PORTUGAL
Policy environment
The development of Portugal towards an information and knowledge society has been a political priority, as defined in the Government Programme. This priority has been emphasised by the adoption of the e-Europe Action Plan 2002. Regarding the Information Society, Portugal currently has a framework of programmatic documents and funding instruments recognising that goal and setting up the necessary structural investments:
− The creation of an Inter-ministerial Commission for Information Society (Cabinet Resolution no 111/2000), which is a co-ordinating and monitoring body for Information Society policies. This Commission, presided by the Minister of Science and Technology, comprises delegates from all ministries [www.cisi.mct.pt].
− The approval of the Internet Initiative (Cabinet Resolution no 110/2000 of 22 of August). The Internet Initiative establishes as a strategic priority the rapid increase in the use of Internet at schools, households, enterprises and public administration. Several measures and actions have been adopted aiming not only at the diversification of uses and the development of structural access conditions, but also at the diffusion and increase of available services and content.
Funding Instruments
− The launching of the Operational Programme for the Information Society (POSI) [www.posi.mct.pt]. The POSI establishes as priority action areas the development of skills, the promotion of accessibility and content, the development of scientific and technological research in the information society area, the encouragement of regional and national networks (Digital Portugal), the modernisation of the state administration (the Open State), as well as monitoring and assessment.
− It is also worth noting the remaining programmes launched within the Third Community Support Framework for Portugal and the Regional Development Programme (Plano de Desenvolvimento Regional) for the period 2000-2006, which emphasise the importance of knowledge and information as factors of cohesion and competitiveness.
INTERNET INITIATIVE: The Portuguese Action plan [Source: www.cisi.mct.pt]
The Internet Initiative (Portuguese Action Plan) presupposes a fundamental change in scale and unprecedented growth in the dissemination of information technologies in Portuguese society. It demands a
new type of partnership between the public and private sectors, and calls for the mobilisation of both human and corporate resources.
The targets of the Plan are in line with best practices in Europe, and the Plan is based on an exhaustive package of measures aimed at achieving those targets rapidly in all dimensions of social and economic life.
Targets
1. To achieve by 2003 an average Internet penetration rate of 50%.
2. To have at least half of all Portuguese households with computers connected to the Internet by 2003 through:
− Broadband access and flat rate tariffs made available through three competing systems: cable modem (cable TV), ADSL, and mobile Internet (UMTS).
− Low-speed access on a free basis or for a token charge (citizen's access). 3. Public Internet access points at all levels of local government in 2003. 4. All schools connected to the Internet by the end of 2001.
5. All teachers with access to personal computers at home in 2004.
6. All secondary and higher education students with access to personal computers in 2003. 7. To increase Portuguese Internet content by a factor of ten each year over the next three years. 8. To increase e-commerce conducted by Portuguese companies 100-fold over the next three
years.
9. To have all official forms available on the Internet in 2002. To enable widespread electronic submission of returns in 2003. All public services online by 2005.
10. Basic skills in the use of information technology: two million people in 2006.
Specific policies and programmes
Technology development
R&D programmes
The Portuguese Government has stimulated R&D and innovation in public and private sectors in order to foster the development of new information technologies and greater co-operation among researchers and research organisations. Several programmes and actions have been developed, namely:
− The Development of the Science, Technology and Society Network (RCTS), a high-speed network managed by the Foundation for National Scientific Computation (FCCN). This
network aims to provide the scientific, academic and student community with faster, more secure and cheaper access to the Internet. All the universities, Polytechnics Institutes and R&D entities are connected through the RCTS. Nowadays there are many institutions connected at an access speed of up to 20Mbps. The bandwidth between Lisbon and Oporto is now 155Mbps (34Mbps in 1999). In international connections, a new connection of 622Mbps came into operation in October 2001 (80 Mbps at the end of 2000). Meanwhile the Science, Technology and Society Network 2 (RCTS 2) has been developed. It consists of a new, high-speed network for scientific purposes, in the framework of the development and specialisation of the RCTS. Universities, Polytechnics, State laboratories and other institutions with major communications requirements are the most advantaged by this network. The RCTS 2 consists of a computer network using the IP protocol to guarantee a platform for communication and collaboration among teaching, science, technology and cultural institutions. It is composed of two main centres (Lisbon and Oporto) to which the institutions are connected. The main technologies used in the connections between the institutions and the RCTS are ATM, for high-speed networks, and VPN-IP, Frame Relay and Dedicated Circuits for the remaining. Nowadays most institutions connected to the network already use ATM technology.
