OREANDA-NEWS. On 10 June, the first few seniors will start learning computer and internet skills at Cēsis city primary school and Jeri primary school as part of the Lattelecom social responsibility initiative Connect Latvia. Lessons will be taught by long-term project participant and teacher Ērika Siliņa in Cēsis, whose counterpart in the Jeri parish will be teacher Māra Ozola.

“More than half of the 2300 seniors who applied for Connect Latvia computer literacy courses have no prior knowledge of computer and internet usage, and want to start learning from the very beginning. This shows that more and more seniors in Latvia want to get involved in modern society and learn computer skills for everyday use as well as for work,” explains Līga Bite, head of the Lattelecom social responsibility initiative Connect Latvia.

The highest number of applications for training has been received from Riga and the Greater Riga region - more than 1600 - with at least a hundred applicants aged over 50 having applied from each region, i.e. Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale and Latgale. More than 60 teachers have offered their effort and enthusiasm to participate in improving the welfare of residents of their cities and regions so far.

Anyone over 50 years of age is welcome to apply for the free training, by calling the toll- free number 80000822 between 8:00 and 21:00 on any business day or by filling out a form at www.piesledzieslatvija.lv <http://www.piesledzieslatvija.lv> on the web. Teachers are also welcome to apply by calling this number. Connect Latvia training will take place throughout Latvia, either in Latvian or in Russian, gathering groups as close as possible to where the applicants live.

Seniors over fifty may choose to acquire one or more of the three aptitude levels offered, according to their skills and experience. The first level is intended for people who encounter computers for the first time; level three provides in-depth training in software use, e-services, and data processing.

The Lattelecom project Connect Latvia has been implemented since the 2008/2009 school year. So far, municipalities and schools have housed training sessions for over 20 thousand seniors. Initiators of the project intend to train at least 30 thousand people throughout Latvia before the state's 100th anniversary, helping them overcome the digital divide and feel well-integrated in our information society.

The Connect Latvia social initiative has become a nationwide project supported by the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Employment State Agency, the European Commission representation in Latvia, the Latvian Information and Communications Technology Association, and the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments.