Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip
Digital exclusion continues to be a significant issue throughout the UK. The acceleration of transitioning services to online digital only access has meant that it is now essential to have some level of digital skills to be included in today’s society. Any barrier to digital connectivity, access and/or digital skills can mean someone is disadvantaged financially, socially and in respect of their wider well-being.
Digital Communities Wales: Digital Confidence, Health and Well-being (DCW), the Welsh Government funded £2million per annum flagship digital inclusion programme ends on 30 September 2025. The DCW programme has worked with organisations from all sectors that support digitally excluded people, providing training and support to front line staff and volunteers to help them develop the basic digital skills of citizens.
Since July 2019, DCW has engaged with 2,100 organisations, across Wales, resulting in over 182,000 citizens being supported with the motivation, confidence and basic digital skills needed to use the internet effectively and safely.
It is important that our approach to digital inclusion flexes to ensure it is benefiting the most digitally excluded, who are often also those most disadvantaged and are experiencing other significant barriers such as social and financial exclusion.
Informed by research, the independent evaluation of the DCW programme and stakeholder engagement over the autumn, the next phase of support for digital inclusion support in Wales has been developed.
The approach will include a new national programme of digital inclusion advice and support including:
- Mapping of digital inclusion provision throughout Wales
- Provision of digital inclusion advice via regional and thematic skills advisers
- Creation and updating of digital inclusion skills resources
- Bringing public and private sector stakeholders together to share knowledge and best practice and provide strategic leadership – reflecting the fact that digital inclusion is not owned by any one sector or organisation but is everyone’s business
It is important that this support is delivered on behalf of Welsh Government by a body with the right expertise and experience, and a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) notice will go live on 7 April 2025, to start to engage with potential suppliers in a fair and transparent way and enable them to prepare for the procurement. The intention is that the tender will then go live in June 2025 on Sell2Wales platform, and the successful bidder will be notified in September 2025 - with a view to commencing the new programme in October 2025.
An event celebrating the work to date on digital inclusion in Wales and setting out the next phase of support is taking place on 12 May 2025 in Cardiff.