Learning Digital Skills
Lack of digital skills is the main excluder for Surrey residents, preventing them from engaging with online services. Whether you want to have an online shop delivered when its raining and cold outside, book a GP appointment via your surgery's website to avoid the phoneline holding music, or learn how to manage your finances online without leaving your home; being able to use websites and apps can give you more options with day to day tasks.
Barclay's Digital Eagles have created a huge range of learning modules covering everything from the basics like banking and managing your health online, to applying for jobs and benefits, right up to how to code your own website!
Though these modules can be accessed at home if you have a device such as a smartphone, laptop or tablet, you can also choose to learn skills with face to face support. Learning a completely new set of skills can be quite overwhelming, but across Surrey community volunteers are training as Digital Champions to help you navigate your way through modules you're interested in. You can choose from one to one support or group sessions with other local residents, however you'd prefer to learn. Digital Champions are based at a growing number of local venues including community centres, libraries and even GP surgeries for NHS App or GP surgery website sessions.
For Surrey residents who have additional needs including physical or learning disabilities, Surrey Coalition for Disabled People run an enhanced volunteer scheme known as the Tech Angels, who are trained to offer more specialised help and different learning techniques to ensure no-one who wants to learn digital skills is excluded from doing so.
Explore the 'Digital Wings' learning modules
Refer someone for help from a Digital Buddy
To refer someone for localised support to improve their digital literacy from Surrey's library locations, email the link below:
Refer someone for specialised help from the Tech Angels
To refer someone for more specialised learning support, contact the Tech Angels team via the email link below.
Please note, the Tech Angels have limited capacity to support individualised learning - please only request their help if the person being referred requires additional support, for example a learning or physical disability that would require more specialised learning techniques.
For more typical learning support, please refer to the Digital Buddies via the link above.