Programme dedicated to help the acquisition of competencies in efficient use of internet

In Brussels, Fobagra works to bridge the digital divide affecting vulnerable groups such as the long-term unemployed, recipients of social assistance, elderly people, people of non-European origin and those with lower levels of education.

Fobagra supports trainers with concrete tools and delivers tailor-made ICT training and access, while also using its own service delivery as a social-economy 'integration' pathway into paid work for people who struggle to find employment (due to unrecognised qualifications, recent immigration or material hardship).

The organisation runs 8 'Public Spaces' across Brussels offering computers, internet access and training, delivering more than 4,000 hours of computer courses per year on behalf of around 40 client or partner organisations. It has developed its own tools, including the card game 'From material to virtual' and training-planning software 'Cazou', and has been approved by the Brussels region as a Local Employment Development Initiative (ILDE) since 2006.

Fobagra was named the Brussels winner of the Social Economy Prize (Prix de l'Économie Sociale) in 2012.

Fobagra identifies two persistent implementation challenges: differing literacy levels within training groups, and insufficient staff capacity relative to demand.