Beacons of hope at home: the United Kingdom

I feel that growth in rural areas is too often reduced to limited infrastructure rather than understanding the impact of the growing gap in infrastructure for rural and town areas has on the people and communities that live there. I think policymakers and politicians are too quick to assume that improving connectivity is the silver bullet for rural areas. Investing to improve connectivity is hugely important but is likely to always have constraints as it is easier and cheaper to connect more populated areas, leaving a gap between metropolitan and rural/town areas.

I’m interested in projects which focus on creating high skilled workers and employment in rural areas as well as other creative ways to improve the business case for investment in rural infrastructure. We need more of a spotlight on colleges and innovation to support adult and vocational virtual learners, so we can narrow the gap of what is possible via technology in different types of places.

Skills for growth in rural and town areas

• Coleg Cambria works closely with employers in North West and North Wales to support current and future skills needs in engineering and advanced manufacturing from level 2 to level 6. Coleg Cambria is working in partnership with Bangor University and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre to launch a Skills Factory to support industry in North Wales and the North West through modular applied skills delivery.
• Communities across the UK have responded to the challenges of COVID-19 to provide services in their communities. Colleges started delivering level 3 entitlement. Fife College is delivering free ‘skills boost’ online courses as well as providing 300 devices to students in the local area. The Department for Education has provided a framework for colleges to develop digital strategies and as well as examples of best practice at school level, including via its Ed Tech Demonstrator programme.
• UFI VocTech trust is investing in early stage projects that use digital tech in vocational learning. This includes KMC-TV, an online community providing access to unique interactive content around the rural, land based sector for learners and apprentices through a series of video live streamed events.

Superfast internet in rural areas:

The UK launched 5G Test Beds ahead of the rollout of 5G to support universities to identify and promote the opportunities for innovation from low latency, higher bandwidth and wide availability of future devices. 5G is providing a wider range of more engaging virtual learning experiences. This includes 1:1 learning experiences, for example watching a surgeon perform a complex surgical procedure up close, or simulation of risky environments.

The programme includes seven 5G R&D projects in rural areas across the UK to support the business case for 5G by building and providing demand from new use cases that incentivise investment in rural areas.

• Mobile Access North Yorkshire was set up to support the development of rural connectivity by developing technologies, apps and services tailored to rural areas. Their focus is on tourism, mental health and wellbeing, emergency services and environmental monitoring.
• Cybermoor, a social enterprise in North Alston established to provide training, broadband and devices to improve access to services and overcome isolation. They help people develop ICT skills through face to face and online training.

What other programmes and places should I include in my research?