− The Foundation for National Scientific Computation (FCCN) integrates a consortium lead by the company DANTE which is implementing the GÉANT project funded by the 5th Framework Programme – IST programme [http://www.dante.net/geant/]. The goal of the programme is the improvement of the previous generation pan-European research network, TEN-155, by creating a backbone at Gigabit speeds (10 GBps capacity in 2004).
− The project “Computational Processing of the Portuguese Language” was launched in May 1998. This project is the result of an initiative taken by the Portuguese Ministry of Science and Technology to boost the area of computational processing of the Portuguese language. The project is part of the Ministry's aim to grant native Portuguese speakers easy access to the ever-expanding Information Society. Within this context an agreement between the Portuguese Ministry for Science and Technology (MCT) and the Portuguese daily newspaper ‘Público’ was signed in April 2000. This agreement was aimed at creating and distributing a 180 million words corpus of newspaper text. This corpus was mainly aimed at all those who develop computer programmes processing the Portuguese language, and who would need raw material for their work. The text versions on CD were conceived for this kind of users.
The Operational Programme Science, Technology and Innovation (2000-2006) is also contributing to the development of information technologies and to co-operation among researchers and research organisations. In order to stimulate technological R&D, research projects in consortia among scientific/academic institutions and enterprises will be funded. The following projects are worth noting:
− The creation of an Industrial Liaison Offices Network to support the transfer of technology related to the European programmes and S&T international organisations joined by Portugal (ESA, ESO, CERN, ESRF, etc.). This network will search for opportunities and partnerships in order to increase the transfer of technology, to provide technological goods and services, to stimulate the participation in R&D and to provide training courses for engineers and scientists envisaging the transfer of knowledge.
− The creation of the Science and Technology Library, based on a network among the Portuguese scientific and technological institutions’ libraries. The Science and Technology Library will be connected to international systems and networks of scientific documentation,
under the scheme of a digital library. A first step has already been taken with the protocol between the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Institute of Scientific Information of Philadelphia (ISI). From December 2001 on, the ISI databases became available to Portuguese research organisations. There will also be Observation and Monitoring Networks, particularly as far as environmental and public health control are concerned.
Government demonstration and development programmes
The Portuguese Government has fostered the development of information technologies within the public sector. Thus a new opportunity has been created to reduce bureaucracy and to introduce more flexibility and efficacy in the Portuguese Public Administration. Three examples are worth noting:
− Ministry of Finance – the Ministry of Finance implemented a tax and customs computer network. This infrastructure is the cornerstone of the virtual tax office, through which a set of services, such as the possibility to lodge Income Tax and Value Added Tax returns, were made available on-line. The emission of the electronic taxpayer smart cards has already started.
− Ministry of Justice –By October 2001, Intranets had been installed in 95% of the courts and 60% were connected to the Ministry of Justice’s network. All registration services and notaries are now connected to the Internet. This network allows the request of birth, marriage, death, building and commercial certificates on-line. Besides, a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) has been implemented in the whole Ministry of Justice since December 2000 within the context of the “e-safe project”. A kit with a personalised smart card for the end-user has been developed.
− Ministry of Health – The institutions of the Ministry of Health are connected to a single network. Services such as requests for medical appointments among healthcare institutions are now available through the network.
