Funding Secured to Tackle Digital Exclusion Across Northern Scotland

The One Digital programme has been awarded almost £227,000 in funding as part of £2m investment announced to power community projects across the north of Scotland.

With the labour market becoming increasingly shaped by AI, automation and digital systems, digital skills are becoming essential for taking part in work and everyday life. Yet too many disabled people and those with long term health conditions are still being left behind.

Closing this digital divide is therefore not just a skills issue; it is an economic opportunity issue.

Through the One Digital programme, Enable Works will deliver accessible digital skills training across northern Scotland, supporting hundreds of people to build the confidence and practical skills they need to take part in modern working life.

Director of Enable Works, Ashley Ryan said: “A transition to a digital economy must be inclusive by design. Too often the people who could benefit most from technology are those least likely to have access to the skills and confidence needed to use it. Partnerships like this are critical. By bringing together corporate investment and NGO expertise, we can reach communities that would otherwise be left behind and make sure the opportunities created by a digital economy are shared more widely.”

One Digital Programme also supports The Scottish Government's ambition to build a digitally enabled workforce and a more inclusive economy, while advancing the rights set out in the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

It also highlights the importance of different sectors working together to solve some of the biggest challenges facing our communities. Corporate investment through community benefit funding enables organisations like Enable to work alongside communities to deliver solutions that strengthen both inclusion and local economies.

Independent Chair of the Regional Community Benefit Fund, Peter Peacock, said:  

“We’re proud to support these outstanding organisations as they deliver real, lasting benefits for communities across the north of Scotland. Each project reflects the hard work of those building strong, resilient places – whether through skills and employability, improving local facilities, or helping to tackle fuel poverty. We had a high level of interest in the second round of the fund, with a very strong standard of applications, and our thanks go to all who applied. We now look forward to seeing the positive impact of this funding across the region.”  

 Gary Hughes, Economic Development Manager at SSEN Transmission added: 

 “These awards show our commitment to ensuring that critical electricity infrastructure delivers real benefits for local communities, especially in remote and island areas. Between our regional fund and the local funds, we are creating, more than £100m will be made available for community benefit across the north of Scotland. This is just one of the positive legacies our investment is delivering as we work to strengthen energy security and support the transition to clean power.”