Liverpool City Region’s Digital Inclusion Project
Include-IT Mersey will provide targeted, personalised digital skills development and employment support to digitally excluded, unemployed/economically inactive residents of the Liverpool City Region to improve their basic ICT and online skills, confidence and access to digital technologies, enabling them to overcome barriers resulting from a lack of digital skills.
It will actively promote Digital Inclusion and support participants to progress towards employment or further training, helping those furthest from the labour market to become more job ready.
The project will provide individually tailored, flexible programmes of support that respond to specific needs & barriers faced by participants.
Digital Champions will support participants to learn at their own pace. Small group sizes of between 5 and 8 will ensure that participants receive the levels of personalised support they require.
The UK Online Learn my Way platform will be central to the ICT lessons, enabling participants to both choose topics of personal interest and to continue learning outside taught/ supervised sessions. Through volunteer Digital Champions and local digital surgeries, participants will be supported in their learning.
Benefits to the individual include:
- Increased confidence & inclusion
- Renewed motivation to learn
- Improved digital skills leading to:
- Financial: savings through online shopping & cheaper communication
- Social: reduced isolation through social media; access to entertainment
- Health: access to online health services/advice
- Employment benefits:
- Ability to search & apply for employment online
- Improved employability & workplace ICT skills, increasing employment prospects
- Work experience & volunteering opportunities as a pathway to employment
- Gaining employment
Helping people to get online across the Liverpool City Region
The project will be delivered by a partnership of 23 not-for-profit and public sector partners (including EDT) spanning the six boroughs of Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, Halton and Wirral, with specific target areas in each borough.
Led by Sefton CVS, in collaboration with VOLA Consortium members, local Housing Associations and Local Authorities, this innovative multi-agency partnership is founded on partners that really care about their local communities. It will ensure that those in need of support to help develop their IT skills, access to online services and digital technologies will receive the best possible service, whatever their starting point. In addition to IT skills development, assistance will include employability and personal skills development to support people into or closer to employment.
To find out more please visit www.includeitmersey.org.uk.
or contact Bernard Jordan at EDT
Tel: 0151 – 298 2478
E-mail: bernard.jordan@edt.org.uk
Include-IT Mersey Project enquiry form