Government procurement
− Within the context of the National Initiative for Electronic Commerce, Cabinet Resolution no. 143/2000 defines measures aimed at stimulating electronic public procurement. A working group was created in order to draft a report on the legal obstacles to the development of this commercial practice. This group will also prepare the draft law on e-procurement, as well as a document containing the main regulatory aspects of this process. This matter is now under public discussion (see http://www.mct.pt/aquisicao.htm).
− The Government has been carrying out several processes of massive acquisition of IT equipment. All local government boards have been equipped with computers and connected to the Internet and almost all schools now have Internet connections due to Government action. Besides, many public Internet access points are being created.
Venture finance
So far, policy measures promoting venture capital for SMEs have mostly privileged the commerce sector, for which a fund was created in 1998. There is now a project to create a new public venture capital fund for
new technology-based SMEs. The improvement of conditions of access to venture capital, namely by reducing the administrative burdens and the reorganisation of public sources of venture capital, is among the key actions of a strategic, inter-ministerial Integrated Programme for the Support of Innovations (PROINOV). The Government has recently approved its guidelines.
Technology diffusion
Technology diffusion to individuals and households
The Portuguese Information Society policy, aimed at the increased diffusion, access and use of IT, has always been developed under the principles of universality and regional and social equity. As targeted in the Internet Initiative, by 2003, 50% of the Portuguese households will have access to the Internet and an average Internet penetration rate of 50% will be achieved. In order to reach these goals, the Government is now working on two main areas: (1) increase access among households and companies, in schools and public areas; (2) foster use, through the certification of a Basic Skills Diploma in IT;
Policies to increase access to information technology
− Having all schools connected to the Internet by the end of 2001 is one of the targets of the Internet Initiative. In October 2001 Internet connections reached all post-elementary schools and 97 % of elementary schools.
− The Operational Programme Information Society – Digital Portugal – foresees the extension of the Digital Cities Programme by tender throughout the country. This programme was launched in 1998 and comprises a set of projects in the Information Society area aimed at: (1) diffusing the use of IT so as to foster social, cultural and economic development; (2) combating social exclusion (and info-exclusion in particular); (3) compensating for the effects of certain cities’ peripheral locations; (4) improving urban life; (5) and improving economic competitiveness. Until now 5 digital cities and 2 digital regions have been created. − In order to socialise citizens with the Internet, Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs) have
been created in all municipalities since February 2001, as foreseen in the Operational Programme Information Society. Around 100 PIAPs were approved in the summer of 2001. By 2003, there will be a PIAP in all local government boards (around 4 500). Nowadays there are around 800 PIAPs in town halls, as well as in public libraries, post offices and museums. − Significant cuts in Internet access prices are being reinforced by the liberalisation of the
telecommunications market, which ended in January 2001. Given the unbundling of the local loop, consumers now have a great range of options, which have been widened to all the technically admissible possibilities, including broadband technologies supported by the fixed network of the incumbent operator.
− In average and in global terms, the price of interconnection for 2001 has dropped 19,4% in origin and 16% in termination, according to deliberation by the Portuguese regulatory body for telecommunications (Interconnection Reference Proposal 2001). Interconnection prices applied in 2001 were closer to the best community practices for the second consecutive year. Prices in Portugal are now compatible with those practised elsewhere in the European Union.
− A tax incentive system has been at work since 1998 for the acquisition of IT equipment by households. The number of households benefiting from this tax incentive has been increasing: around 90 000 in 1998 and in 1999, and 116 420 in 2000. In 2002, there will be a tax incentive of 25% of the cost, up to EUR 179 of total deduction (EUR 175 in 2001). − The Sponsorship Act comprises a new article related to the Information Society. Under this
article, sponsorship of IT equipment, software, training and consulting in schools, museums, libraries, social solidarity institutions, local governments and scientific institutions are considered as costs or losses up to 8/1000 of the volume of sales or services provided by companies, in a value equivalent to 130% which is deductible to the collectible CIT. Within the context of this initiative, more than 200 schools were recently given 900 used computers with updated software by a telecom corporation. All these institutions can also be given used IT equipment by the Portuguese Public Administration, as established in Decree-Law 153/2000.
