Clarion to support 40,000 people to improve their digital skills

One Digital – a pioneering initiative that supports people to improve their digital skills is being extended for a further three years, thanks to £4 million of National Lottery funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

Clarion Housing Group was a founder member of the One Digital programme, which launched in January 2016. Together with the four other partner organisations (Age UK, Citizens Online, Digital Unite and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations), the programme has already helped more than 11,000 people get online and develop basic digital skills.

The £4 million second phase of funding will be used to expand the programme and reach another 40,000 people over three years. The training will be delivered by 4,000 Digital Champions; trained volunteers who provide bespoke support to the over 65s, young adults seeking work and other people in need of support to get online.

Stephanie Noyce, Head of Financial and Digital Inclusion at Clarion Housing Group, said:

“We are delighted to be continuing our support for One Digital, a programme which has already brought huge benefits to many of our tenants. We are building on two years of great, collaborative working which has brought together digital leaders from a wide range of sectors. The new funding gives us an opportunity to engage thousands more individuals who are digitally excluded, providing them with the motivation, knowledge and skills to benefit from the internet as an everyday tool”.

One Digital is a UK wide partnership which promotes the use of Digital Champions to support people to learn digital skills. For organisations interested in setting up their own digital inclusion project we have developed a free Knowledge Hub of useful information and resources.