The collaboration aims to help low-income and vulnerable adults to manage their money online at a time when one in five UK households or individuals face some form of digital exclusion.
Good Things Foundation, an UK charity focused on digital inclusion, has teamed up with pension provider People’s Partnership to tackle the issue of digital and financial exclusion among low income and vulnerable adults.
People’s Partnership, which manages £35bn (€40bn) in assets for over seven million savers, is developing a new online learning module for the Good Things Foundation’s free digital skills platform ‘Learn My Way‘ in order to help low-income and digitally excluded adults to better manage their money online.
Nicola Sinclair, head of responsible business at People’s Partnership, said: “As a pension provider with purpose, we’re committed to helping our seven million members build financial foundations for life. At the heart of both organisations there is a clear commitment to inclusion, and that means making sure no one is left behind in the digital age.”
The collaboration also includes a digital journey audit and a series of webinars for members of the charity’s National Digital Inclusion Network, which connects over 5,000 community partners nationwide.
Prior to this, Good Things Foundation also partnered with Cosmic, Better Places, and University of Liverpool to better understand the issues and opportunities to improve digital inclusion in the West of England.
UK digital exclusion
Around one in five UK households or individuals currently face some form of digital exclusion, with affordability, access, and skills all being key barriers, according to a 2024 Good Things Foundation report carried out in collaboration with Lloyds Banking Group, Nominet, and the University of Liverpool.
The paper describes what constitutes a minimum digital living standard for UK households which includes accessible internet, adequate equipment, and having the skills and knowledge needed to use it. It is about being able to communicate, connect, and engage with opportunities safely and with confidence, according to the report.
Ofcom data revealed 9% of households (2.6 million) struggle to afford mobile services and 8% (1.9 million) struggle to afford broadband, while 16% of adults (8.5 million) lack foundation level digital skills, with 4% (2.1 million) being completely offline, according to the paper.
“This partnership is about breaking down the barriers that stop people from confidently engaging with their financial future,” said Helen Milner OBE, group chief executive of Good Things Foundation. “By combining our skills in digital inclusion with People’s Partnership’s pensions expertise, we’re empowering low-income and vulnerable adults, many of whom are digitally excluded, to take control of their financial future.”
