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In 1998, The Government's Social
Exclusion Unit published a report
on neighbourhood renewal entitled
'Building a Better Britain'. As a
result of this report, 18 Policy Action
Teams were established to undertake
research in each of the policy areas
outlined in the report and to report
to the government in the autumn of
1999.
As part of the Policy Action Team audit
for the National Strategy for Neighbourhood
Renewal, the Policy Action Team (PAT) 15
report
concentrated on ICT and closing the "Digital
Divide".
The aim of the research was to:
- Contribute to the government's
strategy on providing access to
ICTs in low income neighbourhoods
- Explore perceptions and attitudes
of users and non-users towards ICTs
and towards public access to ICTs
- Explore the infrastructural issues
of how authorities and other lead
agencies establish and maintain
such access
- Develop our understanding of how
ICTs can contribute to community
renewal
Households on high incomes are eight
times more likely to have access to
the Internet than people on low incomes
and the government's stated aim is
providing universal access to the
internet by 2005 to all those who
want it. ICT has tremendous power
to connect people with each other
and to open up opportunities in education,
employment, lifelong learning and
leisure interests.
As a result of PAT15, the DfES introduced
a number of specific initiatives to
tackle the 'digital divide' including:
- Up to 6,000 UK online centres, many in
deprived communities, have been established
across the country providing local access
to ICT to those people who may otherwise
miss out. - see UK
Online Centres
- Wired up Communities with seven
pilot projects to test the creation of online
communities by saturating a deprived
area with 'access to ICT' at home
- Computers Within Reach to offer
low income families the opportunity
of owning a low cost pc and printer.
UK online is a major initiative to
ensure that everyone in the UK who
wants it will have access to the Internet,
and to make the UK one of the world's
leading knowledge economies. It is
driven by Government investment in
education and training to avoid the
development of a digitally divided
society. UK Online has two main aims:
to enhance democracy by encouraging
public debate on the net; and to improve
public services through the use of
computers.
In March 1999, £199m from the Capital
Modernisation Fund (CMF) has been
invested in establishing UK
online centres across England.
The centres bring access to ICT and
learning to people who may not easily
gain access to technology in a variety
of community based settings. UK online
centres signpost people towards other
net-based services, which can help
people progress further in an area
of personal interest, such as career
or learning opportunities. Many UK
online centres also offer courses
on site - for example learndirect
courses, or UK online computer training.
Further
resources
A range of reports based on research
of the UK online centres programme
can be found at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/
and by using the search keywords community
education, ICT and centres.
Community Development Foundation
/ Research and Innovation Services
Many first steps: interim report
to DTI and DfEE Learning Centres Board
on the first phase of 'The Five' Pioneer
Learning Centres at http://www.riservices.co.uk/Manyfirststeps.htm
See also the Help is at Hand web site, run by BECTA
for the online centres community.
DirectSupport is a free advice and
mentoring service, funded by the DfES,
for community and voluntary sector
UK online centres. Details at http://www.directsupport.org.uk/
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