Developing digital skills in rural communities
Almost 20% of people in the UK live in rural areas. That’s over 10 million people!
Almost a quarter (22%) of the rural workforce work from home, increasing reliance on broadband.
A higher than average proportion of older people live in rural areas. For example, more than half (55%) of people living in rural areas in England are over the age of 45 and almost a quarter (24%) are over the age of 65.
Challenges for projects in rural areas
- Broadband issues
- Size of area
- Cost
- Lack of existing Digital Skills training
- Limited employment
- General challenges
Solutions we have found for working in rural areas
Partnerships
– Strong partnerships and collaborations (especially with local community groups) helps tailor local digital skills training offers
– Work with key partners such as local libraries and GP surgeries
Planning
– Research the needs of people in the rural areas you plan to work in – understand local training needs for small businesses and local community groups
– Find the influencers and community connectors in a local community and ask them for support in developing and promoting local training opportunities
– Understand local public transport – offer training at accessible locations & suitable times
– Understand the local broadband provision
– Look out for opportunities for community-based broadband provision (such as offered by B4RN in Lancashire)
Delivery
– Hub and spoke models of providing support give flexibility
– Don’t wait for people to come to you – go out into the community
– Outreach may need to include home visits for those who are isolated
– Offer drop-ins, or group based activities, when there is a small local group who can benefit
– Make good use of local community venues that are already trusted spaces (e.g. everything from local scouts facilities to the local pub or church)
– Recruit very local Digital Champions – as trusted people
– Added reach can be added by having “roving” Digital Champions
– Train staff in local partners to be Digital Champions (e.g. sheltered housing staff)
– Advertise in local community newspapers and community websites
– Use mobile MiFi devices for connectivity as there may still be areas where connectivity is too poor for wifi
– Try to have devices from different providers to make it more likely you’ll get online when training
“Trusted people, trusted places, trusted relationships, trusted partnerships”
Rich Denyer-Bewick, Citizens Online, commenting on the key themes of digital inclusion in rural communities
Resources
- A guide to setting up and running a rural digital hub by the CORA Project (Connecting Remote Areas with digital infrastructure and services) and the University of Lincoln
- Digital Venue Toolkit – a guide to getting your village or community venue online by Digital Neighbourhoods Research Project, Plymouth University
- CORA Digital Hub Guide – An operational guide to setting up and running a Digital Hub
- Find broadband packages available by postcode at Think Broadband, the UK’s largest independent broadband information site
- Test the broadband speed by providers at particular postcodes at Think Broadband
We also held an event on sharing best practice about Developing digital skills in rural communities
