Informal and 1-to-1 Digital Support
- Digital Champion appointments through the HIVE.
- Portsmouth City Council (PCC) services – EMAS, Employment and Skills services, Independence and Wellbeing Team, Advice Portsmouth
- Job Centre.
- VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) – Citizens Advice, Friends without Borders, City of Sanctuary, Salvation Army, Stop Domestic Abuse, Society of St James, Two Saints, John Pounds Centre, The Roberts Centre.
Formal Training Opportunities
- The Learning Place.
- Cosham and Southsea libraries (book through the relevant library directly, delivered by City of Portsmouth College).
- Highbury College (City of Portsmouth College).
- WEA (Workers Education Association) / Omega Centre.
- Salvation Army Basic IT Training.
- Learn My Way (online course with the Good Things Foundation).
Talks, Workshops, and Clubs
- NHS app sessions (libraries, community centres, GPs).
- ScamAware talks from Citizens Advice.
- Cyber-awareness workshop for parents (Portsmouth Education Partnership, Digital City).
- HIVE Digital Champions at large.
- Cap Job Club (City Life Church).
- Personal Choice Job Club/Computer Skills.
- Age UK IT sessions for beginners (£5 per hour).
- OpenSight monthly tech meet-up for the visually impaired (peer to peer support).
- 60s+ Festival – range of digital skill sessions
Outreach and Peer-to-Peer Support
- Home-Start volunteers assisting families with general digital support at home.
- Library Outreach Officers enabling access to the library apps (e.g., Press Reader, BorrowBox).
- Informal help from family and friends or peer to peer within social groups.
Access to devices around the city
Places where tablets, laptops or desktop computers are available for the general public to use: PCC libraries (all have public PCs, free Wi-Fi, and access to a printer/scanner); Job Centre; Advice Portsmouth; Society of St James Hub day services / Two Saints day services; Cosham Community Kettle; John Pounds Centre; Spark Community Space; Salvation Army (Haven Community Centre); Age UK (Bradbury Centre); Buckland Community Centre
Device donations/repairs/grants
A mix of local and national provision, some of which is subject to eligibility: Repair Café, Cascades Shopping Centre (Share Portsmouth); PC Repair Shop (Landport Community Centre); HIVE iPads for local community groups; National Device Bank (part of The Good Things Foundation) – applications from VCSE only; Family Fund (national help to buy devices for SEND families); Job Centre Flexible Support Fund; Stop Domestic Abuse (case by case provision)
Data
Free SIM cards given to vulnerable groups, in association with the National Databank (Vodafone, O2, and Three) subject to availability: HIVE; Citizens Advice Bureau; Society of St James; Stop Domestic Abuse; Friends without Borders; City of Sanctuary; Salvation Army
Grants and social tariffs
- Grants available for reasonable adjustments in workplaces
- In-school support from the Digital City team to improve skills and help with hardware issues
- Social tariffs for mobile and broadband available on demand and eligibility criteria
