The future

With a number of new projects set to begin in April, 2013 again looks to be a year of considerable growth.

The three specialist networks established this year will become four, with the addition of the Older Peoples’ Network to join the Into Work, Carers’ and Disability Networks. 150 centres will be funded within these networks, joined by 23 Community Capacity Builders (CCBs). These CCBs will deliver large scale digital inclusion projects in their communities, recruiting volunteers and working with partners to have a bigger impact. Each of these CCBs will sit within one of the Specialist Networks, enabling them to share best practice and learn from others.

While this year the UK online centres network will continue to help people to gain basic computer and internet skills, they will also take them further along the journey, supporting them to become confident internet users too. A new package of courses on the Learn my way website will be launched at the beginning of April, helping learners to shop, bank and fill in forms confidently online. This activity supports a new joint contract with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions, ensuring learners can confidently and independently access online government services. We will work closely with the Department for Work and Pensions over the coming year to support the roll-out of Universal Credit, ensuring everyone that needs it can find the support they need to improve their skills in a UK online centre. This will begin with the Digital Deal, a funding opportunity that specifically supports digital inclusion activity within social housing, with the aim of preparing tenants for Universal Credit.

Our strategy will continue to diversify in 2013-14, as we develop our presence in two key areas - community action through digital, and learning through digital. We will continue to develop our Community How To website, growing it into a leading resource for community organisations to maximise their impact. We will also continue to train leaders through our Community Development Award and will build on the success of this year’s Digital evolution, local action conference, with another event in the autumn.

We will also roll out the eReading Rooms pilot on a wider scale, developing My Learning Zone as a vital curated resource that will support non-formal learning within and outside of our network, creating new content to fill the gaps where it doesn’t already exist. The Action on Maths pilot will conclude in May with an exciting new campaign - Baking with Friends - which will support learners to improve both their digital and Maths skills through fun activities.

As the organisation moves into its second full year as a not-for-profit social enterprise, again a great deal of focus will be placed on ensuring we are a sustainable organisation, able to support both our network and the population with low or no digital skills. We will work closely with our partners across the sectors; in Government, in the third sector, and within private organisations, to ensure we can do this.