Comparative Study of Public e-Service Centres in - ePractice.eu

PUBLIC E-SERVICE CENTRES IN EUROPE
cultural promotion or integration, etc.) would help attract the interest of people who
are still e-illiterate.
2. What really makes an impact on the quality of the service offered is the level of
preparation by staff. By joining previous results, we can imagine that PIC staff in the
future will be specialised in socio-cultural animation, capable of attracting users and
keeping them interested in the whole learning process (not only in ICT), and they
would also be specialised in blended learning processes to provide users with
pedagogical assistance or guidance that could help users learn to learn.
3. Careful backing and funding from Public Authorities and non-profit foundations is a
key-factor towards success. In particular, Public Administration plays a major role in
creating an overall legislative and policy framework which takes account of the
strategies / programmes of NGOs and other third sector organisations thus enabling
them to put non-discrimination and e-inclusion initiatives into practice.
G. Policy & Strategy
There is a strong need for an integrated policy look on e-inclusion that takes into account that
e-inclusion is directly related to the quality of life and society and encompasses culture,
education, eSkills. Public administration needs to take a leading role in transforming the
system. Restrelli claims that there is “a lack of a national policy framework in Italy and Spain if
you compare this to countries like the UK, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries.
Combating unemployment is action point NR 1 for the government. E-inclusion and Life Long
Learning are not. But if you want to become a knowledge based society you need to invest in
these issues. That is long-term policy. Maybe the EU's regional development fund can
address this issue.”
Rastrelli stresses the need to sensitise all those persons and centres working with
discriminated people in the field of social insertion and integration in order to introduce
computer activities in the existing centres as part of inclusion activities.
- promote and strengthen the cooperation between social workers and
technicians;
- promote and strengthen the cooperation between technological centres and
third sector organisations active in the field of social inclusion.
Rastrelli believes that “an E-inclusion strategy can only be successful if users become active
not only as users, but also when they become aware of the various opportunities provided by
ICT, through Internet and address the information society in an informed, active and
participative way. Users also become producers, creators and suggest new PICs’ services
and/or contribute personally and directly to innovate existing services.” Rastrelli underlines in
her study that “general evidence shows that there is no great distinction between Networks of
PICs and single PICs on matters of building/respecting general service standards, as this
aspect seem to be more influenced by the degree of implementation of e-inclusion/nondiscrimination
policies by each European member states/regions concerned. Finally, I want to
mention that AWO/ARCI/LA LIGUE/FCV experts have already presented a new joint initiative
under the EU Life-Long Learning Programme Call (the Leonardo project named: “Developing
Knowledge Society Learning Environments”) to continue to work on these issues. And they
intend to present others.”
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