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The Digital Adoption Strategy for Berkshire

Digital Adoption

Residents and businesses can only take full advantage of world class digital connectivity if they understand its benefits and utilise it.

Digital adoption is about helping people to use and embrace technology. Our role is to facilitate cutting edge digital infrastructure provision and encouraging people to utilise this to their advantage.

In doing so, this will generate sustainable economic growth and continued market investment in better infrastructure. Having a well-defined and agreed approach to digital adoption is paramount to drive this positive change.

Digital Adoption Strategy

The Digital Adoption Strategy translates the ambitions of the Digital Infrastructure Group and brings together the workstreams in the Connected Berkshire Programme into a cohesive three-year plan of action, with clear structures, roles and responsibility for delivery, primarily to support economic development and interaction with the business community.

The Strategy seeks to achieve a vision for digital adoption, that Berkshire “Remains an unbeatable location for investment in world class digital infrastructure, propelling sustainable economic growth”. 

The Strategy will achieve this through the delivery of its aims, objectives and actions.

The Strategy aims to:

  1. Maximise the potential for cutting-edge digital infrastructure in new projects, developments, and strategy
  2.  Maximise the potential for the uptake of digital connectivity
  3. Enable the practical implementation and communication of the Strategy
  4. Secure further market investment and make a positive difference to Berkshire

To achieve this, the Strategy sets the following digital adoption objectives, along with twelve actions to deliver them:

  1. Improved Digital Infrastructure Group governance - This will enable better shared ownership and oversight of Connected Berkshire at each partner authority by actions that include establishing ‘mini-DIG’ digital working groups and the appointment of digital champions at all the DIG partner authorities, including training and support.
  2. Proactive, shared communications on digital - This will help to make digital more visible and relatable to the business and local communities by actions that include the use of a shared communication plan and regular  use case examples.
  3. Better understanding of the digital needs of business - This will better understand the needs, barriers and opportunities around digital to business, particularly around infrastructure provision, through conducting regular business surveys.
  4. Information and upskilling to the business community and DIG partner authorities - This will support and build awareness and understanding of the Connected Berkshire Programme and maximise the potential for the uptake of digital connectivity by actions that include a series of digital information, upskilling and networking events with the business community and the partner authorities.
  5. Deliver place-based digital infrastructure interventions - This will demonstrate ‘real world’ digital opportunities or solutions to a wide audience by working with the partner authorities to deliver schemes where an issue caused by a shortfall in digital infrastructure provision is identified, or a solution could be provided by improved digital infrastructure provision.

The Digital Infrastructure Group will deliver these actions, working side by side with our partner authorities, and the Local Enterprise Partnership, market providers, central government and other stakeholders.

For the full list of aims, objectives and actions please read the Digital Adoption Strategy for Berkshire.

We have produced some leaflets to help understand how the Digital Adoption Strategy for Berkshire will benefit Residents, Businesses and Local Authorities.

Connected Berkshire: Now. Tomorrow. Beyond.