This document discusses digital inclusion and the importance of getting more people online. It notes that the internet accounts for over 8% of UK GDP and a quarter of economic growth. However, 18% of UK adults have never been online. The three main barriers to people getting online are motivation, skills/confidence, and access. The document advocates for a local digital inclusion strategy that targets the digitally excluded, helps build skills through resources like online centers and courses, and works with partners to provide access through devices and locations. The goal is to increase online transactions, reduce unemployment, and help more people gain benefits from being online.

1. Section Divider: Heading intro here.
Digital Inclusion: Today, Tomorrow,
This Decade
Helen Milner
Chief Executive, Online Centres Foundation
23 April 2013

2. “The Web as I envisage it, we
have not seen it yet. The future
is still so much bigger than the
past.”
Tim Berners-Lee
Olympic opening ceremony, 2012

3. The internet is important for Growth
• The internet economy accounts for over 8% of
UK GDP, a higher share than any other
country in the G20
• This figure is forecast to rise to over 12% by
2016
• The internet now accounts for c. a quarter of
UK’s economic growth
Sources:
1. Boston Consulting Group “The Internet Economy in the G20” 2012
2. McKinsey Global Institute “Internet Matters: The Net’s Sweeping Impact on
Growth, Jobs and Prosperity” May 2011

4. For most citizens the internet is part
of everyday life:
UK consumers buy the most online
per capita globally
Boston Consulting Group “The internet
economy in the G20”, 2012

5. 82% of internet users say they have saved
money in the last six months by using the
internet
with 46% saying they’ve made significant
savings
Source: Ofcom UK Adults’ Media Literacy Report, 2011

6. UK online centres users lives – before and after
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
I do not feel concerned about my levels
of qualifications, training or skills
n=75
I do not feel concerned
about my work position
n=51
I do not feel concerned about
my health
n=75
I felt part of my local community
I communicated as much
as I would have liked
with my family
I communicated as much
as I would like to with friends
"Yes" Before "Yes" After
“Does the internet improve lives?”
Freshminds April, 2009
Communicate
more
Feel more connected to
local community
Feel less concerned
about skills, work
and health
Comparison before
and after using the
internet

7. Why do you care about digital
inclusion?
• Social Justice
– Equality, improving lives
– Attainment for children, employment, saving
money (individuals), social isolation
• City/Business Imperative
– Universal Credit & Welfare Reform
– Digitising services
– Economic Growth

8. Who is excluded?
• 18% of adults have never been online (ONS)
• 21% are not regular internet users (BBC),
meaning that 1 in 5 do not use the internet. Of
those:
• 71% are in social group C2DE
• 51% over 65
• 50% have no qualifications

9. “Offline” – different definitions
• Never Used the Internet (ONS)
• Hasn’t used the internet in past three months
(ONS)
• First Generation Users (OxIS)
• Household hasn’t bought broadband (Ofcom)
• Household doesn’t have access to Broadband
at > 2mbps (BDUK)
• People who aren’t “Regular Internet Users”
(BBC) – my opinion the best to use

10. Three main barriers why PEOPLE
aren’t online
Freshminds 2007 and 2009

11. 5.2 million households in the UK without
internet access: Why?
• Of those households who haven’t bought
broadband:
– 54% said they did not have a connection because
they felt they didn’t need one
– 22% cited a lack of internet skills
– 15% reported equipment costs were too high
– 14% said that the cost of connection was too high
– < 1% reported a lack of broadband availability in
their area as a reason
Source: ONS “Internet Access Households & Individuals” 2012

12. Targeting is important
Everyone in
[a place]
Older
residents
Parents of
school age
children
Job
seekers
Clear geographical
focus
Mostly online,
need help with jobs
Mostly online,
try for 100% online
Mostly offline

13. How will you help them?
Using what’s already there

14. 5000 hyper-local UK online centres
Centre search and free phone number search
www.ukonlinecentres.com/centresearch or 0800 77 1234

15. No such thing as a typical centre.
All centres do something else (and support digital skills).
Most centre partners run outreach sessions in care homes,
pubs, clubs, village halls, mosques, churches, social
housing, et al

16. Free online courses for digital inclusion, financial
inclusion and employability - www.learnmyway.com
Optimised for mobile learning

17. Learn My Way – automated data
collection
All centre partners have
own code which tags a
person to a local partner
when helping someone to
register on Learn My Way.
All partners then have local
data dashboards for their
own data – automated by
us.

