Nominet Trust has announced the launch of its Digital Reach programme, an initiative developed to support the UK’s efforts to increase digital skills amongst some of the most disadvantaged young people.

Nominet Trust is investing over £600,000 into six initiatives in the hope of creating different models that can be replicated to address the issue at scale. The organisations include Action for Children, Home-Start and #techmums, amongst others.

The 2017 Basic Digital Skills report suggests that, despite an overall increase in the number of UK adults who have gained basic digital skills, at least 3 per cent (300,000) of those aged 15-24 are still being left behind. Nominet Trust’s own research indicates that it is this group that is the most likely to be facing multiple forms of disadvantage. Digital Reach has been created to respond to this national challenge by reimagining digital skills delivery to the hardest to reach young people in our society.

Vicki Hearn, Director, Nominet Trust, commented: “Over the coming months, we will be supporting the six pilots and evaluating which are the most effective in helping disadvantaged young people acquire basic digital skills. Through Digital Reach we hope to create models that can be replicated to address the issue at scale and inspire other organisations to take a fresh look at their approaches.”

To ensure Digital Reach demonstrates its social impact and generates shareable insights, evaluation will be an integral part of the programme. Nominet Trust will be working with Dr Ellen Helsper, Associate Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science and leading digital engagement expert, to develop an evaluation framework and validate the findings

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