Rural regeneration and talent growth through digital connectivity

In conjunction with the European Year of Skills, the European Broadband Competence Offices (BCO) Network Support Facility (BCO-SF) hosted an event during the 2023 EU Regions Week on the topic of rural regeneration and talent growth through digital connectivity. This event served as a forum to exchange best practices and explore practical solutions for rural digitalisation and talent development. It was co-organised by the BCO-SF and Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, AGRI.D1 responsible Unit for rural areas and networks and AGRI.B3 responsible Unit for social sustainability.

The workshop was moderated by the BCO-SF (Ashya Lane-Spollen, Deputy Lead).

The speakers, including two BCO representatives, were:
• José Pedro Borrego, Deputy Director-General for Information and Innovation, Autoridade Nacional de Comunicações (ANACOM), BCO Portugal
• Timothy Ollry, Assistant Principal, Regional Development & Innovation Unit, Department of Rural and Community Development, BCO Ireland
• Valérie Rousselin Somerville, EU Funding Manager, Skillnet Ireland
• Sara Toticchi, Head of Corporate Funding, The Adecco Group, Italy
The break-out session moderators were:
• Antonio Grasso, Public Affairs Director, European DIGITAL SME Alliance
• Szabolcs Vágó, Head of Division, EU CAP Network

Ashya-Lane Spollen, Deputy Lead of the BCO-SF, underlined the importance of the BCOs as the single contact points in EU Member States to accelerate broadband deployment to reach all citizens. In her opening remarks, she added that digital connectivity opens opportunities across the board to promote the vitality of communities.

José Pedro Borrego, from BCO Portugal, presented the critical role of network connectivity for bridging gaps in digital skills and unlocking better public services, in particular in health and education. He underlined the importance of broadband coverage mapping, combined with other key information, to improving the decision-making process for government, consumers and other stakeholders and for attracting further investments. He presented the Portuguese model, ANACOM’s Geospatial Platform, which provides information on fixed, mobile and satellite networks coverage available at a specific location or address in Portugal.

Mr Borrego highlighted that Portugal’s progress on providing broadband connectivity – which has reached 93% coverage by fixed very-high capacity networks (VHCN) and 91% coverage by fibre-to-the-premises (FttP) – has contributed to closing the digital gap between urban and rural areas. Where sparsely populated areas remain affected by market failure, Portugal uses subsidies to drive the deployment of gigabit networks. Mr Borrego gave the example of Portugal’s white areas case study, in which a public tender was launched to increase coverage by high-capacity networks in target areas in order to promote social cohesion and provide new forms of public services, as well as facilitate the development of wide range of activities.

Mr Borrego shared another compelling example that highlights the importance of extending connectivity to remote areas: the establishment of a smart submarine cable ring connecting the mainland and the islands of Azores and Madeira. This smart cable is equipped with sensors to detect, for example, differences in temperature, enabling critical early warning of coming earthquakes and tsunamis.
He concluded by underlining the importance of promoting rural and remote regions as an attractive destination for investors, emphasising their technological infrastructure and their potential for innovation and growth.

Sara Toticchi presented her company, The Adecco Group, and its Akkodis brand, which delivers cross-industry expertise in technology and digital engineering consulting, as well as talent services and skilling to enable digital transformation and accelerate innovation.
Ms Toticchi presented several good practices from The Adecco Group that illustrate the impact of investing in digital training and upskilling, as well as innovation projects for talent retention in rural areas. She emphasised the importance of community engagement in the planning and execution of such projects to ensure their successful take-up. The "Tolfa between Craftsmanship and Tourism" initiative, funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, included an academy focused on supporting specific sectors related to artisanal leather goods, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and digitalisation. A particular challenge associated with this project mirrors a common issue encountered within the cultural heritage and tourism sector. It entails the dual task of passing theknowledge from one generation to the next, while fostering an openness to innovation. Simultaneously, there is a need to help community members understand how their active involvement contributes to the well-being and overall revitalisation of the community.

Ms Toticchi offered many examples illustrating how investment in skills, innovative solutions and digital connectivity can have beneficial impacts across many sectors that are important for rural communities and economies:
• SIPLA - Integrated Protection System for Agricultural Refugee Workers (funded by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, AMIF, and European Social Fund+, ESF+). The SIPLA Network is a national network of local entities and services created to protect and support refugee agricultural workers against forms of irregular work and labour exploitation, provide them with training and help them integrate in the local communities.
• Comp4Drones, an R&D project supported by Horizon 2020, helps agricultural workers, such as winemakers, to manage poorly connected infrastructure. Sensors display accurate environmental data to detect crop disease at early stages. The use of drones is critical as existing infrastructure is remote and poorly connected to existing networks.
• IPERAGRIS - Integrated Process of E-resources and Robotics for Precision Agricultural Systems - is a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture to improve agricultural innovation by focusing on technology transfer as well as digital skills in rural areas. It includes a digital gathering similar to a hackathon, where participants propose innovative solutions and ideas in the agri-rural sector.
• ETRUSKEY - Creation of a Destination Management Organisation (DMO) within the Lazio region (14 municipalities, 36 companies). The Etruskey DMO association's mission is to promote and enhance the territory of Southern Etruria through a project shared by public and private actors, with the goal of creating a single territorial identity with an immediately recognisable brand, to be positioned nationally and internationally, as well as a structured offering for tourists looking for unique experiences. Participants receive training in the areas of digital promotion, marketing and communication.

