The Government's Race Online 2012 campaign aimed at getting millions of Britons on the internet for the first time by 2012 would be supported by an army of volunteers.
100,000 volunteers have signed up to encourage people to get online. It is estimated that 9 Million people in the UK have never used the internet. Among them a vast majority (7.3 Million) are over the age of the 55.
The Government Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox wants the volunteers "to engage people with the joys of being on the internet." It's not about complicated training but the aim is to "enthuse people and inspire them".
Ms. Fox that this initial 100,000 number would swell as part of the campaign's ripple effect. The Prime Minister David Cameron has backed the campaign. "Today there are nine million adults in the UK who have never used the internet - and nearly half of them are among our most disadvantaged people," he said.
"That's why the work Martha Lane Fox is doing as the UK's digital champion is so important," Mr. Cameron added.
Another key area of the Digital Champion's remit is to help the government achieve efficiencies by putting services online. A lot of government services are already online but recent reports suggest that there needs to be a major culture change to make them more effective.
A recent report by Deloitte's argues that government should adopt online services because of three key reasons: Opportunity; Fiscal reality and Fairness.
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/41926