Manchester's Digital Strategy

Manchester Tech Festival might have wrapped up last week, but we’re still reflecting on the ideas, insights, and energy from two inspirational days! 🎉 *** For the last three years, MTF has created a space for tech CEO’s, newcomers (and everyone in between!) to explore the topics that matter most to the community. With two action-packed weeks of talks, workshops, and socials, we couldn’t wait to grab our tickets and join Manchester's incredible tech community for MTF’s biggest ever line-up of events. 🐝 At the Festival’s Diversity & Inclusion and Tech4Good track day, Senior Digital Strategy Officer Samuel Gilmore and Digital Inclusion Co-Ordinator Christopher Northen were excited to engage in talks and workshops exploring what D&I looks like in tech, the areas where the industry could improve, and the ways in which the tech sector could work together to embed inclusivity in professional and personal practice. Jamie Kane's incredibly moving talk on “Designing for Death” exemplified how the different ways organisations choose to embed technology can be the difference between providing help or causing inadvertent harm. Through outlining the Co-Op’s approach to incorporating user research in design processes, Jamie explored how thoughtful user design can allow more humanity to be expressed in online processes to help alleviate the burdens faced by grieving families navigating funeral care. For Sam, MTF underlined the potential for technology to make a positive difference to the lives of people in Manchester. When embedded with consideration for human wants and needs, and a genuine desire to affect change, technology has the power to benefit everyone. 🐝 As Sam and Chris explored technology’s capacity to impact or enrich our daily lives, Digital Strategy Officer Becky McMillan and Digital Strategy Volunteer Chiara Bassini returned to MTF’s second Women In Tech (Unfitered) conference for a day of unapologetically candid talks. Challenging audiences to reflect on what it means to be a woman in the tech industry – from the advantages that greater diversification can bring to the sector, to the barriers that still hinder progress – Women In Tech lent a voice to unspoken challenges, and spotlighted the need for continued action to ensure that women have equal opportunities to thrive in tech. Missed out? We've got you covered 👇 Cosy up with a coffee and read through our recap of the day’s most inspiring talks, as Chiara Bassini shares her insights on the threat of the ‘glass cliff’, embracing uncertainty, and the ways in which we can support other women to succeed! A huge thank you to Siân-Louise M. for inviting us to this year’s festival, and to Amy Newton, kirsty leigh, and the entire #MTF2024 network for building such a welcoming and inspiring space for everyone in Manchester's tech community. Here's to #MTF2025!

What does the future of business education look like in the age of AI? Over the last few months, the Digital Strategy has been lucky enough to benefit from the expertise of Dr Richard Whittle, one of Manchester’s leading authorities on AI. Richard’s knowledge has enabled us to drive projects championing an ethical, inclusive and people-centric approach to AI that are grounded in academic research.   The accelerating pace of technological change has had a profound impact on all aspects of society, including higher education. If you’re curious to learn more about the implications of AI on research and educational practices, join Richard at the The University of Salford's upcoming lecture on the future of business education, and discover the latest insights from emerging research! During the hour and a half long session, you’ll have the chance to explore: 🎓 How the rise of AI has created a pivotal moment for business schools, exposing tensions between traditional academic approaches and new technologies 📈 Why business schools may be uniquely positioned to thrive in the AI era 👨🏫 The political economy of AI and its implications for business education To register for your free ticket, head over to Eventbrite via the link below 👇 Date: 📅 Thursday 5th December, 2024 Time: ⌚ 5:30 - 7:00pm Register: 🔗 https://bit.ly/3V3gDgN