Timothy Ollry, from BCO Ireland, presented the activities of the Irish Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), which aims to promote balanced regional development through 150 actions taken across government to create jobs, promote digital talent, and revitalise opportunities under the ‘Our Rural Future’ Irish Rural Development Policy umbrella (2021-25).

Ireland’s Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) and Connected Hubs (CHs) initiatives are an excellent illustration of how connectivity access supports the development of local businesses, community services and opportunities. The Broadband Connection Points are public locations which have been selected to receive high-speed connectivity (150 Mbps) as part of the National Broadband Plan and in alignment with the Digital Decade 2030 goals. The locations of the BCPs have been selected by local authorities and include public areas such as community halls, libraries, sports facilities, enterprise hubs, tourist locations and other public spaces, to allow local people to develop new initiatives and businesses that rely on digital connectivity, as well as making these areas more dynamic and attractive for people to remain in, visit or relocate to.

The Connected Hubs form a national network of private and public hubs for remote working. The Irish government initiated a voucher scheme in May 2021 aimed at encouraging remote workers and others to access their local Connected Hub facilities. Hotdesk facilities are provided free of charge to existing hub users and those using the facilities for the first time, enabling and encouraging more people with remote working jobs to live in rural areas and connect with other remote workers.

Examples presented included Clare Island, a sparsely populated island of 150 residents, which built strong broadband connections for the use of home health and monitoring devices; a smart skills for farming initiative in Tipperary; and the Ballycommon Technology and Training Centre funded through the BCPs and CHs, and the Just Transition Fund.

Valérie Rousselin Somerville presented her organisation, Skillnet Ireland, which is an Irish business support agency dedicated to preparing the workforce for the future of work. Their mission revolves around boosting competitiveness, fostering connectivity, and driving innovation through talent development. Its model is based on a network of 70 business groups, tailored to specific sectors or regions. These networks are instrumental in identifying individual skill needs and proposing skill development solutions focusing on lifelong learning, digitalisation, and supporting rural growth, particularly in transition regions in Northwestern Ireland. During her intervention, Ms Rousselin Somerville presented Farm Business Skillnet and Dundalk Chamber Skillnet initiatives, underlining the power of networking and bringing people in the same room, even if they are competitors, to identify common solutions.

Farm Business Skillnet is designed to support farms to upskill, cross-skill, and access gain access to new technologies to grow. The case study of Hill House Farm showed the impact that such support can have, taking the example of Angus Woods, a livestock and sheep farmer from County Wicklow. Mr Woods first engagement with Farm Business Skillnet was in 2014, when he completed the Young Leaders Programme, which included modules on 'Examining your own Enterprise and Developing a Business Plan' and 'Personal Development'. He is now the National Livestock Chair of the Irish Farmers' Association and has availed of training with Farm Business Skillnet for his Committee around Communication and Presentation Skills. He has also completed Leadership Development training.

Dundalk Chamber Skillnet is a cross-sector business network in Dundalk and the North East that supports local companies to work collaboratively on their technical and non-technical skills needs across multiple sectors, by developing shared local solutions that are accessible, affordable and effective.

Key takeaways from the break-out sessions:
The participants were split into three groups, discussinggood practices in the fields of smart and sustainable agriculture; business, education and employment opportunities; arts, cultural heritage and tourism. They also identified key factors for the success of such initiatives:
Topic 1: Smart and sustainable agriculture
• SMEs, highly reliant on government support for rural connectivity, emphasise the need for extending network deployment to all remote rural areas to enable smart farming.
• Satellite connections could be a solution for applications not requiring high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
• There is a need for better coordination among government departments responsible for network deployment and employee skilling.
Topic 2: Business, education and employment opportunities
• Local employee retention is crucial for boosting local business activities.
• Bottom-up initiatives and connected hubs, like those in Ireland, are essential for fostering rural development.
• Encouraging local engagement, including volunteers, is a challenge, and data is important for community involvement.
• Young people and skilled individuals are more likely to stay in their hometowns when they have access to opportunities that match their skills and ambitions. This helps rural areas retain their best and brightest.
• Leveraging public funding and bringing match funding from companies and the private sector is a way to support trainings and other activities.

Topic 3: Arts, cultural heritage and tourism
• Connectivity can support cultural preservation by allowing local communities to document and share their heritage digitally. This can include storytelling, music, art, and other cultural practices, preserving the community's identity.
• Infrastructure and connectivity are the foundation. As participants emphasised, a place worth visiting should also be a place where people aspire to live.
• It is important to involve and get the active support of the elder population in tourism and culture-related initiatives.
• Long-term planning and durable initiatives extending beyond legislative cycles are vital for regional tourism development, as well as the effective use of public funds, such as Interreg Europe in Eastern European regions.