Starting from zero
Until this year we had no digital skills hubs at all. Yet more and more of the people in our classes and kitchens needed help with something online: a benefits claim, a doctor’s appointment, a job application that only exists as a web form.
Six hubs, two days a week
Working with local councils, we opened six hubs in libraries and empty high-street units, one more than our target of five. Each is open at least two days a week and staffed by a trained adviser and volunteers. People can bring their own phone or borrow a laptop.
Early signs
The busiest hub now welcomes around 90 visitors a week. For now we are counting hubs and visits. Next year we will start measuring outcomes too, by asking visitors whether they could finish the task they came in with, and whether they could do it alone next time.
