In today’s world, it's vital that everyone has digital skills for life and work. The Digital Communities Partnership is a group of local community organisations offering a variety of courses and learning opportunities for all age ranges across Wigan borough.
We want to ensure our community has the digital access, opportunity, and skills they need to thrive.
Our community partners
- 3D 360 (external link) deliver consultancy, engineering services, production development, digital manufacturing and hardware. They also support STEM opportunities, local good causes and charities
- Abram Ward Community Cooperative (external link) offer 3D printing facilities within the Men’s Sheds and Women’s Sheds makerspaces; a place for informal learning and sharing skills
- Direct Technology Communities CIC (external link) T/A North West Computer Museum, provide a variety of different IT related learning opportunities, including a museum of computers, talks, workshops and facilities to explore a wide range of modern and past technologies
- Elysium Training (external link) deliver adult education across the North West and offer an alternative curriculum for young people with SEMH challenges
- Google Digital Garage (external link) offer free courses in digital skills
- Ingeus (external link) support individuals who have been out of work due to health reason to return to paid employment. Delivering the Work & Health Programme and RESTART contract across Greater Manchester
- Leigh Neighbours (external link) is a lottery funded community development project based in the centre of Leigh. Their aim is to make the area a better place to live
- Leigh Hackspace is an inclusive shared social and work space for makers, artists, ‘hackers’, crafters, designers, and fixers from Leigh and the surrounding area
- St. John Rigby College (external link) is a specialist in sixth form education, offering a very wide range of courses, with over 40 subjects offered at A Level and BTEC Level 3
- Sunshine House (external link) is a Community Centre in the heart of Scholes and minutes away from the town centre, offering a range of services and facilities for local communities
- Think Ahead Stroke (external link) is a Wigan based stroke awareness and support charity delivering a range of services and initiatives for its members and the wider community across Wigan and Leigh
- Wigan Council Skills and Learning team offer courses on career building, digital skills, functional skills, health and wellbeing, mental health and much more for all ages
- Wigan Council Digital Services team support residents to get online and build digital skills. Their ambition is to make Wigan Borough truly digital so that everyone can experience the joys of the digital world
- Wigan Athletic Community Trust (external link) is a registered charity founded in 2007, working with over 14,000 people a year. Its vision is to work with Wigan Athletic Football Club to improve health, enhance life chances and create stronger safer communities
- Wigan and Leigh Carers Centre (external link) offer information, training and support for carers to improve their quality of life and to give all carers a voice
- Wigan and Leigh Pensioners Link (external link) support over 50's across the borough to maintain their independence and wellbeing, and access information and services
- Wigan and Leigh College (external link) provide a wide range of courses and offer excellent progression routes preparing you for your future career
- Wigan Libraries offer a range of educational and recreational services. You can get online for free, take part in activities and learn new skills
- Wigan STEAM (external link) offer young people in Wigan access to the latest in technology, arts and digital development.
Join the Digital Communities Partnership
If you're a local organisation or group that wants to help residents gain essential digital skills to flourish in life, then why not consider joining us?
You don’t need to be a digital expert or an IT professional. Like most community organisations, you're probably providing digital support to our Wigan Borough residents every day without even realising. Organisations delivering this kind of support are ideally placed to become Digital Communities Partners.
Partners come together each quarter for a virtual meeting, where they have the opportunity to tackle digital exclusion together through the sharing of knowledge, collaborative working, and the development of digital strategies.
Our Digital Communities Partnership Deal
We both play a part in this partnership. By joining us you'll have access to a wide range of digital support and opportunities and through our collaboration with you we'll be able to engage with a wider audience.
Together we will...
| Our Part | Your Part |
|---|
| Auditing your organisation’s digital skills and access to bespoke training to support the development of your staff and volunteers' digital skills |
Attend quarterly virtual meetings and work collaboratively to tackle digital exclusion in the borough |
| Improving your social media strategy and web page design and accessibility |
Register your organisation as a UK Online Centre (external link), which comes with networking and training opportunities, access to the free online learning platform 'Learn My Way', bespoke data management tools, and access to funding and grants |
| Promotion of your organisation from Wigan Council’s digital pages |
Your digital learning output and outcomes will feed into Wigan’s Digital Inclusion Evaluation framework |
| Training and technologies to help your volunteers lead coding sessions for young people and adults |
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How to join
To join the Digital Communities Partnership you will need to: