Over 10,000 Victorians benefit from Skills.net

More than 10,000 Victorians now have the ability and tools to use the Internet as a result of the Victorian Government's community-based Skills.net program.

Skills.net was established by the Government to ensure that no Victorian is excluded from learning the skills of the Information Age despite disabilities, age, geographic location, or economic circumstances. The program provides free or affordable access and training for the Internet.

Skills.net centres have computer and Internet facilities, run workshops, develop Web sites and raise community awareness of multimedia technologies and the benefits they can bring.

The Victorian Government is providing $5 million over three years for Skills.net which is an integral part of the Government's Victoria 21 strategy - aimed at building a networked and knowledge-based society in the State.

The Minister for Multimedia, Mr. Stockdale, said the success of Skills.net was hinged on the fact that "ordinary people are showing others just how easy and useful multimedia tools are for them and they do this by tapping into the strengths and skills within their own communities."

The Skills.net achievements so far include:
· 10,946 members
· 27,767 training hours
· 44,797 access hours
· 1,576 computers
· 345 venues

The Skills.net Roadshow has also travelled over 50,000 kilometres since July, 1997, visiting over 330 towns and showing about 13,000 people how to use the Internet and establish their own Skills.net project.

More information on the Victorian Government's Skills.net projects can be obtained from the Skills.net website at www.skills.net.au or by telephoning (03) 9669 9710.

(News Release, Minister for Information Technology and Multimedia, December 7, 1998)