WIREDGOV

Get online day is set to give Digital Britain’s digital participation plans a boost, by getting thousands of off-liners using the internet this October.

The third annual Get online day will take place on Friday 23 October, and is part of an established calendar of digital inclusion and skills events. But with digital participation and informal learning figuring large in mainstream policy papers Digital Britain and The Learning Revolution, this year’s campaign is set to be bigger and better than ever.

The aim is to encourage thousands of off-line people to be a part of IT, and take their first steps onto the internet. For those already online, Get online day is a chance to find out more about how the internet can save them time, hassle and money, and how they – and their families – can make the most of online life.

Helen Milner, Managing Director of UK online centres, said: “An estimated 15 million people in this country still can’t, won’t or don’t use new technologies. Engaging, motivating, and supporting those people is absolutely key in achieving a truly digital Britain, and in driving forwards the vision laid out by Carter and Mandelson in the Digital Britain report. Last year, 12,000 people took part in Get online day. 96% of event-visitors enjoyed the day, with a full 99% determined to keep on using the internet in the future. This year we want to reach even more people in even more places, and give digital participation an actual, practicable boost.”

Tying in with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’ wider Learning Revolution Festival, 700 official Get online day events will take place at UK online centres across England between 19 and 31 October. In addition, people are also being invited to hold their own Get online day parties to get offline family and friends using the internet.

As well as providing UK online centres with packs for local marketing, UK online centres will be providing downloadable leaflets and posters and a new ‘taster’ game for anyone to make use of as part of Get online day celebrations. The GOLDrush ‘game show’ will be openly available on myguide and help users practice basic web skills and register on myguide itself for a free email account and access to other free courses. These range from how to use a keyboard and mouse through to how to bank, shop and stay safe online, digital photography to social networking, job hunting to bargain hunting. UK online centres also run a national PR campaign to raise awareness about the benefits of being online.


For more information please contact Abi Stevens or Anne Faulkner at UK online centres at astevens@ufi.com, afaulkner@ufi.com, or ring 0778 666 0689.

Notes to editors

. Get online day is a campaign from UK online centres, supported by Ofcom and NHS Choices.

. myguide – www.myguide.gov.uk - offers a free, easy to use email service and web search facility from a clean, simple homepage, plus taster courses to help people get to grips with computers and the internet. The idea is to make the internet available and accessible to those who have never used it before - whether because of lack of motivation, skills, confidence, or even disability. myguide allows people to personalise and save their settings, change screen colours or font sizes, and choose to have the text read to them without needing additional software. The service has developed with input from users and stakeholders including AbilityNet and RNIB. myguide courses are arranged across three levels – starting, using and understanding. The journey helps users track their learning progress and build their own journey based on the subjects that interest them.

. UK online centres provide millions of people with access to technology and support in using it. They offer free or low cost access to the internet and email, deliver online courses and encourage people to progress onto further learning. For more information please visit www.ukonlinecentres.com. UK online centres are managed by Ufi, the organisation also behind learndirect