Packaging the Monolith - PHP Tek 2024 (Breaking it down one bite at a time)
Highlands presentation
1. Get IT Together and Citizens Online
Digital Inclusion: A Highlands and
Islands Perspective
Irene Mackintosh
2. Get IT Together
• 3 year programme
• Funded by BT and local partners
• Local co-ordinators
• UK wide
• Helping people and charities all over the UK
develop the skills and confidence needed to
join the online community and benefit from
the internet. In other words: DOING
3. •Skye, Wester Ross and Lochaber
•Orkney
•North West Sutherland
In the beginning…. There were the
fragile communities…
9. AND THEN JUST DOING…
The fun part… learner led motivation
Online dating…. The Skibo Girls…
YouTube… the Dancing Pony
Knitting patterns… Guerilla knitting
Cricket… John
Cooking… Maribelle’s Pickled Tongue
10. Evolution!
New projects – Nairn, Inner Moray Firth,
Shetland with ongoing activity in Moray,
Badenoch and Strathspey and the Western Isles
Gorgeous local partners and funders…
11. Current Statistics: Three Years
• Number of individuals made aware of the
benefits of digital inclusion, through
presentations, workshops and open days :
9950
• Number of learners undertaking 4+ hours of
study: 1309
• Over 300 community groups engaged
• Train the trainer: 30 sessions (within the last
year)
12. Longitudinal study
•Demographics have shifted from older people to unemployed.
•For older learners the links to Independent living still need to be
made clearer.
•80% of unemployed learners say their Internet skills are helping them
search for work and 13% have found work.
•Confidence at the end of the session determines success of being
online 1 year later.
•55% encouraging friends and family to use the Internet.
•In the Highlands – 67% were online after 12 months, all regular users.
•55% had no ongoing support.
13. Social Return on Investment
•The value of being online to a new user is £1,064 per annum. This comes from
having more confidence, making financial savings online, new job seeking skills
and a reduction in social isolation.
For a professional user, the figure is £3,568 when combined with the benefits for
an advanced user. This comes from being able to work remotely and the wage
premium to those who use IT at work.
• Social return on investment of the programme - £3.70 for every £1.
http://www.btplc.com/Betterfuture/ConnectedSociety/Valueofdigitalinclusion/ind
ex.htm
14. •Not sufficient capacity
•Community access points are under threat, not in area of
greatest need
•Motivation for offline individuals is low
•Learners directed to training without any assessment of
their existing skills or additional needs
•Training doesn’t meet need
•Lack of ongoing informal support available
Community issues
Those who were not confident following training, had approximately half the success rate
of staying online a year later compared with those who were confident after training. The results also suggest that
the training is more beneficial for those who have had some experience online before attending. This may suggest
repeat course attendance, longer training courses or ongoing support would be beneficial.
Important to funders to invest money need to see benefits.
Data from the longitudinal study, together with surveys, focus groups and phone interviews from tutors, volunteers and Project Co-ordinators were used to create the SROI model.
Also used research from the sector to obtain standard values.
Capacity - at libraries, jobclubs and centres to deal with demand
Access points - not always in areas of greatest need (map)
Training doesn’t meet need – hear of Powerpoint courses, when learners need email sessions for example. Bring own device important.
Motivation – older learners needs to tie into prolonging independence by shopping online, prescription delivery etc. Jobseekers – tailored to help find work.
White paper to summarise issues and recommend ways to overcome them.
Strategic partnership – links to channel shift
Funding is always a challenge, and bringing partners together to apply for funding is a good way to share resources and make best use of what’s available.
Map offline communities in each area to understand demographics and access points. Ensure stable community access points e.g. LS14
Profile offline to enable targeted marketing – e.g. Plymouth. Ensure motivation links to need.
Partners who refer to training courses to ensure triage is carried out – can be informal floor walking in PCH, just need to assess current skill level and additional needs e.g. Literacy, ESOL, disabilities.
Training provision that’s used meets the needs of learners – not powerpoint, but email for example.
Ongoing support is available through drop-in sessions, local volunteers/coaches
Rural model – may require additional tutor deployment and more train the trainer sessions