Digital Unite has joined forces with Silver Training to extend the home-based computer tuition support it provides.
From today (1st October) all of Digital Unite’s tuition enquiries for their existing tutor network will be directed to Silver Training who will own and manage the referrals on behalf of Digital Unite, see more here.
Research shows that 5.8 million adults in the UK remain offline and of those, 5.2 million are aged over 55 years¹. With 88% of people preferring to learn digital skills informally² rather than via a course or book and many needing regular and personal support, computer training at home can be a key way to help more people get online.
Whilst technology and the way people use it has changed over the years, with half of adults (53%) now accessing the internet via their smartphone³, the demand for support with basic online skills continues to remain ever more critical in today’s digital society.
Silver Training has the largest network of computer tutors in the UK covering over 40 areas who help learners at home and in small groups within social housing. Since its inception in 2010 Silver Training has helped over 5,000 people to use the internet via computers, tablets and smartphones.
Digital Unite’s tutor network was established in 1996. As well as providing home-based training, the tutors also supported the award winning Spring Online campaign and were instrumental in one of the largest digital inclusion programmes in social housing that saw over 15,000 older people in 500 schemes helped to get online*.
Emma Weston, Chief Executive of Digital Unite said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Silver Training who are firmly established as one of the leading providers of home-based and group computer tuition. We have always been hugely proud of our tutor network which, over the past 19 years, has shown how increasingly vital one-to-one support is for helping people, particularly older people, get online. This premise helped lay the foundations of our Digital Champions Network which has become a key digital inclusion solution for many organisations and one which we continue to give greater focus to, to help our partners realise its far reaching benefits.”
Matthew Adam, Chief Executive of Silver Training said: “With the Government and others moving to ‘digital by default’, being online is becoming an imperative. Every day our tutors are helping people who have a computer or tablet but don’t use it properly and want to be able to shop online, research information and keep in touch with their family and friends. We invest a lot of time in ensuring we have quality-assured and friendly tutors who can provide that much needed personal support and are excited about joining forces with Digital Unite to extend our network even further”.
For more information click here.
¹ ONS Internet Users 2015
² BBC Media Literacy, 2012
³ Ofcom 2013
*Get Digital 2010 - 2012