coordination of digital support in the Northern Ostrobothnia Digital Support project in cooperation with further funding from the Ministry of Finance.

In 2020, a total of 14 regional projects were granted state aid for the regional coordination of digital support, of which 11 are follow-on projects and three are new projects. The state aid was granted by the Ministry of Finance. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency takes care of the national coordination of digital support and also guides the work of the Regional Assemblys.

– Digital support belongs to everyone and we are looking forward to further developing it in our own region. It is also a pleasure to involve new regions in digital support cooperation. Maria Puotiniemi and Heidi Niemelä The Northern Ostrobothnia Digital Support Project.

The organisation of digital support contributes to ensuring that all citizens have sufficient digital skills and the opportunity to use the services of the authorities equally in Finland. The projects of the Regional Assemblys bring together the organisers of digital support into regional networks and help to further develop digital support.

– According to a recent digital skills survey, we Finns are a digitally skilled people, but there is also a clear need for digitisation. Digital support is available, but not everyone can find it. The aim of the state aid projects for digital support is, among other things, to map the provision of digital support and promote discoverability, says the project manager Minna Piirainen Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

There is strength in the network

The Digital and Population Data Services Agency supports the activities of the digital support networks assembled by the Regional Assemblys and acts as an advocate for digital support. The task of the counties is to steer the network of digital support stakeholders in the region, increase the awareness of digital support and develop the availability of support.

– When numerous organisations, municipalities, authorities and companies join forces in cooperation with the help of regional The Regional Assemblys, digital support providers become a force for change, which plays a key role in the development of a smooth Finland, Piirainen continues.

Research has also shown that digital skills have an impact on people's well-being and health. The better the digital skills the residents have, the better they are able to make versatile use of digital services and devices to support their well-being. Deficient digital skills, in turn, increase the risk of digital exclusion, which is known to have a negative impact on human well-being and health.

– In Northern Ostrobothnia, there is strong cooperation in cooperation with the regional stakeholders involved in the promotion of well-being and health, so that all the residents of the region have equal opportunities to take advantage of the opportunities brought about by digitalisation, Maria Puotiniemi and Heidi Niemelä say.

Further information:

Maria Puotiniemi, Digital Support Project for Northern Ostrobothnia, tel. +358 40 685 4049, maria.puotiniemi@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi

Heidi Niemelä, Northern Ostrobothnia Digital Support Project, tel. +358 40 685 4047, heidi.niemela@pohjois-pohjanmaa.fi

Project Manager Minna Piirainen, Digital and Population Data Services Agency, tel. +358 295 535 280, minna.piirainen@dvv.fi

What is digital support?

  • Ministry of Finance grants Regional Assemblys a grant for regional coordination of digital support
  • The work is coordinated by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency
  • Regional Assemblys bring together stakeholders offering digital support in their area and ensure that services are findable
  • Digital support is provided by municipalities, public administration stakeholders, organisations, various projects and companies

 

Keywords:

Digital support, Northern Ostrobothnia Digital Support project

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