During its session on September 12 this year, the Cabinet of Ministers approved another Recovery Fund support program for businesses, aimed at the development of digital skills of company employees. The objective of this program will be to enhance the digital, robotics, and automation skills of Latvian micro, small, medium, and large merchants, including skills that would promote export, fundamental digital management skills at the management level of companies, and skills for the use of digital technologies in various business processes.
Training for the development of digital skills for company employees will be available through European digital innovation centers or associations selected in a competitive process. Associations will provide basic skill training courses for merchant employees online, in-person, and in a hybrid format, while EDICs will provide specialized training courses for merchant employees. It is forecasted that merchant employee training will begin at the start of 2024.
To receive support for the development of merchant employee skills, merchants will need to undergo a Digital Maturity Test at European Digital Innovation Centers and receive a Digital Development Roadmap, which must include recommendations for improving employee skills.
The total funding for the support program is 20 million euros. It is planned that within the framework of the program, at least 3,000 unique merchants will receive support for the development of employee digital skills.
Detailed information on the Cabinet of Ministers regulations project "European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility Plan Component 2 "Digital Transformation" 2.3. reform and investment direction "Digital Skills" 2.3.1.2.i. investment "Development of Company Digital Skills" can be found on the Legal Act Portal.
As previously reported, to promote the digital transformation of companies, the Ministry of Economics will develop five new Recovery Fund support programs. On February 22 this year, the first three support programs were launched:
"Support for the Establishment of Digital Innovation Centers and Regional Contact Points", whose aim is to promote European Digital Innovation Centers (EDIC) included in the European Union's unified network, fostering a unified and coordinated support ecosystem for digital transformation. European Digital Innovation Centers will provide support to enhance the understanding of digital transformation by companies and the public, introduce the possibilities of digital transformation in commerce, and promote digital and innovative public administration.
"Financial Instruments for Promoting Merchant Digital Transformation", under which merchants will have access to Altum support in the form of a loan with a capital discount for promoting merchant digital transformation;
"Support for Process Digitalization in Commerce", under which merchants will have access to LIAA support in the form of a grant for the introduction of new software and equipment in companies, ensuring the digitalization of internal processes in commerce and productivity improvement."
This year, to promote the digital transformation of companies, the government also plans to approve a support program for the introduction of new products and services in business, aiming to provide grants for the development of new digital products, technologies, and services to increase private research and development expenditure, using targeted state investments.
Ministry of Economics Public Relations Department prese@em.gov.lv
