ŠAVŠ/TAČR Digital Czechia in a Digital Europe

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adult education remains somewhat marginalized. From a practical point of view, however, it is precisely members of specific groups of adults (people over the age of 50, people on low incomes, existing workers in businesses undergoing and/ or preparing for digitalization, disability, etc.) who are most at risk of digital exclusion. For this reason, in this comparative analysis, we primarily discuss procedures and projects focused on the digital inclusion of adults – people who have already completed their schooling. In this respect, the United Kingdom’s digital strategy proves encouraging. In the government document from 2017, 4 great attention is paid to the topic of digital inclusion and digital skills “for all” (Digital skills and inclusion – giving everyone access to the digital skills they need). The targeted approach of British digital inclusion presupposes, among other things (research into the attitudes of various institutions and organizations to inclusion, etc.), active use of existing library networks . British libraries provide access to state-of-the-art digital technology (including 3D printers) to a wide range of people. The document states that more than half of UK citizens hold a library card and that almost 40% of people living in the most disadvantaged/marginalized areas regularly visit “their” library. Training in the development of the necessary digital competencies is to be provided by trained library staff (approximately 14,000 people) reinforced by volunteers (e.g. “digital champions” – see below). During the years 2014–2015, 192,000 people underwent some form of digital training organized in the library, and the British government intends to follow up on this successful step. The aforementioned training sessions were provided free of charge to anyone interested. Another interesting and thought-provoking part of the British digital strategy 4 is the government-supported involvement of large ICT companies in the development of digital skills . Microsoft has launched a program to train 30,000 “public” trainers with a wide range of digital skills by 2020; Google offers a free five-hour digital skills course to anyone interested; Amazon Web Services has launched a free re: Start program developing the digital skills needed to find (new) jobs, etc. In this context, the Digital Eagles project initiated by BARCLAYS Bank 5 appears to be interesting and worth following in the Czech Republic. Its origins date back to 2013, when the bank’s management found that its employees had problems using Apple iPads. In order to change this situation, the first 18 employees were trained to become a “Digital Eagle” – a person who helps other colleagues in the bank learn to work with new technologies and develop the necessary digital skills. With a growing number, “Digital Eagles” gradually began to engage in the education of customers, 4 UK Digital Strategy, 03/2017, see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-digital-strategy 5 Digital Eagles, Build your digital skills with us. Barclays Bank UK PLC, Barclays 2019, see https:// www. barclays.co.uk/digital-confidence/eagles.