Telecentre Europe is a network of European public ICT learning centres known as Telecentres, which are set up in local authorities, NGOs, libraries and other educational venues. These telecentres focus on fostering knowledge sharing and learning amongst their members and on increasing their impact and effectiveness throughout Europe.  This year Telecentre-Europe chose Malta for its commitment towards the Digital Economy and the strengthening of ICT skills amongst its population.

The annual summit attracts telecentre leaders and stakeholders from across Europe and aims at exploring strategies, plans and common actions on the themes of digital inclusion, digital jobs, youth unemployment and telecentre sustainability.

The summit this year will focus on creating a roadmap for the organisation and its members where the primary objective is expected to shift from digital inclusion to digital empowerment and how people can be supported to improve their skills, find work and transform their lives.

In his opening speech, the Hon. Dr. Zammit Lewis stressed that a sustainable digital economy and an inclusive digital society is highly dependent on skilled people who can engage effectively with technology.  He lauded the telecentre model that empowers grass root organisations towards achieving digital communities.

Mara Jakobsone, Chairperson of Telecentre-Europe, outlined the work that Telecentre Europe has been actively engaged in over the past months and outlined the organisation’s vision for the future. She said that the organisation is pleased to hosting this summit in Malta, as the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) is one of its most active members in the Network and has been very successful in its local telecentre activity.

The summit was also addressed by Mr. Godfrey Vella, Malta’s Digital Champion who commended the efforts of Telecentre Europe and encouraged the organisation to transform its members from purely training centres, into entrepreneurial and innovation champions who will also serve as agents of social cohesion and economic progress.

There are 33 European nations represented at the Telecentre-Europe community made up of around 60 local, regional and national telecentre networks, which between them include over 30,000 Telecentres.
The MCA is a founding member of Telecentre Europe and, in collaboration with various NGOs, local councils and public agencies, currently operates 20 telecentres across Malta and Gozo.

Dr. Edwards Woods, Chairman of the Authority, said that “the MCA is committed to continued support and contribution to this Network as it strongly believes that this is an ideal opportunity for all European nations and regions to share experiences, those successful or otherwise.”  Dr. Woods added that the Authority will continue to strive to get more NGOs and local bodies involved in the telecentre initiative as these have a central role to play in our efforts to overcome the digital divide and encourage the effective use of ICT by all members of society.

During the summit, Telecentre Europe also launched a new project titled ‘Unite-IT,’ which is aimed at raising awareness and joint European actions to overcome the digital divide.  The project is led by Telecentre-Europe together with 7 of its member organisations, including the MCA.