− Portugal adopted a tender model for the attribution of UMTS licenses. The tender took into account the operators’ contributions for the development of the Information Society, such as: the creation of a citizen portal; special conditions of access for citizens with low incomes; special conditions of access for citizens with special needs and socially-relevant institutions.
− The inclusion of citizens with special needs (CSN) in the Information Society has been particularly taken into account throughout Portuguese IT policy. Portugal joined the Web Accessibility International Initiative and a National Initiative for Citizens with Special Needs was approved in August 1999. In order to ensure the monitoring of IT policy for citizens with special needs, a new body was created by the Ministry of Science and Technology – the Access Unit (Unidade Acesso, www.acesso.mct.pt). The most relevant initiatives of the Access Unit have been: (1) the collaboration with the National Institute of Administration (INA) concerning web accessibility courses (tutoring and production of training manuals); (2) the creation of a helpdesk for web accessibility for civil service webmasters; (3) the production of technical manuals of accessibility for museum sites; and (4) the support given to the creation of content regarding Citizens with Special Needs. Within the context of the Network of Solidarity Citizens with Special Needs’ (RSCNE), IT equipment, access to the Internet through RCTS – Science, Technology and Society Network and the possibility to create web pages are being supplied to institutions involving CSN. 70 institutions now comprise the RSCNE. Besides, projects will be developed by the UMTS working group so as to ensure the access of citizens with special needs via this platform, as prescribed in the tender for UMTS operators. And in the Overheads and Costs Book of the tender for the Land Digital Television (LDT) operators’ licences, special conditions were included envisaging access on LDT platform.
Policies to foster the use of information technology:
− As foreseen in the Internet Initiative and in the Operational Programme Information Society (POSI), the Basic Skills Diploma in Information Technology has already been created (Decree-Law 140/2001). The diploma is available to any citizen and the final exam is exclusively practical. By 2006, 2 million citizens will be certified with this basic skills diploma, which is being associated with the completion of Basic education (9 years). Accreditation of the institutions that will provide the Basic Skills Diploma, the model, the system of emission and further requisites related to the diploma have already been regulated.
− The use of information technology also depends on the availability of content on the Internet. Hence, the Government decided that all public information in the hands of direct and indirect public administration shall be published and all public invoices will be made available on the Internet (Cabinet Resolution 95/99). Meanwhile, the Government (Cabinet Resolution 22/2001) decided the periodic evaluation of public web sites aimed at improving their quality and promoting good practices. A public tender for the evaluation of public websites has already been launched. Besides, the production of Internet content from private and public sources is being funded by the POSI. Some of this content may be purchased by the public sector.
− In order to allow the use of the Internet by citizens with special needs, a set of rules regarding the accessibility of CSN to content from Public Bodies through the Internet was approved (Cabinet Resolution no. 97/99). Public services are committed to creating or remodelling their web sites according to these rules, as well as to reporting on this matter. Moreover, the Government determined the evaluation of public sites on a regular basis, aiming at the production of recommendations, which shall contribute to improve the quality of the public website pages and to promote good practices. Accessibility of CSN is one of the topics evaluated, along with timeliness and user-friendliness.
Assessment and impacts on IT diffusion
IT access and use have been growing significantly. Between 2000 and 2001, the number of Portuguese households with access to the Internet more than doubled. In August 2001, around 20% of all households had an Internet connection. 39% of households had at least one computer, 49% of all Portuguese were computer users, and 30% were Internet users.
Technology diffusion to businesses
The central role played by IT in competitiveness has challenged the Portuguese economic structure and created a new opportunity for modernisation, particularly for commercial activity. Within this context, the goal of the Internet Initiative is to increase by 100-fold over three years (starting in 2000) the value of e-commerce conducted by Portuguese companies.
