Residents across Hull and East Yorkshire can now get practical help to get online, build digital confidence and access jobs, skills and services through a region-wide expansion of Progress Online.
Funded by Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority.
Mayor Luke Campbell MBE joined partners and residents at KCOM's Learning Zone in Hull on Monday 14 September to mark the rollout of Progress Online across the whole Hull and East Yorkshire area.
The service was already being used in the East Riding. Funding from Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority (HEYCA) has enabled it to be expanded across Hull as well, creating one shared route to digital support across the combined authority area.
Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council are also contributing resource and delivery capacity to support the rollout. An earlier £10,000 grant from KCOM's Digital Inclusion scheme supported the initial development phase, with Jobcentre Plus, health partners, voluntary and community organisations and local businesses also involved in the wider partnership.
Practical help in one place
Progress Online is designed to make it easier for people to find the help they actually need, without having to know which organisation to contact first.
A short questionnaire helps identify the barriers somebody is facing and points them towards relevant local support. That can include somewhere to use a computer, a free data SIM or low-cost device, help using a smartphone, digital skills training, face-to-face support or advice on staying safe online.
Residents can use the tool themselves, ask a family member to help, or work through it with a frontline member of staff. More than 1,000 people have already used Progress Online in the East Riding for support ranging from basic computer skills to completing job applications.
Mayor Luke - digital access is part of being better connected
Luke Campbell MBE, Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, said -
“There’s no point talking about good jobs, better skills and more opportunities if people are locked out before they’ve even started because they can’t get online.
“Not everyone has a laptop at home, spare money for data or somebody there to show them what to do. That’s why we’ve put Combined Authority funding into rolling Progress Online out across Hull and East Yorkshire. Better connections aren’t just about roads, buses and rail - they’re also about making sure people can access the skills, jobs, services and support that are there for them.
“It’s simple, practical and useful. It removes a real barrier and helps give people a fair shot. That’s what I want devolution to be about - using the powers and money we have, to make everyday life better for people here.”
Turning devolution into something people can use
The rollout supports the Mayor’s Gameplan priorities around Good Jobs and Better Connected. Digital access increasingly affects whether people can apply for work, develop new skills, manage everyday services and take up opportunities that are already available to them.
For HEYCA, the project is also an example of how devolution can work in practice: take something that is already working locally, bring partners together and use regional funding to make it available to more people rather than creating another separate scheme.
The launch at KCOM's Learning Zone brought that purpose to life, with residents receiving practical digital support while the Mayor and partners marked the expansion of the service across Hull and East Yorkshire.
HEYCA will continue working with both councils and delivery partners to keep Progress Online useful, current and connected to the support available in local communities.