In the last edition of Staff Talk, we shared an update on the Council’s revised Digital Strategy. If you missed it, watch our video here. Work is now underway to further develop this and the refreshed Digital Strategy is due to be launched later this year…
The Council’s vision is to be a leading organisation defined by excellent and innovative services and to do this, we understand that we must be agile enough to rapidly adapt to the changing needs of North Ayrshire’s residents, businesses and workforce.
We recognise there is strength in doing things together, so we have listened to our staff, citizens and communities to develop a new Digital Strategy. The refreshed Digital Strategy has a key role to play in enabling this and links to the Scottish Government’s national Digital Strategy.
Since the start of Covid-19, there has been a 17% increase in customers using our digital services. The world we live in is changing rapidly and now as part of our recovery from the pandemic, we recognise that digital services are key to supporting this change in culture as we embed more digital opportunities across our organisation.
This month, a new Digital Participation Officer is coming on board to help develop digital opportunities in each of our six localities. Look out in the Summer edition of Staff Talk where we’ll meet them to find out how they are helping the Council to upskill our communities and enhance digital inclusion and connectivity for some of our most vulnerable residents.
In the meantime, watch our video below to discover some of the great work happening in our communities already as we continue to shape the strategy…
Case Study 1: How Eglinton Country Park has utilised digital technology
Watch our video to find out more about the great work happening at Eglinton Park. Using new digital apps and learning resources, the park has been helping visitors of all ages over the last decade to enhance their time spent outdoors by introducing new digital ways for people in North Ayrshire to connect with nature and help visitors to learn and understand about the natural environment around them.
Case Study 2: Free school meals made easier
During the initial stages of the pandemic, residents who were eligible for means tested free school meals received quality food parcels delivered to their home. As Covid-19 continued, we adapted our approach to ensure community needs and demands were still met via the introduction of electronic food vouchers. This allowed customers to redeem via their smartphones at a supermarket of their choice.
Case study 3: Helping Syrian families in North Ayrshire with online learning
Additional support was needed to help Syrian families gain access to devices and acquire digital knowledge and skills, whilst overcoming language barriers. So, the Council recruited a team of bi-lingual volunteers to help with digital literacy by setting up virtual calls to support online learning and language skills in our communities.