Supporting Digital Inclusion across Greater Manchester

At Citizens Advice Manchester we’re proud to be one of the organisations leading the way when it comes to supporting digital inclusion across our region. 

Research shows that as many as 1.2 million people across Greater Manchester are currently ‘digitally excluded’ and are missing out on vital opportunities that digital provides as a result. 

Along with being one of the first organisations to sign up to the Greater Manchester Digital Inclusion Task Force with the aim of making our region 100% digitally-enabled, we’re proud to be involved in Manchester Council’s new ‘Chromebook Buddies’ scheme along with supporting the ‘Make It Click’ project, which offers free digital skills education to anyone who needs it to help them get the best out of digital. 

Chromebook ‘Buddies’ scheme

We’re proud to be working alongside Manchester City Council’s new £110,000 digital inclusion scheme which has permanently gifted 400 Chromebooks to vulnerable and in-need residents across the region, along with free internet data until March 2021. 

Prioritising residents who have a disability, long-term health conditions, are over-65 or on low income - with many recipients meeting more than one of these criteria - the project is aimed at those who do not have a reliable means by which to use the internet and are being digitally excluded as a result. 

‘Digital champions’ offering support 

Since in most cases recipients have little or no digital experience, each resident who has been gifted a device has also been offered one-to-one telephone support from a digital volunteer. That’s where we come in, with our ‘digital champions’ providing the vital support needed to get the residents up-and-running on their devices and online for the first time. 

It’s all part of our push for digital inclusion, which includes signposting people to the ‘Make It Click’ project from the Good Things Foundation, which aims to digitally skill up clients by enabling them to make technology work for them. 

This includes teaching people how to apply for jobs online, do tasks such as online shopping and even how to use video calls so many of them can see their relatives for the first time since the pandemic. 

Helping create resilient communities 

We recognise that using the internet can seem intimidating, especially to someone who’s never been online before.

Making transactions online for the first time can be nerve-wracking, especially for new internet users, so it’s important that we’re there to offer guidance and reassure clients how to use money confidently and safely online.

Our position as a trusted, independent charity operating at the heart of Manchester for eighty years has meant we’ve been perfectly placed to provide this help within our service - often incorporating digital skills training within our normal advice service when helping clients with one or more other issues. 

For example, we can show a client looking to make an initial Universal Credit claim how they can reapply for their benefits online and support them through the process. We can help a client with debt problems with managing their money online by using online banking, allowing them to easily budget and gain better control of their finances as a result. 

It’s part of our holistic approach to guiding clients through their issues and giving them the skills needed to digitally empower themselves - building more resilient communities and reducing reliance on public services as a result. 

You can find out more about the Make It Click project by visiting the project website here or if you know someone who would benefit from digital advice they can contact us on 0808 278 7800 to speak to one of our digital champions.