🚚 Wrangling 50 laptops into the back of a van might feel like a high-stakes game of Tetris, but our Digital Inclusion team is always up for the challenge - especially if it means delivering desperately needed devices to Manchester's most inspiring charitable organisations! This week, Senior Digital Strategy Officer Samuel Gilmore joined the Digital Inclusion team for their second round of laptop deliveries 🎉 💻 Generously gifted by IT provider XMA, the refurbished devices will offer charities the opportunity to scale the impact of their work, enabling more people in Manchester to benefit from the advantages of digital. Despite falling incomes & rising operational costs, our city has an incredible number of people, communities & organisations committed to improving access to digital services. By providing free digital devices to organisations in need, the Digital Inclusion team aims to alleviate the challenges faced by charities in meeting service demands & help them scale their impact to support more people across Greater Manchester. Each donated laptop will make a profound difference in its new home, turning ambitious initiatives into reality & expanding existing support to reach more people in need: ✨1 - MASH (Manchester Action on Street Health) will help female sex workers to access online services & build digital literacy skills through employability workshops and drop-in sessions. ✨2 - Young people from STRIDE UK Foundation will benefit from greater online & computer access while completing their qualifications. ✨3 - The Newleaf Foundation empower minoritised women to navigate & use digital tools through a new computing project. ✨4 - Customers of The Grange’s Community Pantry will be supported to access food poverty support.   ✨5 - A digital inclusion drop-in at Revive Community Development will empower refugees & asylum seekers to access opportunities online. ✨6 - MANCHESTER SETTLEMENT will provide a laptop and digital skills support to a service member in urgent need. ✨7 - Friends of the Strawberry Duck will progress plans to set up a satellite digital drop-in at ASDA Eastlands, helping more people to access essential online services. ✨8 - Young people at the Dimobi Children Disability Trust will receive support to improve their resume building, interview, and job search skills online. ✨9 - St. Chad’s Church playgroup will provide computer & printing access to families at risk of digital exclusion. 📸 ✨10 - Volunteers at FC United of Manchester will be supported to build their digital skills, helping to streamline project administration, online engagement, and scheduling. 📸 ✨11 - Walking With The Wounded will help veterans to access virtual therapy job searches & benefits support online. Donations from businesses are vitally important to empower charities to broaden their reach & impact. A huge thanks to XMA for bringing so many opportunities to life! 💪 Christopher Northen | Data Adamia

We’re looking back on an incredible #Digitober! 🎉 If you’re reading this on LinkedIn, you’re lucky enough to possess the basic digital skills that 12.6 million adults in the UK still need. Imagine attempting to book appointments, manage your finances, or even do your Christmas shopping without the convenience of Internet access! 🤯 It may be possible, but it's no longer easy. A reliable connection & the right skills can unlock access to medical care, employment & education, opening opportunities that would otherwise be shut off. Getting online is no longer a luxury; the Internet is inextricably intertwined with our everyday lives. At Manchester's Digital Strategy, we believe that everyone deserves to access the digital skills & resources needed to fully participate in society. By working with communities & organisations dedicated to helping people access the support they need to get online, we can stop the digital divide from deepening & make life better for people in Manchester. Our #DigitoberStories series celebrates how different service areas across Manchester City Council are collaborating with partners to help more people benefit from the opportunities digital can bring. Missed out? Our feel-good case studies underline the life-changing impact of digital inclusion: *** 1️⃣ The Let's Get Digital team connects charities & non-profits with the digital resources needed to drive their work forward. Our first #DigitoberStory explores how a donation by 6point6 | Part of Accenture helped to bring Manchester Youth Zone's digital maker space to life! ▶ Read On: 🔗 https://bit.ly/47SIh5j ⭐ 2️⃣ The Digital Skills Network, led by the Council’s Work & Skills team, aims to strengthen digital skills support for people in Manchester. In our second #DigitoberStory discover how platforming the Co-Op Academy North’s Robotics Club connected students with new opportunities! ▶ Read On: 🔗 https://bit.ly/3Ykg0A5 ⭐ 3️⃣ For over 30 years, Manchester Adult Education has helped thousands of people through widening access to education. Our third #DigitoberStory highlights how the learning technologies team are improving educational outcomes by supporting tutors to embed new technologies into their practice! ▶ Read On: 🔗 https://bit.ly/48qPY2V ⭐ Already reached the final page in our #DigitoberStories? We’ve got one last chapter in store! 4️⃣ MCC’s ICT team is committed to digitally empowering better outcomes for the Council & its communities. In our final #DigitoberStory, we’re exploring how the newly launched Resident Business and Experience Programme engages residents & colleagues in developing services that truly meet their needs. ▶ Read On: 🔗 https://bit.ly/4hQYgoZ *** Thank you to all the services who shared their successes with us this #Digitober. It’s been amazing to celebrate the creative, inspiring, human-centric efforts to combat the digital divide in Manchester. We can’t wait to see what’s in store next year!