POE (Operational Programme for the Economy) and incentive schemes
The main financial programme – the Operational Programme for the Economy (POE, 2000/2006) – has as its central goals: (a) improving the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, as well as their participation in the global market; (b) the promotion of a new development potential. As far as IT is concerned, the POE supports, for example, investment projects with a strong growth potential, such as those in e-commerce, e-economy or the IT industry.
Meanwhile, a series of incentive schemes created within the context of the POE comprise a strong IT component:
− The SIME – Business Modernisation Incentive Scheme foresees, for example, supporting the acquisition of IT equipment and software used in R&D; In November 2001, 353 projects had been approved by the SIME;
− The SIPIE – Small Business Initiatives Incentive Scheme and the SIPIFC – Commercial Function Integrating Projects Incentive Scheme support the acquisition and introduction of IT (hardware/software);
− The Incentive Scheme Health XXI, which envisages the creation and development of private, co-operative and social healthcare services, supports costs related to IT.
[See:http://www.poe.min-economia.pt]
PROINOV (Integrated Programme for Innovation)
The Inter-ministerial Programme PROINOV was approved so as to reinforce the competitiveness of the Portuguese economy, bearing in mind social and regional cohesion and the creation of more and better jobs. All axes of the PROINOV are crossed by measures containing IT components, such as: (1) the diffusion of Internet use and e-commerce; (2) and technological and organisational quality and innovation. [See.http://www.proinov.gov.pt]
Small and medium-sized enterprises
SMEs are the core of the Portuguese economy. They still face some difficulties as far as IT and the Digital Economy are concerned. Portuguese SMEs tend to lack information, planning and strategic programmes, technological and technical skills and financial means to modernise. Thus, special attention has been given to SMEs as foreseen in the e-Commerce National Initiative.
Digital SME Initiative
Within the context of the Operational Programme for the Economy, the Digital SME Initiative was launched in December 2001, so as to promote the participation of SMEs within the Digital Economy. SMEs are encouraged to change their management and organizational methods and to engage in e-commerce and a broader use of IT through a set of Information and Technical Assistance Networks (RIAT) and a specific incentive scheme.
[See:http://www.iapmei.pt]
Government on-line, government as model user
In the last two years, use of IT by the Portuguese Public Administration became a priority within the national IT policy. Hence, axis 3.1 of the Operational Programme Information Society – Open State: Modernizing Public Administration, comprises a set of measures envisaging an open State and an integrated Public Administration through IT diffusion in the management, processing, storage, provision and exchange of information among public services, citizens and social and economic agents.
Chapter 5 of the Internet Initiative is dedicated to the use of IT by Public Administration and by citizens when communicating with the State. The target of this chapter is to have all official forms available on the Internet by 2002, to enable widespread electronic submission of returns in 2003 and to have all public services on-line via the Internet by 2005.
Services with great demand are also available on the Internet. Direct Public Service
The Direct Public Service, which allows the request of birth, marriage, death, building and commercial certificates on-line, is available since February 2001 on http://www.dgrn.mj.pt/. It has reached a stable demand of c. 250 requests per day (ca. 25 from Portuguese emigrants).
Tax returns on-line
The tax computer network of the Ministry of Finance is the cornerstone of the virtual tax office, through which a set of services, such as the possibility to lodge tax returns, were made available on-line. VAT, PIT and CIT returns can be submitted on http://www.dgci.pt since 1997. In 2000, ca. 35,000 PIT returns, ca. 16,000 VAT returns and ca. 10,450 CIT returns were sent on the Internet (in 1999, 13,225 IT returns and 5,150 VAT returns).
Social contributions for employees declared on-line
Monthly social contributions for employees can be declared on http://www.seg-social.pt/ since February 1999. Entities with more than 10 employees are now required to deliver forms on a digital support or to send them via Internet.
