Tag Archives: inclusion

2015 NextGen Digital Challenge Awards: Digital Inclusion & Skills

13 Aug

This year we have combined the Digital Inclusion and Digital Skills award categories – reflecting how the effort to increase online participation has evolved to embrace a spectrum of skills now considered more essential for living and working in a modern society.

NGShortlisthi-resPrevious winners included projects from the Tinder Foundation – now recognized across the UK for the capabilities of their volunteers to reach disadvantaged sections of society.

Following the 2014 report from the House of Lords, there is now a far greater recognition of digital skills needs across all sectors of the UK economy.

The 2015 Shortlisted Finalists are:

CommunityUK.net Ltd with their project Going All Inclusive

AmicusHorizon with project Get Connected

Commendium Ltd for their BIG Cumbria project

bITjAM with an online platform to support National Youth Debates

Digital Unite with their Digital Champions Network

Hyde Plus with their Housing Initiative amongst social housing communities

Northumberland County Council with their project iNorthumberland

The independent judging panel will review all shortlisted contenders during September and the winners will be announced at a dinner in the House of Lords following the NextGen 15 event on November 5th.

For details of event sponsorship opportunities contact Marit Hendriks ( marith@nextgenevents.co.uk ) or call 07734 919 479

Registration is now open for the  NextGen 15 event

 

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Digital Inequalities and long tail challenges

29 Mar

Way back in the 1950’s the long slog of completing the great UK-wide changeover from AC to DC electricity was at last completed.   It was of no great surprise that the last houses to be welcomed into that modern era were in the poorest and must run-down areas of of our cities.

In the 1970’s North Sea Gas conversions were still edging their way towards completion – and as with all such great infrastructure projects it was only with conversion of the remote ends of the network that the full benefits could be realised.   Such is the nature of long term investments.  Short-term patches and temporary fixes do not answer.

Right now, with the transformation of the entire economy, we are only beginning to understand the length of the long tail – a challenge that does not have a clear beginning and end because the pace of digital developments often runs faster than our efforts to catch up.

The report from the National Audit Office on the UK government’s ‘Digital by Default’ design for public services is a timely reminder that we have a long way to go – particularly for those who are most in need of public services.

This story will, inevitably, run and run.

More

Tags: , , , ,