Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: Empowering communities and charities
In today’s digital age, where technology touches almost every aspect of our lives, a shocking statistic looms over us: approximately 11 million people in the UK lack the digital skills required for everyday life (UK Digital Poverty Evidence Review 2022). These skills, ranging from searching for information using Google to messaging friends or work colleagues using messaging tools like WhatsApp or Slack, have become essential for participation in our increasingly digitalised society.
The recent UK Digital Poverty Evidence Review highlights how this gap in digital literacy puts people at risk of digital exclusion. It’s a problem that affects not only local communities but also the workforce, from colleagues to CEOs. The 2023 FutureDotNow roadmap, titled The UK Workforce Digital Skills Gap, reveals that a staggering 60% of the UK workforce lacks essential digital skills for work. The repercussions of this digital divide extend far beyond individual households.
Indeed, the digital landscape has evolved rapidly, and what was once considered a very basic skill is now indispensable in all walks of life, including our workplaces. Did you know that the number one essential digital task that people struggle with in the workplace is using productivity tools like Slack, Trello, and Microsoft Projects? Did you even know that was now considered an essential digital skill?
As people from all walks of life adapt to this new reality, there’s a growing recognition of the role organisations can play in bridging the digital skills gap. This is not a challenge exclusive to any one sector; it’s a collective responsibility that spans across industries and communities.
Bridging the Digital Skills Gap: what impact and role for charities?
Charities and other social impact organisations, in particular, face unique challenges in navigating this digital terrain. According to the 2023 Charity Digital Skills Report, upskilling staff and volunteers is their second most critical challenge. As Ashley Callard, a former member of the Governors for Schools communications team, noted during her time on the most recent Deloitte Digital Connect cohort, “We’ve had the same website templates for years and we just didn’t feel that we had the digital skills and confidence to be able to update them and bring the website in line with evolving organisational needs.” Digital skills are not just a luxury; they are a necessity for charities to effectively reach and engage their audiences.
Moreover, improving digital skills among charity staff and volunteers goes beyond creating mere efficiencies. It translates into a deeper understanding of service users and their needs, allowing charities to create content that is accessible and impactful. Take the example of Sue Piper from Prior’s Court Foundation, who took part in the 2023 Deloitte Digital Connect cohort. Sue was exploring ways to improve the training tools used at Prior’s Court (a school for young people with autism) — and found the research aspect of the Deloitte programme valuable in terms of challenging the charity’s assumptions about their users.
As Sue explains: “We were spending too long making up our own hypotheses about why people behave the way they do — which meant we had a complete lack of understanding before we even got going.” Sue’s experience highlights how the digital gap isn’t just a local concern but also affects charities like Prior’s Court, which in turn has a knock-on effect on those individuals they’re trying to support.
Finding Support Through Cross-Sector Partnerships
In an era where funding for digital projects is dwindling, free-to-access resources and support are invaluable. There’s a greater need than ever to collaborate across sectors and explore new forms of partnerships.
Enter Deloitte Digital Connect, a groundbreaking digital skills programme run by Deloitte in partnership with CAST. The partnership aims to help charities and social enterprises scale their impact by building their digital capability. To date, the programme has supported 63 charities through one-on-one mentoring, troubleshooting, workshops, peer support, device donations, and pro bono assistance from over 100 Deloitte volunteers. Earlier this year, the programme was shortlisted for Corporate Social Responsibility Project of the Year in the Charity Times Awards.
A survey of the previous cohort reported that 93 per cent found that they had learned the foundations of developing a digital strategy and 96 per cent had learned user-centred design practices. All participants found the one-on-one support from Deloitte mentors useful to gain more skills, knowledge and confidence in making progress on their projects.
Take the example of Kate from Earthworks Charity. In 2022, Earthworks was faced with an outdated website that did not cater to the needs of its users. Deloitte Digital Connect provided them with six weeks of support to undergo a user-led research and design process. For Kate, the “Aha!” moment was realising that her perspective differed from her users’. This user research became the cornerstone for a website that truly met their needs.
Accessibility is another critical aspect. Many charities aspire to provide accessible online services but often don’t know where to begin. Surprisingly, close to half of charities lack the skills to undertake user research, according to the Charity Digital Skills Report 2023.
Ashley from Governors for Schools, who was part of the Deloitte Digital Connect 2023 cohort, wanted to upgrade their website but lacked the digital skills and confidence to do so. Deloitte Digital Connect helped shift their focus towards user research, highlighting the value it brings in understanding user needs and making more informed decisions: “We didn’t do any user research at the time, so the programme helped us shift the focus to encourage the team to invest more time in the value of doing research with our users and other stakeholders…it changed me as a communications professional.”
It’s important to recognise that upskilling has a ripple effect. A digitally confident workforce not only benefits the organisation but also empowers them to support their beneficiaries’ digital skills and confidence. Charities often serve as trusted intermediaries for many, further reinforcing the need for these organisations to bridge the digital divide.
To sum up, the digital skills gap is a challenge that transcends industries and impacts individuals on a profound level. In a challenging environment, partnerships like Deloitte Digital Connect are essential if we’re to carry on empowering charities and other social impact organisations to bridge this gap. As we navigate the digital age together, it’s clear that collaboration and shared responsibility are the keys to ensuring that no one is left behind in this rapidly evolving digital world. As Sue Piper at Prior’s Court Foundation, puts it: “I now always ask people, ‘Have you done your user research? Have you really asked?’ This new mantra is starting to resonate with people. It’s changing the way we do things. Deloitte, a company completely different from ours, helped us see things in a different way.”
Apply now: your opportunity to join the next Deloitte Digital Connect cohort
Applications are now open for the third cohort of the Deloitte Digital Connect programme. Places are available for up to 40 UK charities and social enterprises on the programme, which will run from December 2023 until May 2024. A grant of up to £5,000 is available to support participation on the programme, with a focus on supporting organisations where it can have the most significant impact.
Successful applicants will discover innovative techniques from the digital world, including user research, idea generation, prototyping and agile working — and gain access to:
- 1–1 mentoring on projects delivered by Deloitte UK volunteer digital experts.
- Masterclasses and workshops on digital and design practices delivered by Deloitte UK volunteer digital experts.
- Peer support and learning opportunities delivered by CAST facilitators.
- Bespoke digital resources shared through an online Resource Hub.
Find more information and apply by 23rd October at the Deloitte Digital Connect site.
