We share a common goal of ending digital poverty by 2030 and this partnership will support the actions outlined in our recently launched National Delivery Plan. Around 11 million people in the UK are still digitally excluded and this affects their ability to gain a good quality education, to succeed in the work place and to access necessary services, such as online banking. We live in an increasingly digital world so digital access has never been more important and we hope that our work with the BCS will help those who need it most, while drawing attention to this vital issue. We urge businesses, government and public organisations to come together and support the work we are doing, helping to end digital poverty for good.” The ending of digital poverty is central to the BCS’ remit, and the professional body delivers a wide range of activities around education and public benefit.

This includes digital apprenticeship’s end-point assessments, supporting school teachers through the Computing at School and Barefoot Computing programmes, and bringing together companies, educators and not-for-profit organisations through its Digital Skills Network to discuss how to bridge the skills gap. There’s also a Digital Divide specialist group for BCS member which campaigns for everyone to have access to skills, technology and infrastructure. The DPA recently announced its strategy to end digital poverty in the United Kingdom by 2030. Key actions include calling on the UK Government to create a new digital inclusion strategy for public, private and third sectors to help raise awareness about digital poverty and for urgent action to boost essential digital skills across society. Digital Poverty affects millions across the UK, with around 1.7 million households (6 per cent) without home internet access and approximately 10 million adults (20 per cent) lacking foundational essential digital skills and the DPA’s schemes, such as Tech4Families and Tech4Teachers, helps to support the millions of individuals that are digitally excluded.

Originally posted here

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“End Digital Poverty Day” is a nationwide initiative dedicated to shedding light on the importance of ending digital poverty for good.

Digital poverty is not just about lacking the latest gadgets; it’s about lacking access to essential tools that are fundamental in today’s world. As we commemorate “End Digital Poverty Day,” it’s vital to recognise that millions of individuals in the UK still lack the means to access basic online services. The absence of digital access perpetuates inequality and stifles potential.

Why we need “End Digital Poverty Day”

Education Equity: Digital poverty amplifies educational disparities. Students without internet access struggle to keep up with online learning, limiting their opportunities. “End Digital Poverty Day” underscores the urgency of providing equitable education opportunities for all.

Employment Opportunities: Job seekers without digital skills, devices or connectivity face immense challenges in a digitally-driven job market. Focusing on ending digital poverty opens doors to economic empowerment and inclusive job opportunities.

Healthcare Access: The digital realm is increasingly crucial for healthcare information and services. Without digital access, individuals miss vital health resources and telehealth services.

Social Inclusion: The internet fosters social connections, and digital exclusion can lead to isolation. “End Digital Poverty Day” aims to re-connect individuals and create a more inclusive society.

And so much more…

So, why does ending digital poverty matter?

Empowering Marginalised Communities: Ending digital poverty is essential to empower marginalised communities. It ensures that no one is left behind due to lack of access to essential resources.

Fostering Equal Opportunities: Equal access to digital resources levels the playing field, empowering individuals to learn, work, and communicate, regardless of their socio-economic background.

Driving Socio-Economic Growth: Addressing digital poverty fuels socio-economic growth. A digitally empowered population contributes to innovation, productivity, and overall development.

And so much more…

Watch more. Click the links below to learn more about:

• Tech4Families scheme:
• Corporate Video about Digital Poverty:

What can you do?

Closing the digital divide is essential to create a fairer society, and it has enormous implications for healthcare, the economy, social inclusion and the well-being of individuals and communities. There are few more meaningful and practicable measures than providing equitable, empowering, and supportive digital access to release the entrepreneurial, creative, and productive energies of people across the UK.

