Found: It is estimated that 10.2 million people in the UK lack the most basic digital skills - see https:

Found: For those with limited digital access or no digital skills, we have our social tariffs and our engagement

Found: teachers and with pupils’ transition from education into employment to make sure that they have the digital

Found: • Improve knowledge of digital skills with teachers and learners.

Found: its response to the Committee’s report, the Government made reference to its review of regulators’ “digital

Found: undertake testing with users with a wide range of disabilities, as well as users with lower levels of digital

Found: - through the scale we have in production, technology systems, digital platforms, purchasing, digital

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help encourage individuals out of work to undertake (a) digital and (b) IT qualifications.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches will engage with customers to better understand the steps needed to support their work search ambitions. Where digital skills are identified as a barrier to securing or progressing in employment, customers can be referred to available local provision. For customers in England, we have ongoing collaboration at a national and local level with the Department for Education who fund adult education provision via the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Learning providers, many of which are Further Education colleges, deliver training to address claimant skills needs in line with Labour Market demand. As skills is a devolved matter, similar discussions take place with key stakeholders in the Scottish and Welsh Governments to help ensure the employment and skills support offered to customers in the devolved nations is aligned.

In addition, Work Coaches in England can use the additional flexibility available through DWP Train and Progress to signpost claimants to the Department for Education’s Digital Skills Bootcamps, which can last up to 16 weeks.

For digitally excluded working age out-of-work and in-work Universal Credit customers, Work Coaches can also use the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) to procure devices, dongle, talk time, and 6 months superfast broadband in the home where the Work Coach believes this will support Labour Market progression. DWP has also ensured that all operational staff in Jobcentres, Universal Credit service centres, Pension Centres, and partnership managers who engage with customers and stakeholders are able to signpost to information promoting broadband social tariffs made accessible to claimants through DWP’s Application Programme Interface.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help individuals out of work improve their (a) numeracy and (b) literacy skills.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches engage with customers to better understand the steps needed to support their work search. Where essential skills needs are identified as a barrier to securing or progressing in employment, customers can be referred to available local provision which can include essential maths and numeracy training available through Multiply, English (literacy and English as a Second Language, ESOL) and digital skills, as well as other key vocational focussed opportunities.

Through DWP Train and Progress the length of time Universal Credit (UC) customers can undertake work-focused training has been extended. UC claimants are now able to attend full-time work-related training for up to 16 weeks.

For customers in England, we have ongoing collaboration at a national and local level with the Department for Education who fund adult education through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Learning providers, many of which are Further Education colleges, deliver training to address customer skills needs in line with labour market demand. As skills is a devolved matter, similar discussions take place with key stakeholders in the Scottish and Welsh Governments to help ensure the employment and skills support offered to claimants in the devolved nations is aligned.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 1 March 2024 to Question 15588 on Digital Technology: Disadvantaged, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of availability of free or low cost internet training for people aged 65 and over to tackle digital exclusion.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The government recognises that digital skills are important for adults of all ages, and we are committed to improving their level of digital skills to support active participation in society.

From August 2020, the department introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge. The new entitlement mirrors the existing legal entitlements for English and maths, and puts essential digital skills on an equal footing in the adult education system, as a third basic skill. The department introduced new Essential Digital Skills qualifications (EDSQs) at entry level and level 1 from August 2020, funded under the digital entitlement. EDSQs are based on the new national standards for essential digital skills and are designed to meet the diverse needs of adults with no or low digital skills, reflecting different learning needs, motivations and starting points.

To further enhance the essential digital skills offer for adults, from August 2023 the department introduced new digital Functional Skills qualifications (FSQs), which have replaced FSQs in Information and Communication Technology. Digital FSQs have standardised content and assessment, providing a benchmark of digital skills for employers. The department published the final subject content for digital FSQs in October 2021.

The government recognises that formal qualifications are not appropriate for everyone. That is why the department also funds community learning and other non-regulated learning, such as building confidence in essential digital skills, through the Adult Education Budget. Many local authorities and other further education providers are already delivering these courses that help equip adults with the essential digital skills they need for work, life and further learning.

More information about essential digital skills and other government funded training opportunities can be found here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to tackle digital exclusion among older people in Wigan constituency.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating HMG digital inclusion policy as part of its commitment to ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age. Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue that spans social engagement, education, employment, access to services and many more elements of everyday life.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology leads on telecoms and digital infrastructure, including Project Gigabit, the Government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband to the hardest to reach parts of the UK. In the Wigan constituency, over 98% of premises can access a superfast connection (>=30Mbps), while 92% can access a gigabit-capable connection, up from 0.8% in December 2019. Both of these current figures are higher than the national averages of 97% and 81% for superfast and gigabit-capable coverage, respectively.

More broadly across Government, the Cabinet Office is working to remove barriers and ensure online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible. The Cabinet Office leads on the Service Standard, a set of principles government service teams and departments must adhere to when creating and running new public services – such as the NHS – and some Local Authorities, including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, have committed to using these as well.

Training is available for elderly people wishing to acquire essential digital skills. Department for Education has introduced a digital entitlement for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to level 1, free of charge. Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, introduced alongside the digital entitlement, are based on new national standards which set out the digital skills people need to get on in life and work.

We also recognise that ongoing support is essential to overcome barriers of access. Our network of 2,900 public libraries across England provide a trusted network of accessible locations with staff, volunteers, free Wi-Fi, public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide range of digital services.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to help businesses provide advanced cyber skills training to staff.

Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The National Cyber Strategy sets out the importance of reducing cyber risks to businesses. To do this, the Government is supporting the UK Cyber Security Council to define the skills and knowledge needed for cyber roles. The Government is also funding numerous targeted training initiatives such as Cyber Ready and Upskill in Cyber to upskill and retrain those in the workforce, as well as the government-funded Skills Bootcamp opportunities highlighted through our recent Advanced Digital Skills campaign. This is alongside our Cyber Essentials scheme which supports businesses to implement essential technical controls on cyber security.

Found: Digital skills and careers

Found: To do this, the Local Digital Fund also included the provision digital skills training to build agile

Found: “One -to-one help from someone with digital skills” was also seen as very important by 75% of workers

Found: Digital skills, channel preferences and access needs: DWP customers

Found: Digital skills, channel preference, and access needs: Personal Independence Payment customers

Found: Digital skills, channel preference, and access needs: Personal Independence Payment customers

Found: Digital skills, channel preferences and access needs: DWP customers

Found: 2022) ‘ For better and for worse: A panel survey of how mobile- only and hybrid Internet use affects digital

Found: mentors and field agents that women farmers trust has proven effective at building their financial and digital

Found: We will support women and girls to access the Internet, build their digital skills and digital businesses

Found: This can include helping someone learn to read, improving their numeracy and digital skills, or building

Found: budget.The first contracted social value outcome of this procurement will be in the creation of a ~£4.5m Digital

Found: 0 0 0 0 0 English for Speakers of Other Languages 326 330 349 367 367 227 221 225 242 246 Essential Digital

Found: 45 EDGE clubs in ten different locations with safe spaces where girls can improve their English and digital

Found: customers in job centres; o Trialling how AI can write, update, or organise code to address the current digital

Found: Commitment 6.7 Develop a digital skills programme designed by island communities to meet their needs

Found: The importance of digital skills and connectivity - including support to families to ensure they can

Found: The importance of digital skills and connectivity - including support to families to ensure they can

Found: distributed during Phase 3 of the programme, which was launched in summer 2021, alongside the offer of digital

Found: We want to help make sure that everyone gets the chance to learn digital skills. 11 The UN said