Spain: rural women go digital

Digital and inclusive training hand in hand

The digital literacy scheme consists of a training pathway, which lasts between 26 and 52 hours. It is made up of face-to-face courses and included in the Catalogue of Training Specialities of the national employment system. The scheme targets women living in rural areas, employed or unemployed, who are or have been employed under the plan for the promotion of agricultural employment (PROFEA).

PROFEA is a subsidy scheme whose objective is to hire unemployed workers, preferably temporary agricultural workers, to carry out works of general and social interest, such as conservation and maintenance of the rural, forestry, heritage and natural environment and improving villages’ infrastructure. The aim of this scheme is to offer more and better employment opportunities to women workers and to fight against the gaps affecting women living in rural areas, paying special attention to the digital divide.

Financing of the digital literacy scheme

The training is financed through the Next Generation funds of the RRM (Recovery and Resilience Mechanisms), and will be implemented in rural areas of Andalusia, Extremadura and other disadvantaged rural areas of Spain until 2024.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Economy, through the State Public Employment Service (SEPE), makes this digital training possible through a public tender distributed in several lots, organised by region, for a total amount of EUR 50.5 million (excluding VAT). The awarding contracts will aid the programming, delivery and assessment of these digital literacy training courses, as well as the selection of participants and the assessment of the learning outcomes.

Tackling the demographic challenge

Digital training for women in rural areas is one of 130 measures of the Spanish plan to meet the demographic challenge, with the aim of:

• generating economic activity in areas at risk of depopulation to improve citizens' quality of life and facilitate generational change in the labour market;
• fixing and rejuvenating the population in regions in demographic decline;
• encouraging female employment in rural areas and fostering the inclusion of these workers;
• reducing the difficulties depressed groups (female agricultural workers) have in accessing the digital universe, improving their professional prospects and reducing the technological gap in the rural world.

Read more

• Licitación del servicio para la alfabetización digital de personas trabajadoras contratadas en el marco del plan de fomento del empleo agrario [Tender for the digital literacy scheme for women workers hired under the plan for the promotion of agricultural employment, PROFEA].
• Servicio de formación para la alfabetización de personas trabajadoras contratadas con el Plan de Fomento del Empleo Agrario [Digital literacy scheme for women workers hired under the plan for the promotion of agricultural employment].
• Empleo mujer y transversalidad de género en las políticas de apoyo a la activación para el empleo [Women's employment and gender mainstreaming in employment activation support policies].
• El SEPE promueve la capacitación digital de las trabajadoras en el ámbito rural [SEPE promotes digital skills for rural women workers].
• Competencias digitales para el Empleo [Digital skills for employment].
• Estrategia Nacional frente al Reto Demográfico [National Strategy on the Demographic Challenge].
• 130 Medidas ante el Reto Demográfico [Spanish plan of 130 measures to meet the demographic challenge].