• Provide face-to-face opportunities to address the digital skills gap.

• Improve IT training, including in a variety of languages.

• Provide venues where BAME communities can access the internet and IT equipment.

• Investigate avenues of financial support.

• Invest resources in childcare to allow Congolese women to participate in IT training.

What are we doing?

Community Learning and Development (CLD) offers face-to-face digital learning to everyone. Classes are provided locally and are often combined with support for speakers of languages other than English. IT is often combined with employability courses.

New College Lanarkshire can offer a wide range of support measures and have specific resources available to assist NCL students with English language support.

Primary 6 and 7 pupils support residents in retirement complexes to learn how to use iPads. 

Some community organisations provide digital classes.

North Lanarkshire Council has a project with Commsworld to provide new services including Schools Internet Service and Public Wi-Fi across public buildings, key locations, and town centres.

We are considering how we could redistribute IT equipment through the Community Partnership Team to households rather than dispose of it.

The colleges and CLD provide access to creche and other childcare facilities to support the participation of women.

What we plan to do

Look at how training piloted by Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) with befriending organisations could be extended.

In our new town and community hubs we will consider how face-to-face delivery and support to use digital technologies can be used to access services.     

The council’s Adult Learning Team is reviewing Digital Learning.

Review Public Access Computing to see if we can use MS Windows accessibility options to recognise languages other than English. 

We will ensure the current ESOL review considers what training is required and will ensure learners and potential learners are allowed to take part.

Our libraries will improve awareness of the IT resources and services available.

Ensure Family Learning staff engage parents and carers in conversations around financial pressures and make appropriate referrals to services.

"If you look at the prices everything is high.  What am I going to buy - a computer or pay for electricity or food .. you have to prioritise."

"Elderly people living on their own are struggling to access important online information."