Google and Lithuania's Ministry of Economy and Innovation announced an initiative to improve residents and businesses' digital skills. Called Growth with Google, the initiative was on Thursday presented by Economy and Innovation Minister Rimantas Sinkevicius who said that the crisis increased the need for digital services and showed the importance of such skills.
"We plan to train 10,000 citizens to use various means of electronic communication. They will include consultations for businesses, the provision of necessary instruments during the training period, and possibly beyond," the minister said.
Vytautas Kubilius, CEO at Google Lithuania, says there are signs already that some job vacancies might not be filled due to citizens' lack of digital skills.
"The labor market is sending signals that there might be vacant jobs in Europe soon as people lack even basic digital skills, and they will be a must in certain jobs," he aid.
Some 5,000 people and businesses might be trained as early as this year, Kubilius said.
All in all, Google Lithuania has trained around 25,000 people on basic digital skills in Lithuania since 2016, including 18,000 people trained during digital workshops and visits to the country's regions and cities.