29 March 2021
Over thirty member organisations joined our Digital Inclusion Network’s second virtual conference on Tuesday 16 March to hear how digital skills can be used to improve employability. Mel Rawles, who leads on digital inclusion for the council gives an update on the conference.
The Plymouth Digital Inclusion Network formed in the summer of 2020, initially as part of a project to tackle digital exclusion in the city and then as a means to help people directly affected by the lockdown. Network members, which include voluntary, charity and social enterprise organisations, health professionals, social housing providers and adult education providers share knowledge, resources, and skills to help people in the city get online.
Skills 4 Plymouth
Tina Brinkworth from Plymouth City Council is part of the team behind the Skills Launchpad Plymouth, a key part of the city’s Resurgam programme. Tina talked about a new one-stop skills shop that will be opening in April (Subject to Covid-19 guidelines) on the first floor of Barclay's bank on Armada Way. The new hub will provide a range of services including
- Independent careers information, advice and guidance support
- Employability skills support and work readiness skills
- kills triage and diagnostic services
- Mentoring and coaching support
- Job matching or signposting to training/ skills/ education opportunities
- Introduction to self-employment/ business start-up
- Access to mental health support
- Access to debt management and claimant support
- Keep an eye on the Skills LaunchPad Plymouth website for updates
Digital Skills Partnership
Charlotte Collyer is the Digital Skills Partnership Manager with the Heart of the Southwest Local Enterprise Partnership. Charlotte and her team have been working to increase digital skills for people living in Plymouth, Devon, Torbay, and Somerset, particularly targeting training to gaps in the local workforce. A recent successful course was aimed at upskilling people already in or thinking of entering the caring profession.
Courses are free and aimed at helping all ages and abilities from schoolchildren to entrepreneurs wishing to improve their digital skills and online presence. There are regular Google Digital Garage sessions and links to Amazon Accelerator. The Digital Skills Partnership has also teamed up with Train for Tomorrow to provide digital and technical bootcamps for people to quickly learn the digital skills needed to move their business forward.
Find out more on the Digital Skills Partnership website.
Workers Educational Association
Heather White is the Area Education Manager for Plymouth and Cornwall Workers Educational Association.
Heather talked about the work the WEA has been doing during lockdown to help their members’ transition to attending classes online. 82% of local WEA students reported that their tutors helped them to overcome digital anxieties.
Tutors were quick to recognise that developing a hook to encourage those who were reluctant to engage with digital was vital and they worked hard to develop quizzes, coffee mornings and a more flexible approach to getting more vulnerable clients online. At Christmas they used Zoom to produce a variety of Christmas lectures. Over 500 people signed up!
The WEA works closely with the Tamar Bridge Learning Centre, Better Futures, Devon carers and with housing associations. At Magna Housing one success story was encouraging a lady of 98 to get online, she is now sharing the benefits and helping her friends. Courses are free for those with limited or no digital skills. You can find out more on the WEA website.
Digital Inclusion Survey
The conference provides a platform to find out what others are doing and how we can all work together to help more people to get online.
Network members have also been helping to distribute copies of a survey, which aims to identify who, why, and where people in Plymouth are excluded.
This will help to focus efforts where they are most needed, whether that is helping by putting someone in touch with a digital champion volunteer, to technology or to provide a space with free WiFi for people in data poverty.
The survey results will also feed into a national project run by the Cooperative Council Innovation Network’s Policy Lab to try to reduce the digital divide in cities across the UK.
We need your help to get the survey distributed to as many people as people as possible all completed surveys will be entered into a draw to win a Galaxy A4 smartphone with preloaded data. If you would like to complete the survey for someone who you are helping, you can complete the survey online.
If you would like paper copies of the survey or if you are interested in becoming a member of the Digital Inclusion Network and would like to find out more email digital@plymouth.gov.uk