A new digital inclusion project has been launched by Teesside University and local partners with support from the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority (TVCA).
Named DIG-IT (Digital Inclusion – Growing in IT), it has received £499,962 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and is being delivered by the university on behalf of TVCA.
It is working with The Hope Foundation and Good Things Foundation to develop and test the feasibility of solutions and services to overcome the barriers of lack of equipment and connectivity along with low skills and confidence.
The partners are planning a ‘digital skills for living’ pilot programme to equip people who are economically inactive with digital skills and devices.
It will involve activities such as working with Tees Valley digital social enterprise furbdit, which refurbishes unwanted computer equipment.
Evaluation of impact
Teesside University will provide an academic led evaluation of the programme’s impact and sustainability, offering recommendations for future digital inclusion work. In turn, this will support the testing and modelling of pilot activities and enable an approach based on data for future support and investment.
The funding will also support the development of a long term solution to digital device poverty across the Tees Valley.
Lynsey Robinson, director of the university led DigitalCity initiative, said: “This project represents an exciting opportunity for Tees Valley to come together and test and trial new ways of doing things and developing new ideas. Teesside University is thrilled to be leading this project and we are looking forward to collaborating with partners over the nine-month period to find new ways to tackle digital poverty.”