⏳ Time's ticking - there's just one hour left to sign up for our bulletin before the latest edition drops! Our Digital Strategy bulletin brings you the top stories from our socials, plus an exclusive first look at the news we're most excited to share. Here's a sneaky peek of the updates our subscribers can look forward to this month: 📌 A round-up of our #Digitober celebrations, championing creative, innovative, and community-focused efforts to combat the digital divide in Manchester! 📌 A bonus entry to our #DigitoberStories series, highlighting how different services across Manchester City Council are helping more people to benefit from the opportunities that digital can bring. 📌 Our first reflections on the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, including key highlights from three inspiring days. 📌 Our monthly summary of the most exciting events, conferences and training opportunities taking place across Manchester. 📬 Our Digital Strategy bulletin is delivered on the 15th of each month. Make sure you're signed up to our mailing list to avoid missing out! 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eH2fFSVe

📢 Calling all businesses and skills providers! Could you help to shape skills training in Greater Manchester? Digital skills have never been more important. Technology is an integral part of our everyday lives, essential for residents and businesses to access the full spectrum of opportunities available to them. As the demand for digital skills grows, the skills gap is widening, leaving businesses vulnerable to stifled growth, innovation, and economic success. To bridge this gap, it's vital that we support people in Manchester to develop the right digital skills for today and for the future. The 🟢Manchester Digital Skills Framework🟢 (MDSF), commissioned by our friends at Manchester City Council and The University of Manchester, aims to support businesses and skills providers to understand: 📌 The level of digital skills within their workforce, or among learners 📌 The steps they can take to upskill their teams 📌 Which training provision they can access to support this upskilling 📌 Which training providers businesses can work with to upskill staff To ensure that the Framework is informed by real-world need, Manchester City Council and The University of Manchester want to understand the experiences of a wide range of businesses and skills providers in developing digital skills. If you're passionate about digital upskilling, take the 5-minute survey to contribute to the future of skills provision in Greater Manchester: perfect for that quick coffee break ☕ 📅 Surveys close on the 22nd November, so make sure to have your say before it's too late! 👨💼 Business Survey 👩💼 : 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e5r2g_nD 👨🏫 Skills Provider Survey 👩🏫 : 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ec5_v9yU Lewis Howells l Maura O'Brien

From taking to the stage at Smart City Expo World Congress, to receiving applications to our three city challenges, it's been an exciting week to be involved in the CommuniCity project! 🎉 As our incredible judging panel have pored over innovative solutions to some of the biggest challenges faced by marginalised communities in Manchester, Senior Digital Strategy Officer Megan L. was thrilled to be invited to discuss our #CommuniCity experiences and ambitions with an international audience. Technology could help us to positively transform the lives of people in our city who struggle to overcome disproportionate socio-economic barriers. By providing support and funding for the tech community to work with residents to develop tech-enabled solutions to specific challenges, we hope to: 🌟 Boost the Tech for Good ecosystem in Manchester 🌟 Address social inequalities 🌟 Affect meaningful change for underserved communities A huge thanks to Giusi (Josephine) Di Pino and the wider #CommuniCity team for the opportunity to join the conversation! Itching to learn more about the proposals #CommuniCity could help to bring to life? Keep an eye on our social media to be the first to hear about our successful applicants, and the solutions we believe could make a real difference to people in Manchester 👀

