Meta, the parent company of Facebook is to invest €250,000 in grants to support digital skills across communities in Meath.
The tech giant announced the news today at its data centre in Clonee.
The funding will go towards digital skills programmes across education, training and not-for-profit organisations, such as the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, Cultúr Migrant Centre and Youth Work Ireland Meath.
The grants will help these organisations deliver programmes such as cyber safety workshops for seniors in community education, support for mothers with young children in Mosney Village, and digital engagement programmes to increase young people's confidence in coding.
One particular project of note is a new Digital Hub project funded by Meta for the Dunboyne College of Further Education.
"This funding from Meta is hugely welcome and will support so many worthwhile projects and initiatives across Meath," said Helen McEntee, Minister for Justice.
"The partnership with Dunboyne College of Further Education on the Meta Digital Hub is an especially innovative way of ensuring students in the county are supported in working with new technology, as well in availing of blended learning and remote working," she added.
Aoife Flynn, Head of Community Development EMEA & APAC at Meta said the company is committed to supporting communities and helping them overcome the digital divide.
"Covid-19 accelerated remote working and the need for digital skills, and we’re proud to partner with local organisations to ensure that these skills are brought to those who need them most," she said.
"Since breaking ground on our data centre in Clonee in 2016, we’ve developed strong partnerships with the local Meath community and take great pride in the resources we can offer to support digital skills and economic growth in the area," she added.