Registration of a new company or association on-line
The registration of a new company or association can be requested on http://www.dgsi.pt/rnpc.nsf since February 2001. By October 2001, 555 online requests have been submitted.
Local Governments on-line
In the context of the Digital Portugal programme, local governments are also developing e-administration projects. The city council of Aveiro, for instance, provides a great amount of services on-line related to public transportation and water supply.
Public Information
All public information shall be on-line (Cabinet Resolution 95/99). There are nowadays many sites and portals in which public bodies publish legislation and updated information. The following are worth noting:
The Official Journal of the Portuguese Republic is available on http://www.incm.pt/dr. The access is cost free for legislation published during the last 45 days. Besides, Cabinet Resolutions can all be read on the Cabinet’s website[http://www.pcm.gov.pt].
The Environment portal [http://www.ambiente.gov.pt] comprises a set of environmental information services, such as on water quality or geographic information (Digital Atlas of Environment). There is also a newsletter with updated information on national, European and international environmental policies.
The site of the Ministry of Justice [http://www.mj.gov.pt] provides legislation and updated information on judicial affairs. This also comprises a site of the centres of arbitration [http://www.mj.gov.pt/arbitragem] with all the information on this conflict resolution mechanism closer to citizens.
One can search for official statistics on the Infoline – statistics on-line [http://www.ine.pt], where more than 10,000 tables are available. The access is cost-free for basic data.
Geographic information is available on Geocid [http://geocid-snig.cnig.pt/]. GEOCID has been developed to make available SNIG's network contents (SNIG is the Portuguese National Geographic Information Infrastructure, NGII) to the common citizen.
Since the number of public sites has grown very quickly in the last years, information has become pretty scattered on the Internet. That is why there is now a strategy aiming at organising and rationalising public Internet resources.
The Portuguese Public Administration already has a portal of its own: the Infocid [http://www.infocid.pt]. This portal provides useful information for citizens on a wide range of subjects. It also contains a guide of all public services.
Besides, the Government will also have a portal, where one will be able to access political information provided by all the branches of the Cabinet.
Employment on-line
The Portuguese Institute for Employment and Training will soon publish on the Internet data on job demand and supply, training actions and other information on employment matters.
Public employment on-line
In March 2001, the Portuguese Government decided to create an online career resource site for public employment, as well as another site for scientific and technological employment that is already available onhttp://www.fct.mct.pt/empregocientifico/
Business environment
Electronic settlement/payments
Legal framework
The E-Commerce National Initiative was approved in 1998 envisaging the creation of a favourable framework for the development of e-commerce.
Within the context of the Initiative, the following developments are worth noting:
− The legal framework for electronic documents and digital signatures (Decree-Law nº290-D/99).
− The Guide Document for the e-Commerce National Initiative, defining guidelines envisaging the creation of a favourable environment for e-commerce (Cabinet Resolution 94/99).
− The juridical equivalence between electronic and paper invoices (Decree-Law 375/99). − The creation of the Technical Council for Accreditation as a support structure to the
Accreditation authority for certifying entities of digital signatures (Decree-Law 234/2000). The transposition of the European directive on electronic signatures is also almost complete. The gap between the directive and the national diploma has been bridged.
Data transfer between companies and Administration
Data transfer has been implemented and diffused between companies and Social Security and Tax Administration services.
Hence, VAT and CIT declarations can be sent on http://www.dgci.pt, and social contributions for employees can be declared on http://www.seg-social.pt/. Entities with more than 10 employees are now required to deliver declarations on a digital support or to send them on the Internet.
Intellectual property rights
Conditions will be created so as to stimulate the protection of researchers’ and research institutions’ intellectual property rights. In articulation with the National Institute for Industrial Property (INPI), patent registration will be supported and the creation of nuclei of competence in juridical and economic aspects will be promoted.
