Connected Lithuania (Prisijungusi Lietuva) — Library-Based Digital-Skills Courses Reach 100,000+ Adults, Against a 500,000 Target

Connected Lithuania ran from April 2018 to September 2021, funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the State Investment Programme (total value EUR 5,988,156.64). It was implemented by the Information Society Development Committee with the Langas į ateitį association, the Communications Regulatory Authority, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library and the Ministry of the Interior.
The programme targeted non-internet users and people with inadequate digital skills (rural residents, low-income people, early school leavers, older people, people with disabilities, the unemployed), and also trained community digital leaders, young 'e-scouts' and librarians. Courses ran at library internet access points and in communities, later moving partly online during COVID-19.
Reported results: more than 500,000 people took part in project activities, of whom over 100,000 attended digital-skills training, across 691 local communities. In a participant survey 84.7% said they felt more confident sharing information safely online, 81.6% had become more critical of the information they receive, and 80.7% felt better able to spot fake or malicious websites. Early data (2019) showed more than 30,000 trainees, 42% aged over 50 and women outnumbering men about four to one; relatives often enrolled older family members.
Caution: the stated objective was for 500,000 citizens to acquire or improve digital skills and for regular internet use to reach 87%; the 100,000+ trained figure is roughly a fifth of that target, the outcome figures are self-reported rather than independently assessed, and no skills-test or long-term follow-up data were found.

Read the full analysis: https://www.lnb.lt/en/projects/programs-and-projects/infrastructure-projects/the-connected-lithuania-an-effective-secure-and-responsible-lithuanian-digital-community