Overall, the UK has a very strong foundation to build upon when it comes to our collective digital inclusion infrastructure. What is needed, however, is greater political leadership and investment to ensure that solutions can be scaled and sustained over the long-term. Our National Delivery Plan focuses on six areas where action is needed to end digital poverty by 2030:

1. Increase awareness across society about the need for sustainable and strategic action to end digital poverty.
2. Ensure affordable connectivity and guarantee full digital access for those in need.
3. Improve standards of accessibility, safety, and inclusiveness across al digital products and services.
4. By 2030, significantly reduce the proportion of individuals without essential digital skills and ensure the sustainability, and expansion, of these skills in response to changing technologies and needs.
5. Enhance knowledge and understanding of digital poverty among all stakeholders, including citizens, governments, and the public and private sectors, through the development and utilisation of research.
6. Increase local capacity to provide joined-up digital inclusion support to individuals and communities.

“End Digital Poverty Day” encapsulates the collective call to action to eradicate the disparity hindering progress and equality. By understanding the significance of digital poverty and its implications, we can work towards a world where everyone thrives in the digital age. Let’s come together to create a future where digital access is a fundamental right, not a privilege.

Get involved with End Digital Poverty Day – spread the message, support our mission, and be the change.

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I’m simultaneously excited by the possibilities and nervous about the consequences of new technologies. PWC predicts that 30% of jobs could be at risk of automation by the mid 2030s. Goldman Sachs estimates that a quarter of all jobs could be done by artificial intelligence. 

Chat GPT itself isn’t always accurate, and can ‘hallucinate’ facts. Yet something has clearly shifted when everyone from journalists to scientists and charity fundraisers are asking how to use Chat GPT in their roles. 

How organisations like yours can make the most of emerging tech, such as Chat GPT, is on my mind. We’re asking charities and social sector organisations to share their views on this as part of the survey to build this year’s Charity Digital Skills Report, which tracks digital adoption, skills and support needs. We all need to develop the skills to make the most of emerging technologies. So which ones should we  grow? 

Tools such as Chat GPT offer huge opportunities because of their capacity to take on manual, repetitive tasks. This should free staff up to focus on the work that makes the biggest difference. Duncan Roberts, Senior Manager at Cognizant Research, counsels employees to look at where they can add value through creative problem solving or providing enhanced customer service. “For this reason, employees should focus on developing not their technical skills, but their soft skills, such as communication and emotional intelligence. In doing so, they’ll find the skills they develop complement the processing power brought by generative AI and other emerging technology,” explains Roberts. 

Which skills do you need?

The exciting thing about these tools is that they are within reach for organisations of all sectors and sizes. Over at veterinary charity PDSA, Gordon Miller, its Head of Digital, and his team are focusing on building skills in data literacy, familiarity with relevant programming languages, tools, and platforms, prompt engineering (ie the ability to craft effective prompts which get effective results from tools like Chat GPT) and horizon scanning so that new trends can be evaluated and prioritised. 

Manchester based relationships charity TLC: Talk, Listen, Change is  taking a holistic approach to emerging tech skills development for its staff. Staff are learning about the basic principles and ethical implications of AI, as well as coding. They’re also growing their soft skills, such as problem solving. These tools can feel like a big change, even to those of us who are confident with digital. To that end Michelle Hill, TLC: Talk, Listen, Change’s CEO says that she is, “focused on developing people’s comfort with taking risks and experimenting with new technologies.” 

This shows how changing people’s mindsets is as important as growing their skills. Technical skills are one thing, but the ‘soft’ skill of being comfortable with change is critical for digital progress. 

How are people learning about these skills?

Whilst most of the organisations I spoke to were offering staff training, they were also exploring different learning methods. 

At the PDSA Miller and his team, “have established a mentorship programme to foster knowledge-sharing and collaboration within our organisation.” In addition they have , “also had the benefit of working with some of the world’s leading developers in this space, such as Microsoft, who are helping us to hone our skills and utilise this technology in new and unique ways.” Ask your tech suppliers if they can offer you support with capacity building. If you’re a charity, why not ask tech companies if they’d be willing to volunteer to help build your skills? 

How can these skills be embedded?

Every digital skills programme also needs to be a change programme, and even more so when emerging technologies are involved. 

During a cost of living crisis it is really tempting to slash training budgets. However the organisations I spoke to were prioritising skills and learning. 

Miller told me , “we’ve learned that a continuous learning mindset is crucial for success in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Investing in the professional development of our staff and building relationships with large corporations that can support our team to grow has not only improved their technical skills but also boosted their morale and job satisfaction.” This is good advice for any organisation looking to improve staff retention. 

TLC: Talk, Listen, Change’s CEO is passionate about giving staff time to learn and innovate together. “80% of our biggest technology innovations and applications have come from the free project time we have provided to our Business Intelligence team,” says Hill. “They developed something small scale to show to the rest of the team just because it’s a cool process or applications that sometimes work or don’t and from this it creates new ideas or bigger solutions.”

Staff need space to learn emerging tech skills and put them into practice. 

What are the pitfalls?

Emerging technology is exciting, but it’s important to build in guardrails. John Fitzgerald, Digital Evolution Manager at SCVO, points out that one of the risks with tools like Chat GPT is its accessibility. “It’s really important to understand its limitations and the ethical issues it can throw up,” he advises. This includes the inaccurate information that Chat GPT sometimes generates. “So an understanding of the importance and limitations of data, and digital ethics are really important,” concludes Fitzgerald. 

This speaks to good practice in any form of digital skills development. Skills should never be seen as a discreet, transactional product.If we want staff to learn new skills we need to give them the tools for long term change.And that means our organisations need to change too.  

In the case of emerging tech skills this might mean an organisational digital ethics policy and factoring emerging tech into your board’s scenario planning. Above all we need to empower everyone to think critically about why, and how, we are using these tools. 

Emerging technologies offer huge opportunities for organisations of all sizes to develop new products and ways of working that create efficiencies and offer creative ways to help more people. The rapid rise of Chat GPT is a sign that the pace of technological development is quickening. Our organisations need to be prepared and skilled up for the future.

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Reaching net zero will be enormously challenging, and at the same time, it is everyone’s responsibility. The reception was about highlighting the best practice on delivering Net Zero initiatives already happening in the UK.

Some of those attending, including Dr. Mattie Yeta from CGI (pictured above), had just arrived back from COP27 in Egypt and they told us how inspiring it was to return to meet a UK-wide group of Net Zero leaders. It did feel like the room was full of the vanguard of those delivering the important mission of reaching Net Zero, and there was a real buzz.

If you take a look at the makeup of the list, it is made up of 60% SMEs and public sector initiatives, with charities and individuals making up the rest. It was great to see that all the UK’s countries and regions are represented in this first year’s list.

Talking to those in attendance it was clear that the list is seen as showcasing the work already underway, the individuals, initiatives, products and services cross-sector and across the UK helping to drive forward the net-zero transition. Most importantly the list offers others with  tangible solutions and inspiration for their own net zero strategies in order to transform our world into a sustainable one.

If I was to pick out some highlights from the list I would definitely include some of the SMEs. They include a company placing solar panels on the roof of car parks to deliver electricity to car charging ports, making electric cars even more sustainable; a company that reduces the carbon dioxide content of cement by 85%; a business that is using an innovative new way to recycle high value metals from discarded computer circuit boards; and a new satellite technology that allows the measurement of the thermal emissions of any structure on the planet from space. 

The public sector list members include: a project helping local and central government reduce carbon emissions through greener public procurement; a local authority tackling bad landlords by using digital tools to identify and improve the worst energy efficient private rented homes; an arms length government agency set up to provide funding to the public sector to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills; and a UK wide schools initiative that brings together networks of students to connect and collaborate that represented schools from across the UK at COP26 in Glasgow.

To add an element of competition, we held a vote across the Digital Leaders community ahead of the reception to choose a ‘People’s Choice’ from the list. With over 5,600 votes overall, the ultimate winners were the UK Schools Sustainability Network. 

I do urge you to take a look to find your own inspiration. The whole Net Zero 50 list can be seen here.

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