The term “digital exclusion” is well coined: without the internet, you feel isolated, disconnected, locked out. Not temporarily and by choice, like I was, but permanently and through no fault of their own.

There are two main reasons why people are digitally excluded. One is poor provision of broadband, the other is lack of the right skills or equipment. The first is a problem that requires a major technical effort by government to fix. The second can be addressed in more local ways. I want to write about what Citizens Advice Bureaux across Scotland are doing in that effort.

We’ll start in Nairn where, since 2022, the local CAB has run a special digital hub which enables people with limited skills to gain experience and confidence using the digital devices they need for everyday life.

The hub was created because the CAB was concerned that so many essential services – including social security and fuel vouchers – are moving online by default, which excludes vulnerable people from accessing vital support. Nairn CAB has worked with other community groups to ensure that as many people as possible know about the hub and can get the digital support that they need when they need it.

Now I’ll take you to Motherwell CAB, who last year ran a project in which a Digital Inclusion Officer (DIO) could provide both holistic advice and digital skills training to people locally. This project brought support to where people needed it. For example, out to local housing associations and food banks as well as to people coming to the CAB looking to boost their employability and navigate complex digital services. Again, a local project that coupled digital inclusion with holistic advice and wrap-around support. Through the efforts of their DIO, Motherwell CAB – like their colleagues in Nairn – upskilled members of the local community and gave them the tools to confidently navigate all things digital, building toward a digitally inclusive community.

So, another brilliant and very practical solution that is truly changing lives.

And these are just two examples. Every CAB in Scotland is doing similar work, week after week, helping people who are left behind in an increasingly digital world. When we speak to the Scottish or UK governments about digital inclusion solutions; we cite the CABs in both Nairn and Motherwell as outstanding examples of practical support in action. Their advice provision on its own empowers their local communities, but their digital support projects are beacons of best practice. If governments are serious about tackling digital exclusion, then – alongside better broadband provision – it is projects like these that have the potential to really make a difference.

Kyle Scott is manager of the Strong Communities team at Citizens Advice Scotland.

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