1,000 Capgemini UK employees look to share digital skills with their local communities

There are around 11 million adults across the UK who lack the digital skills needed for everyday life, such as using the internet. As more services including healthcare, housing, banking, shopping and education shift online, it is critical that we help ensure people can access these.

Our vision is to help build a digitally inclusive world. As part of this, we look to enable Capgemini UK employees to use their technology knowledge to support their local communities. This could be by offering help with how to send an email or make a video call, through to more complex requests such as assisting a charity improve its website.

Offering a digital inclusion learning journey

To support family, friends and others beyond our business, we offer UK employees a personal development journey. This journey starts by building confidence and awareness of how to share digital skills, before ultimately enabling employees to proactively reach out to offer support.

It all starts with our Inspire programme. Created with social enterprise Digital Unite, who we’ve partnered with since 2020, Inspire is a series of interactive learning modules that increase awareness of digital exclusion. Employees complete the modules as part of a collaborative workshop, called a Digi Day, where they can discuss learnings.

Importantly, the workshop gives employees space to identify how they can support someone they know personally. It’s a first step towards becoming more aware of who may value assistance with digital skills, starting with those to whom we’re closest. The session then offers participants insight into ways to also work with our charity partners to teach everyday digital skills.

We’re delighted to see the 1,000^th Capgemini UK employee sign up to take part in Inspire. For us, it’s a sign of our colleagues’ commitment to creating a digital world that is accessible to all. It shows recognition that for still too many people, it’s knowledge of the more basic, everyday technology skills that would positively change lives.

Taking the next step

Of course, information and awareness of who might need assistance does not equal action to help others. At the end of our Inspire programme, we encourage employees to take the next step in their learning journey by making a pledge to share digital skills with a particular individual or organisation who is part of their everyday lives.

The idea is that once this first pledge is fulfilled, it becomes ever easier for employees to recognise ways to assist others – as they’ll have confidence in their capacity to help and an understanding of how easily positive impact can be achieved. We look to support our team with the time to fulfil these pledges by offering the option to use two workdays per year for volunteering.

Hearing from colleagues on the journey

To hear how Inspire supports Capgemini employees to kickstart helping others, we spoke with two colleagues who are midway through their learning journeys.

Tanuba Ghosh, Solution Architect

Before taking part in Inspire, I was already aware of how much people can struggle if they don’t have the digital skills they need. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I felt this issue was highlighted as the world shifted increasingly online. It seemed like the right moment for me to start actively supporting the digital inclusion transformation journey we need and so I signed up to Inspire.

I like the inclusive way that Inspire is able to help everyone at Capgemini, from new starters to experienced senior team members, appreciate how they can help others. At the end of the programme, I pledged to assist a teenager in my family learn how to create a blog showcasing his fanfiction.

I’m in the process of completing my pledge, but already my family member is able to discuss how to create blogs with his friends. We aim to launch his blog in November. Afterwards, I hope to help other teenagers start their own blogs, so they too can share their creativity online as well as have greater confidence to consider careers in technology.

Lee Barklam, Solution Architect

For me, digital inclusion is an important part of who Capgemini is as a business – it’s important we play a part in helping individuals access the digital world given our expertise in technology. However, I think it’s easy to assume that simply because someone has advanced technology knowledge, they know how to assist others.

Inspire helps by putting Capgemini employees in touch with people who’d like support or by motivating employees to think of their own pledge. This is why I found the programme useful – it inspired me to set a pledge that challenged myself to go beyond the IT assistance I already offer to friends and family.

Creating websites isn’t part of my job at Capgemini, but I run a few sites in my spare time. I pledged to improve the accessibility of these websites for those who are visually impaired. I’m only halfway through my pledge but I’ve already learnt a lot.

It’s great to understand how Inspire is helping our colleagues at Capgemini share digital skills. We see the Inspire programme as a catalyst, helping more of our team get involved and start their own personal journeys to support a more digitally inclusive world.