International cooperation
IRG – EU/EFTA
The Independent Regulators Group (IRG), which incorporates 18 European telecommunications regulatory bodies, appointed ICP (the Portuguese member) to manage all the public information on telecom regulation within the EU and EFTA on-line. This project called IRGIS envisages the co-ordination and development of a catalogue containing all the information on the European telecom market and regulation.
European Union
There is a great coincidence between the Portuguese and the European Action Plans for Information Society (Internet Initiative and eEurope 2002) as far as principles, goals and measures are concerned. Within the context of eEurope benchmarking, Portugal is represented in all working groups under the European Commission and the European Council (e.g. Information Society Services).
Eurostat and OECD
Within the context of the production of statistics for the Information Society, Portugal is represented in Eurostat and OECD working groups.
Policies relating to building ICT skills
Professional IT skills
A working group comprising the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Education is developing a certificate in ICT for professional purposes. The professional skills that will be certified have already been identified.
The Operational Programme Information Society (POSI) foresees financial support through scholarship programmes to Specialisations, Master Degrees, Ph.Ds and post-docs in national or foreign universities, R&D institutions, companies, etc.
In 2000, the IT area accounted for 10% of the universities and polytechnics vacancies and 5% of the B.A. graduate population.
Post-secondary courses in IT were launched for the school year 2001/2002 in order to increase the still low number of qualified professionals in this area. A course lasts 1 500 hours (i.e. one year). Its successful completion guarantees a level IV training certificate and a Diploma in Technological Specialization.
Basic IT skills
As foreseen in the Internet Initiative and in the Operational Programme Information Society, a Basic IT Skills Diploma is now available to any citizen (Decree-Law no 140/2001). The process of certification is voluntary, non-bureaucratic and comprises a practical exam. The accreditation of certifying entities, the model and the emission of the diploma have already been ruled (Decree-Law no 1013/2001). The Basic IT Skills Diploma will also be associated to the end of basic school (9 years). The Ministry of Education, through its coordinating group for the introduction, diffusion and training programmes in information technologies, is preparing the process of certification. Two million citizens are expected to be certified by 2006.
Other initiatives
Beside the above-mentioned processes of IT skills certification and accreditation, other initiatives and programmes have been planned and implemented to foster IT literacy among particular social groups, such as:
Citizens with Special Needs
As foreseen in the National Initiative for Citizens with Special Needs (CSN), IT Training will be available for CSN under the co-ordination of Access Unit.
Young people
Two programmes for youth training in IT have been developed by the Ministry of Youth and Sport: (1) the Millennium Generation Programme provides basic training in IT for Young People aged between 10 and 18; (2) the Inforjovem Programme offers basic training activities in IT, as well as training of monitors.
There is a network of close to 200 Inforjovem Centres all over the country, which covers 60% of all municipalities. By December 2000, the programme had involved more than 300,000 young people.
Public servants
Every civil servant can attend ICT training courses (various levels) at the National Institute of Administration (INA). In 2000, the INA’s Department of Systems and Information Technology held 168 courses (158 in 1999), attended by 3 211 participants (3 066 in 1999). Seminars covering emerging themes such as those related to the Internet were reinforced in 2000/2001.
The FORAL Programme (Training Programme for Local Government Agencies) envisages the qualification of the local government agencies’ human resources and comprises a component of IT.
Other skills development policies which affect IT skills
School Agents and IT Skills
IT training for teachers and other school agents is foreseen in Measure 5 of the Operational Programme for Education (PRODEP III). All teachers of basic and secondary education (150,000) are expected to be trained, whereas 7% will have specialized training in order to assume new educational functions. Continuous training from 2000 until 2006 will last 83 hours on average, whereas specialised training will last an average of 250 hours. Teacher qualification courses will be available to 30,000 teachers whose initial training hasn’t comprised IT skills. Support for nursery and primary teachers’ training is also foreseen, as well as advanced training for University and Polytechnic teachers (the target is 550 Master degrees and 1,300 Ph.D’s). Besides, 48,500 school servants are also expected to attend training courses for 40 hours in average.