18. Learn My Way – automated data collection
A registered person has a personalised learning tracker
and all progress data is also stored by OCF

19. Support for volunteers and centre staff
• Training for staff and volunteers
• Webinars on range of subjects including ‘how
to support people to learn about the internet’
as well as ‘how to fund raise’
• 45 minute ‘digital champion’ volunteer online
course (free)
– http://ukonlinecentres.learningpool.com/

20. Take part in national campaigns
Get Online Week – October 2013

21. Also supporting local community partners to
do more with digital tools
www.communityhowto.com

22. Lots of technology options – refurbs
at www.getonlineathome.org

23. Go On UK
Umbrella movement for digital inclusion

24. Some inspiration from others
(not exclusive, just what I know about)

25. @loveburntoak – Barnet Group
• Chose a place based approach
• Faciliated multi-partner action to inspire and
support local people to use the web
• Now working with Barnet Council
• And replicating across the borough
• Using tools freely available

26. Peabody’s revenues team
will deliver roadshows
with its Digivan.
Roadshows will target
residents affected,
providing information and
support.
Digital Champions are
being trained to offer
support with opening
bank accounts online
and searching for jobs.

28. Mobile/tablets part of the mix
• Breezie – trialed in
Barchester Homes,
linking older people
in care homes with
their family via a
new tablet
interface

29. Digital by Default & Channel Shift

30. Channel Shift: 1000 people x 2 contacts
saved a month = £133,800 a year
Costs per
contact (SOCITM
research 2012)
Saving if
shifted online
Face to face £8.62 £8.47
Phone £2.83 £2.68
Online £0.15

31. Why: Objectives?
• Be a digital and successful city
– Have delightful online services and transactions that
citizens want to use
– Using digital to save money across businesses and
services
• With digital citizens with better lives
– Inspire customers to use the internet
– Support them to make best use of the web
– Help them with access at home and elsewhere
• And digital staff
– Staff empowered to help included citizens via digital

32. What does success look like?
• Channel shift: transactions moved from offline
to online channels?
• Lower unemployment in the city?
• Reduction in baseline of people ‘offline’?
• Number of people trained/Number of benefit
claimants trained?
• Number of people newly online at home?
• Staff engaged and/or trained?

33. .. and helps the effects of Welfare
Reform

34. What’s next?

35. Need action in all of these areas
What can be done for free?
- signposting, free online
resources, volunteers
What can be done with
partners?
- Local UK online centres,
JCP, local employers
What needs investment to
make happen?
- Staff to organise
volunteers, computers in
foyers and common areas,
set up more ‘UK online
centres’

36. Seven Point Plan
1. You will be a digital city in 3 - 10 years - the question is
how and how fast
2. Have a city-wide digital strategy that drives digital
inclusion: achieving efficiency and equality for everyone
3. Think about your existing targets and how digital is going
to help you to achieve those
4. Understand your digitally excluded citizens and target
them
5. This is a change programme not a technology project
6. You need action in all three of the main barriers to take-
up: Motivation; Skills & Confidence; and Access
7. Start quickly - make small changes as soon as you can,
and don’t delay. Small actions help big change happen.

37. Please keep the conversation going and join the digital housing hub
digitalhousinghub.ning.com

38. It’s not about technology, it’s all
about people

39. Click to watch video

40. Get in touch
helen@ukonlinecentres.com
@helenmilner on twitter
www.ukonlinecentres.com
www.learnmyway.com
http://digitalhousinghub.ning.com/