Scottish Government has officially launched Phase 3 of Connecting Scotland, which welcomes applications on behalf of unemployed young people and adults, in order to remove barriers related to digital exclusion.

Connecting Scotland is a Scottish Government programme set up to tackle digital exclusion during the coronavirus crisis. It is delivered with the support of local councils, SCVO and a wide range of organisations from across Scotland and the UK.

All public or third sector groups and organisations who work to support people to address barriers to employment are eligible to apply.

Groups and organisations can apply for support for people that they work with who meet all the following criteria:

they are digitally excluded – ie. they currently do not have access to an appropriate device and/or internet connection at home
they are from a low income household – they cannot afford to buy a device or pay for internet access from their household income (e.g. claiming or eligible for Universal Credit)
they are actively taking steps to improve their employment prospects. This includes people furthest from the labour market who are not job ready but are undertaking activity to address any barriers to employment or training (e.g. confidence building, improving health or wellbeing, ESOL programmes)
they are currently unemployed (further information and detailed guidance on the eligibility of people in short-term work placements or insecure employment is available on the Connecting Scotland FAQs)

Priority will be given to organisations working with people who are likely to have been affected most by the changes to the labour market over the past year, either due to existing inequalities or redundancy.

Unlike in previous phases of Connecting Scotland, applicants will be required to submit the details of people they intend to support before the devices are dispatched. However, applicants will be able to request multiple deliveries to avoid needing to submit all recipient details at once.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 5^th July.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by Monday 2^nd August, with devices delivered in late August and September. (A second application round is expected to open in September, with successful organisations receiving their devices in November.)

For further information, including how to apply and full eligibility criteria for groups and organisations, and the people they support, please visit the Connecting Scotland application guidance page.

Alternatively, for further information or support on Falkirk applications, please contact the Fairer Falkirk team at Falkirk Council by email: