As a newcomer to Norway, it's not just the language that's a challenge. Many immigrants struggle to use the digital services we all rely on in everyday life. Caritas wants to do something about this through a new course starting this fall.

NavigateNorway is the name of the project, which has received a total of NOK 2.2 million in funding from DAM, NAV and Oslo Municipality.

- We saw a need among the users of Caritas Resource Center, who at various levels struggle with digital services such as NAV, Helsenorge, online banking etc. Some have not used a computer much before and need basic training before they can use these services. But even highly educated people need to learn how to navigate the digital services we have in Norway.

So says Finn Børre Ekås. He is a senior advisor and business contact at Caritas and is also responsible for courses such as JOBBFOKUS - a job-seeking course for immigrants with higher education.

Ekås explains that the new course will be practical and module-based - one module for those who need very basic training in the use of computers and mobile phones and other modules for those who already know how. "We will then cover various topics such as the UDI, how to obtain a D-number for example, Helsenorge on how to communicate with your GP and find health information and NAV on how to access social security benefits such as parental benefit and unemployment benefit and so on.

Preventing social exclusion

The course is for both refugees and migrant workers. Thorough training in the use of digital services has a positive impact on participants' mental health and prevents social exclusion. Knowledge of the use of digital services (D-number, tax card, bank account, GP, etc.) is additionally a prerequisite for being a real candidate for available jobs.

- We know that many people who have lived in Norway for a long time also struggle with this. It's easy to feel left out if you don't master the digital services. That's why we see this as an important part of the integration process. This is self-help, as in everything Caritas does," says Ekås.

Many digital challenges

Volunteers at Caritas Resource Center confirm this impression. Mona, who sits in the counseling room several days a week, says that people come there with various digital challenges.

- "There's a lot of NAV, UDI and banking. Some people don't have a PC at home or the internet because of their finances, others need help setting up a bank account or understanding letters from NAV or getting in touch with NAV," she says.

When users need help with digital services, they must bring their BankID with them and, for privacy reasons, they sit at separate keyboards so that the supervisor cannot see the personal codes that are entered. And if the advisor is to contact public bodies on behalf of the user, the user must first give documented consent to this.

- Helping them can be time-consuming, especially because of the long waiting time to get in touch with NAV by phone," she adds.

Great need for training

Research also shows that there is an absolute need for such a course. In 2022, PROBA samfunnsanalyse conducted a survey on behalf of IMDi about Newly arrived refugees' digital everyday life. The report concluded that about half of the participants they interviewed in the introductory program had "low digital skills and generally have great difficulty participating actively in a so-called 'digital everyday life'". Despite having access to digital devices and being able to communicate digitally, most of them experienced major challenges in accessing and using public digital services and information.

Participants receive practical training

Caritas will initially hold the course in English, but will have volunteers present who speak different languages, so that people who do not speak English well can also participate. Ekås promises that there will not only be lectures, but that volunteers will sit shoulder to shoulder with the course participants and help them one by one so that they get practical training in the use of the digital services.

In addition to the course itself, Caritas will collaborate with Factsplat. This is a service that has been used for the elderly in Norway who often have the same digital barrier as some immigrants and can therefore spend a lot of time finding their way around the internet. Factsplat is an application and a start page where you can collect the links to all your most important websites and digital services, so that you can easily find them again and can be sure that you log in to the right website.

Norway is one of the most digitized countries in the world. Caritas wants NavigateNorway to become national in the long term, so that immigrants who live in places other than Oslo have the opportunity to train their digital skills.

- If we are successful in raising additional funding, we will train staff and volunteers at other local Caritas organizations to conduct the same course around Norway," says Ekås.