Farewell Manchester, hello Barcelona! ☀ This week, we've jetted off to sunny Spain for the Smart City Expo World Congress. As one of the world's biggest events for cities and urban innovation, the Expo welcomes over 25,000 visitors from more than 130 countries across the globe each year to explore how digital technologies could move cities towards more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive futures. Joined by senior colleagues from Manchester City Council covering transport, development, and net zero - alongside partners from Transport for Greater Manchester and Greater Manchester Combined Authority - we'll be exchanging insights with city leaders across Europe and showcasing some of Manchester's most exciting 'smart' projects. ▶ What can visitors expect to see? 🌟 As part of the UK Pavilion, led and organised by Connected Places Catapult, our delegation will contribute to key conversations around innovation and digital twins. 🌟 In Manchester's city spotlight, Andy Blore, Hayley Fails, Sherelle Fairweather, and Claire Kenyon be taking a look at Wythenshawe's potential to become a sustainable regeneration neighbourhood through applying innovative strategies for integrating mobility, infrastructure, community engagement, and placemaking. At Manchester's Digital Strategy, we're proud to champion the values and ambitions of our work on the international stage, and share the challenges and successes of adopting an ethical, people-centric approach to digital 🗣 Engaging with the global digital community is hugely important to deepening our professional knowledge, inspiring innovation, and strengthening our relationships with the tech ecosystem beyond the UK. By building diverse partnerships, we can progress our digital ambitions to create a more equitable and sustainable digital future for all 🤝 👋 Say hello to us in Hall 3, Street C, Stand 141 or head over to the Smart City Expo website to explore the full agenda: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eE3VnXQa

🗣🤖 Step into one of Manchester Adult Education Service’s English Entry classes, and you could soon be chatting to a robot about your weekend plans. In our third #Digitober story, we're celebrating how Manchester City Council's learning technology team are supporting tutors to integrate technology into their teaching practice to combat challenges around teacher workload, reduce the digital divide, and transform the educational outcomes of learners for the better 🎉 *** For over 30 years, Manchester Adult Education Service (MAES) has helped thousands of people to change their lives through widening access to education. With most courses offered free of charge to residents, MAES supports adults across the city to build their confidence, learn new skills, and gain qualifications - irrespective of background or circumstance. New technologies have the potential to innovate teaching and learning processes, supporting educators to deliver engaging educational experiences and improve learning outcomes for their students. The Learning Technology team at MAES are passionate about helping tutors to integrate technology into their practice to develop innovative and inspiring lessons that enable all learners to realise their full potential: 📌 For high-needs learners studying English, tutors have introduced chatbot tool Mizou AI to support conversational skills practice, offering learners the freedom to make mistakes and a safe space to try out new language skills without fear of judgement. 📌 In English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) lessons at MAES, tutors have used Curipod - an AI-powered tool for building interactive lessons – to free up time for staff to focus on creating engaging lessons, develop relationships with learners, and providing individualised support. Despite the potential of AI and digital tools to support tutors to deliver more positive outcomes for their learners, low levels of confidence can present significant barriers to adoption. The growing number of available tools can be overwhelming – and leave many educators struggling to know where to start! 🤯 MAES’s in-house IT and Learning Technology team researches the AI and EdTech landscape to identify evidence-informed tools most likely to benefit teachers and learners. Tailored training sessions support tutors to develop an understanding of the range of tools available, and access the resources and expertise needed to meaningfully integrate new technologies into their practice. By embedding technology throughout the educational experience, MAES also supports learners develop critical skills in digital literacy, opening new possibilities for their personal and professional lives. ✨ And that's not all! ✨ Head over to Manchester's Digital Strategy website to learn more about MAES's innovative approach to realising the potential of technology in education 👇 Read More: 🔗 https://bit.ly/48qPY2V #Digitober2024 #DigitoberStories #DigitaInclusion #Manchester

Access to information is one of the key barriers for people experiencing poverty. In Manchester, 44,734 children live in poverty* and families and care givers are overwhelmed with information about access to services and support. Do you have the ability to develop a tech solution that will simplify and make access to support more accessible for those that need it most? We're seeking applications to our city challenge to explore how a single source of information can alleviate the pressure poverty puts on people and front line services. Apply today before the deadline on 31st October 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gfGwS-8s *2022, Anti-Poverty Strategy, Manchester City Council