Barcelona Digital City

Access to new technologies has become a new source of social fracture for cities and their residents.

The new era presents increasingly complex challenges for society and, just as one of the most basic educational objectives used to be combating and minimising illiteracy in the population, we are now facing the problem of cyber-illiteracy, i.e. people who have major difficulties with living in an increasingly computerised world.

Access to new technologies is essential for social and employment inclusion. So the City Council is launching training and educational programmes to enable everyone, regardless of age or whether are they individuals or businesses, can enjoy the services and opportunities that technology offers.

Examples include the Barcelona Activa’s technological skills acquisition programme at the Cibernàrium, with specific activities for individuals, professionals and businesses, or workshops for children and families organised by the fab labs.

Barcelona Activa has joined forces with the Biblioteques de Barcelona Consortium to launch a project under the “Barcelona, Digital City for 2017-2020” plan, entitled “Ciberalfabetización” (e-learning).

The initiative consists of three training programmes created with several age bands in mind (children, young people up to the age of 17 and people over the age of 55), and divided into free short digital-inclusion courses held in 31 libraries in the city’s 10 districts. The aim behind the courses is to combat the digital divide in the city, improve people's technological skills and encourage new vocations.