Everyone should have these digital skills

Digital skills recommendations (in Finnish) bring together skills that every Finn living in the digital age should have a command of. The recommendations are based on a study conducted by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in the autumn and winter of 2022–2023 on what digital skills are essential for people of all ages. Key skills include using e-mail, managing one's own affairs in digital services and managing passwords and identification in services.

In addition, all age groups felt that it was essential that they understood their own skill level and could rely on their ability to develop their own digital skills. Older respondents emphasised the understanding that one is never done learning digital skills. Younger respondents, on the other hand, recognised that there are quantitatively many essential skills and that their need is determined according to one’s life situation. Young people particularly emphasised the importance of well-being skills and media literacy.

The feelings that citizens of different ages have about the digital future are illustrated by a quote attached to the recommendation material from the workshop: "Citizens cannot be required to use services independently until service providers are required to provide genuinely user-friendly and accessible services".

Digital first, but not alone

The digital skills recommendations will be discussed during the national Digital Skills Week, which will be held by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency on 8-12 May 2023. This is the fourth time the theme week is being held. The main topic of the week is digital courage, which is established through collaboration between organisations and people.

Our agency has proposed that, in the coming government term, digital services should be made a statutory primary service method for those for whom the use of digital services is possible. This requires digital courage. We need to raise the level of both services offered and digital skills, as we cannot expect people to use services that do not work,” says Chief Specialist Minna Piirainen of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

The term digital courage was highlighted in the Digital Skills Report published in the autumn of 2022. With regard to organisations, this means the courage to develop services boldly, with people's everyday needs for use foremost in mind, so that services of poor quality can be reformed or completely rejected. Likewise, it means encouraging and offering opportunities for learning new things. Digital courage helps you to keep up with continuous technological change, even in situations where you might have second thoughts. Digitally courageous people dare to try and experiment, but they also admit that they sometimes feel uncertain.

A digitally courageous society supports the development of digital skills and creates an environment that encourages the continuous and open-minded development of one's own skills. It also understands that sufficient support is needed not only for those for whom digitalisation is not possible, but also for all of us who are sometimes challenged by digitalisation.

Info box

Join us at Digital Skills Week on 8-12 May 2023

Digital Skills Week offers interesting and topical content and discussion opportunities on the topic throughout the week. Open to everyone, the live programme will be held online between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, after which you can participate in thematic discussions on Teams between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. On Friday, the programme begins at 9:30 a.m. You can also participate at the Think Corner in Helsinki.

The programme is headed by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency in collaboration with Sitra, Finnish National Agency for Education, the Service Centre for Continuous Learning and Employment and Etelä-Suomen Klubitalot ESKOT ry.

The tentative programme for the entire week can be viewed at https://dvv.fi/digitaitoviikko

Media representatives are welcome to interview the week’s guests after broadcasts at the Digital and Population Data Services Agency (address: Lintulahdenkuja 2 A, 00530 Helsinki).

We also offer media the opportunity to stream the week’s speeches on their own channels.

If you are interested, please contact us at dvv.viestinta@dvv.fi

 

Digital Skills Week

• The fourth Digital Skills Week is the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's annual digital skills theme week, which will be held on 8-12 May 2023.
• The daily themes of the week are:
  • Monday, 8 May: Digital courage is a prerequisite for a democratic society 
  • Wednesday, 10 May: Working life success in the digital age comes through courage
  • Friday, 12 May: Digital first, but not alone 
• Digital Skills Week is open to everyone, free of charge
• The Digital and Population Data Services Agency acts as the national developer of digital support and as a support organisation for digital support providers.
• Digital support is part of the measures promoting equality in Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Government Programme, which aims to strengthen the participation of individuals and communities in society.