Key result 1 As citizens and businesses, you have the tools and knowledge you need at home, school, work and play to make the most of digital services and opportunities.
Why this matters
Digital participation is about more than one thing. Access to good Internet service is essential, but using it well and safely to tap its greatest potential requires skills. Some New Brunswickers have those skills, but some do not. Acquiring skills requires training.
How we’ll do it
Provide digital skills training for citizens, including school-age children
Citizens of all ages know how to use online services and protect their information. Government leverages relationships with interested community organizations.
How we’ll measure progress
A key performance indicator: Capture and analysis of the existing work being done to increase New Brunswickers’ digital literacy by government departments, New Brunswick community organizations, and others, to allow greater potential for coordination or partnerships where appropriate
Key result 2 As government employees we understand and can execute on a common vision of service because we have acquired the skills that we need to achieve that vision.
Why this matters
The digital literacy level across government staff still varies widely. This unevenness challenges government’s capacity to execute modern record-keeping, break down information siloes, operate at peak efficiency, even to attract the best people – because we do not have the latest tools that professionals are accustomed to using.
How we’ll do it
Provide digital skills training and foster new ways of working in government
We will make it easier to adopt new tools and processes, easier to work in multidisciplinary teams, and will transplant the lessons from digital to other forms of service (ex., citizen-centricity).
How we’ll measure progress
A key performance indicator: Government staff complete required training in digital and citizen-centric approaches
Key result 3 We influence the creation of better Internet infrastructure for New Brunswickers and advocate for rural access to high-quality internet services.
Why this matters
One-fifth of rural households still lack high-speed internet capable of now-common tasks – multiple users working from home, children learning, families attending medical appointments online. Some New Brunswickers, including many children, cannot access internet despite low-cost programs for low-income families; some do not know the programs exist, and others cannot complete the paperwork without help even when proactively offered by the federal program. Our economically critical rural sectors need better internet than they can get, to use the newest tools and compete in the global marketplace. For multiple reasons, not every New Brunswicker has access to the tool we now need for fair participation in education and the economy. And as a Province, our role is to support and advocate for improvements with Federal and private partners.
How we’ll do it
Explore Internet accessibility for more New Brunswickers through partnerships
Through partnering to align efforts, work towards equitable participation in education, healthcare, and economic opportunity, regardless of economic status, with community organizations, colleges and universities.
Make the case for better rural internet infrastructure to those who can make it happen
Federal funding, provincial advocacy, and collaboration with telecom providers are all necessary to get the infrastructure built.
How we’ll measure progress
A key performance indicator: Reduced processing time for permits to Internet Service Providers constructing infrastructure in rural areas
When we get there
Kabir
Kabir’s older children are in middle school. They sometimes come to him for help with their homework. One day his daughter has learned about the importance of privacy and security when using the internet, including some basic tips for how to protect herself and her information. She shows Kabir the lesson because she knows her dad loves to be online. He is surprised to learn new best practices he didn’t know before!
Stephanie
Stephanie and her team have had to learn to work in new ways to make sure that New Brunswickers’ needs and convenience are at the centre of all the services they create. At each step of the way they have had training that will help foster these new ways of working. The training in innovation has provided great business value early in the design process. They find it especially helpful to engage early and start small to learn from user. This allows them to find flaws and correct them sooner and at less expense than in the past.