Businesses across Greater Manchester have been invited to take part in a campaign month which aims to combat digital exclusion and close the digital divide.
The Digitober event, delivered by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), was launched in response to widening levels of digital exclusion highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The month will include events such as Digital Leaders Week, Get Online Week - to help people gain and improve their digital skills - and Switch to Digital Week - a week of discussions for people seeking a career change.
GMCA lead for employment, skills and digital, Coun Sean Fielding, said an estimated 200,000 people in Greater Manchester are ‘digitally excluded’.
He said: “This pandemic has demonstrated the importance of tackling digital exclusion to ensure that no one is left behind, it is integral that everyone should have fair and equal opportunity to digital technology.
“However this pandemic has also acted as a catalyst which is accelerating digital inclusion efforts.
“Digitober is a great opportunity for our businesses to showcase the work they are doing to combat digital exclusion, to all come together and pledge to do more to tackle this issue in Greater Manchester.”
GMCA said the event reaffirms its commitment to a digital city region where “no one is left behind”.
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Digital Leaders Week will hear from chief executive of IN4.0 Group and Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership Co-Chair, Mo Isap.
He said: “I continue to be incredibly proud of how the Greater Manchester business community has come together to support our residents throughout this pandemic.
“There is a lot of work being done by our organisations to help close the digital divide in our city-region.
“Digitober is an excellent opportunity for organisations to showcase the work they are doing in this space and to celebrate the vibrant, innovative and world leading digital sector we have in Greater Manchester.
“I am looking forward to being part of the GMCA Digital Leaders Week event to talk about the IN4.0 talent academy, which has been designed to act as a bridge: connecting talent from diverse backgrounds with businesses in the North West who need to drive digital transformation.”