Inspire | Digital Unite

Inspire unpacks digital inclusion and the crucial importance of digital skills in the modern world.
It galvanises people to do something practical and positive about it.
Everyone understands why it matters, from frontline staff to senior managers.
The organisation becomes truly digitally inclusive in ways that are impactful and even profitable.

computer screen with the inspire course on it

How does it benefit organisations?

Our clients range from global tech consultants and financial institutions to local councils and universities. They use Inspire training to:

underpin digital transformation.
help colleagues and customers as services become increasingly digital first.
weave digitally-inclusive thinking through all new products or services.

We have two main versions of the course: one for our corporate clients and one for the public/ third sector. Both work in the same way, but the content is tailored so it's specific and relevant to the people doing the course.

Our public/ third sector clients often use Inspire:

as standardised, CPD certified training they can use across the entire organisation at speed and at scale.
to educate everyone, including senior leaders/ councillors and those in non-customer facing roles about how digital inclusion impacts the organisation.
to complement more in-depth training on the Digital Champions Network.
to change behaviour, for example to increase the numbers of Equality Impact Assessments which proactively consider digital exclusion in projects.

Digital inclusion for Local Authorities

Our corporate clients often use Inspire:

to turn strategies into practical action.
as the base of coherent, meaningful volunteer programmes.
to meet CSR/ ESG targets.
to create new opportunities via new ways of thinking, for example it's the basis of a growing number of successful social impact bids.
to train frontline staff for example, NFU Mutual have a version of the course with their colours, branding and scripts.

Digital inclusion for corporates

Practical Details

Inspire is:

Standardised, CPD certified training.
Delivered via a one-off course that can be completed as eLearning (about 40 minutes) or in a workshop (1-2 hours).
It can be rolled out in small modules or at scale.
It's ready-to-go. It comes with a structured framework, support and resources to set-up and run and quarterly webinars to keep you on track.
It has in-built tools to monitor progress and measure impact easily.
Our corporate package comes with strategic planning and reporting as standard.

Here's more about the details and the costs.

We’re using Inspire to amplify our business-wide commitment to Digital Inclusion and help our people to do something practical about it....

It’s motivating everyone to get involved and generating great engagement with our Digital Inclusion mission. It’s all measurable so it’s easy for me to demonstrate impact to the rest of the business.

Sally Caughey

Head of Digital Inclusion, Capgemini

What happens to people who've done Inspire?

As well as informing, Inspire encourages people to take action, via a pledge to help someone they know with a digital skill. This makes the issue personal and relevant. Our long term goal is to change not just the way people think, but the way they behave. People gain:

New understanding: everybody knows what digital inclusion is, why it matters to society and to the organisation. This knowledge is not siloed but spread throughout the organisation.
New ways of thinking: people realise that digitally inclusive thinking is enabling and helpful. It becomes an integral part of what they do.
New ways of behaving: People identify ways to support others. They can spot new opportunities and design and deliver services that have digital inclusion woven through them.

97% would recommend the course

81% make a pledge after a workshop

87% say they are more likely to volunteer

In planning for digital inclusion from the start of something rather than firefighting afterwards, we can ensure that it’s included in budgets and that we have the best people in place for delivery.

We’re not missing opportunities or wasting resources which is what happens when digital inclusion is an afterthought.

Jess Flack

Digital Inclusion Lead Officer, Essex County Council

Corporate case study: Capgemini

As a transformational technology organisation, Capgemini recognise their responsibility to tackle the digital divide. They always offered digital volunteering opportunities but they realised their digitally-savvy staff didn't understand the scale and depth of the issue. So we co-created Inspire with them.

They now have more than 1500 Inspire graduates, it's part of their onboarding process for new colleagues, and they're widening their inclusion focus to include ESG/ social impact bids, like the ones we run for Let's Get Digital. Inspire has been instrumental in:

Raising awareness of digital inclusion, helping staff understand digital literacy as something everyone can contribute to via networks they already have.
Providing a foundation for a wider volunteering programme helping everyone from beginners to coders.
Engaging staff and improving soft skills, like active listening.
Spreading digitally inclusive thinking into new business.

Creating Inspire with Capgemini

Public sector case study: Keele University

The School of Allied Health Professions at Keele University used Inspire with a cohort of physiotherapy students. As healthcare becomes increasingly digitised, it's vital they can help (often elderly) patients manage their health online. But students are usually "digital natives" who grew up in a digital world. Digital exclusion can be hard for them to appreciate: 68% started the course saying they knew "nothing or very little" about it.

They attended an in-person workshop, working through the course together. 80% went on to pledge action there and then. Some then completed in-depth training on the Digital Champions Network and volunteered in their communities.

Inspiring healthcare students