- Residents encouraged to improve online skills
- Free courses available from We Are Digital
- Improved confidence online can help with life aspirations
If you feel like your digital skills are holding you back, why not take the plunge during this Get Online Week?
Getting online isn’t just about social media and online shopping – it’s about making an appointment with your GP, accessing financial services, working from home and much more.
According to the Get Online Week website, over 13 million people in the UK lack the digital skills they need for work (Lloyds Consumer Digital Index, 2020). A lack of digital skills and access can have a huge negative impact on a person’s life, leading to poorer health outcomes and a lower life expectancy, increased loneliness and social isolation as well as less access to jobs and education.
West Lancashire Borough Council is dedicated to helping our digitally excluded residents get online. We have teamed up with We Are Digital to offer residents free 1-2-1 training sessions which can be done remotely at home and are designed to cover all the basics of being online including how to use the internet safely.
Having the skills and confidence to get online is a part of everyday life and has never been more important than now especially for the elderly and the vulnerable who might not wish to go out as often due to the pandemic. It can also help with accessing council services in a more convenient way, such as subscribing to our green waste collection, or paying bills.
Councillor Ian Moran, Leader of West Lancashire Borough Council, is backing Get Online Week: “Getting more people online is an important part of our commitment to reducing inequality across the Borough by helping more people take advantage of the opportunities open to those who have the skills to access the internet.
“We understand that getting online can be intimidating if you’re not familiar with the virtual world. The courses we are offering through We Are Digital can open up a world of information and services that can really benefit you – you will be guided through everything you need to know in an easy-to-understand way and before you know it, the online world and the benefits it can bring will open up for you, so please don’t hesitate, sign up today.”
Residents who are interested in the free courses can text WEST LANCS and their name to 07825 844 417 or can call 01695 585216 (standard text and call charges apply).
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