1) The document outlines a plan called "26 weeks to make a difference" to boost digital skills in the UK and Northern Ireland. The goal is to help the 9.8 million adults lacking basic online skills and 1.6 million small businesses needing improved digital capabilities. 2) It describes initiatives like training local "digital champions" to promote skills, partnerships between organizations, and a charter for organizations to commit to helping citizens improve their skills. 3) Case studies show examples of activities to promote skills, like training hundreds of digital champions, workshops in communities, and businesses supporting digital skills among customers, staff, and charity partners.

1. 26 weeks to make a difference

2. To make
NI
the UK’s most
digitally skilled nation
Our aim

3. £ 63 BILLION
uplift in UK GDP
if global digital
leadership
achieved
£ 18.8 BILLION
uplift in annual
turnover if
SMEs marketed
and sold online
9.8 million don’t have Basic Online
Skills
1.6 million SMEs need to improve their
capability
Government programmes and investment
£15m from Big Lottery Fund
The Opportunity

6. The Divide is Widening
Access to public services that are
increasingly moving online
Increased social exclusion as relationships
go online
Young people without home internet may
struggle with educational attainment
Pay higher prices for goods &
services that are offline
Harder to find and get
jobs

7. Case study: Go ON North East
Partnerships
Promotion
• 500+ local partners
supported the campaign
• 1,300 digital champions
recruited and supported
• Embedding digital skills
into everything they do
• 26 weeks to make a
difference plan
• Menu of Support
developed to support
key messages
Political
leadership
• All 12 local authorities
signed up to Digital
Skills Charter

8. 23% of NI adults don’t have
Basic Online Skills

9. COMMUNICATE FIND THINGS SHARE
1 2 3
Send and
receive emails
Use a search
engine and
browse
Fill out an
application
form
KEEP SAFE ONLINE4
These Basic Online Skills have been developed by Go ON UK with the help of key academics from LSE,
LBS, Ofcom and OII. They are being used as a basic standard of literacy for Go ON UK Partners.
Basic Online Skills – people

10. Thousands of organisations also
miss out

11. Basic Online Skills – organisations
These Basic Online Skills have been developed by Go ON UK with the help of key academics from LSE,
LBS, Ofcom and OII. They are being used as a basic standard of literacy for Go ON UK Partners.
COMMUNICATE FIND THINGS SHARE
1 2 3
Send & receive email
Create & maintain
social media
accounts
Use customer
relationship
management tools
Use a search engine
& browse
Build, maintain &
promote a website
Comply with
accessibility
guidelines
Optimise site for
different devices
KEEP SAFE ONLINE5
4
Make & take
payments &
donations online
FIND THINGSTRANSACT
£

12. Our aim?
A 25% Basic Online Skills boost
in 12 months

13. How?

14. COLLEAGUES CUSTOMERS COMMUNITY
1 2 3
Everyone in the
UK should have
the Basic Online
Skills to enjoy
the full benefits
of the web
Everyone
deserves world-
class digital
services that
meet their needs
and are useable
by all
Communities
that don't have
the skills to fully
enjoy the
benefits of the
internet should
not be left
behind
Go ON UK Digital Skills Charter

15. Joining digitalskills.com

16. Shared language – knowing what to say

17. Hundreds of partners
so far including

18. National partners Local partners

19. They’re supercharging existing activity
and embedding Basic Online Skills
into everything they do

20. A taste of activity
so far

21. Future champions will identify, develop and
train digital champions throughout Northern
Ireland with an emphasis on:
• Supporting rural communities
• Promoting ease of access for disabled
members of the community
• Preparing the community for Welfare
Reform changes and challenges Reaching
out to past participants
Trained 496 digital champions
across NI

22. Lower Castledawson CA Coleraine DHCN

23. Disability Equality Group NI

28. "People with sight loss need to acquire IT
skills that offer them new ways of accessing
information and interacting with the world
around them after they lose access to print.“
Doris
RNIB training has enabled Doris to increase
her involvement in her local community

29. “Halifax Northern Ireland, part of Lloyds Banking Group, has a huge responsibility to encourage
and support people and organisations to gain the Basic Online Skills and confidence to take
advantage of the many opportunities the internet can bring.
That’s why we are committing our own colleagues and joining forces with our community
partners in Northern Ireland to support those with low or no digital skills. Namely:
• Creating an army of at least 500 digital champions to promote the benefits of a digital world
• Focusing our Halifax branch colleagues on supporting our customers to carry out their
banking online
• Putting plans in place to support five different charity groups through our membership of
Northern Ireland’s business in the community”
Jim McCooe, Regional Ambassador for Northern Ireland, Lloyds Banking Group

38. What can you do now?
• Digital champions – become one or recruit and support others
• Basic Online Skills – embed into everything you do
• Partnerships – make contact with local partners or on
digitalskills.com and work together to find creative ways to help
boost Basic Online Skills in your area
• Digital Skills Charter – encourage your organisation and partners
to engage and commit

39. Together we can help
every person, small business
and charity get connected

40. Thank you