The increasing role of new digital technologies and of the internet in daily life has the potential to create better education, health, governmental and social opportunities, particularly for the most socially excluded people.
In 2010 the Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership led a six month partnership project aimed at transforming the way in which information technology learning is used to deliver informal adult learning in the community.
This work has been sustained in a number of ways, including:
- Through the development of a laptop loan scheme which provides low-cost equipment for hire to support new courses to be delivered in the community by mainstream learning providers and to support the voluntary and community sector to develop new informal adult provision. Laptops, Apple Mac computers and a wide range of peripherals and books are available for loan over a variety of time periods.
- Through the Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership being registered as an Online Basics Centre and working with partners to deliver Online Basics' beginners courses (provided by UfI) as a way of engaging new learners.
From 2011 SLLP has been working with the Nominet Trust on a Digital Citizens’ Project.The project will deliver innovative information technology learning to communities across Surrey, thereby creating ‘digital citizens’ with enhanced employability and life chances. 
Working with a range of Surrey partners, the three year project will deliver innovative information technology learning to 300 people per year in communities across Surrey, thereby creating ‘digital citizens’ with enhanced employability and life chances.It will help individuals and groups to use online social media to create their own virtual communities.It will inspire people to engage in local decision making and community activity, directly or through the medium of the online communities to which they belong. For some, community activity may involve them taking on the role of community champions who will support and encourage other learners engaged in the project.
Click here to see a map showing where courses are currently running.
