Download in progress – The Households into Work clients gaining practical digital skills.

Clients supported by our Households into Work programme across the city region are amongst those benefitting from a new scheme aimed at helping people get online.

In today’s virtual world, digital skills and access to information via online services are essential, whether that’s keeping in touch with friends and family or paying bills and shopping. Yet more than 300,000 people of working age in the Liverpool City Region are limited or non-users of the internet, whilst over 30,000 households with school age children are offline or headed by limited internet users.

That’s where the Digital Inclusion Initiative comes in.

Watch the audio descriptive version of the video here.

It’s an industry-led programme committed to bridging that digital divide with a programme facilitated by The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. Participants receive a free android tablet, along with in-person training on getting the most out of the internet, and six months of free data.

We’re working with working with Lloyds Bank, Vodafone World Wide Technology Group and Empaua Ventures to do this and over the next year, 4,750 tablets, training and mobile internet access will be provided to people who are digitally excluded across the city region.

Mark said the tablet was going to help him live more independently without having to ask his family for help all the time:

“This is essential for me because I have severe COPD. To learn online banking, how to order my shopping, contact the doctors, everything like that. It’s essential that I learn that for me.”

Mykhailyna arrived in the UK from the Ukraine 18 months ago and has small children. She said:

“I am from Kyiv and I would like to say thanks a million for this device. I will be able to use it for my education. I am also self-employed so can use it for social media. It will be really helpful.”

Chris has been offered several interviews for jobs by video online rather than face to face. He said:

“I’ll now be able to do video interviews for jobs and facetime my children as well as use it for general day to day life as well.”