A new partnership is aiming to tackle digital exclusion and improve access to learning in Darlington.
Learning & Skills Darlington has teamed up with Teesside-based charity Furbd to provide refurbished digital devices to adult learners who lack access to technology, helping them gain qualifications, develop skills, and improve employment prospects.
Cllr Chris McEwan, deputy leader and cabinet member for economy at Darlington Borough Council, said: "Having access to a laptop, tablet or other digital device can make a significant difference to learners, enabling them to access course materials, complete assignments, search for jobs and build the digital skills increasingly required by employers.
"This new partnership is helping remove obstacles to learning, creating more opportunities for local people and helping to level up the playing field by addressing the longstanding inequalities experienced by people in our communities."
Anyone on a course with them who does not have access to a suitable digital device will be referred for support.
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David Thomas, chief officer at Furbd, said: "Opportunity and inclusion shouldn't depend on whether you can afford technology.
"We believe that no one should be left behind in an increasingly digital world and this new partnership is helping us in our mission to place refurbished devices into the hands of the people who need them most while preventing valuable technology from becoming waste - turning unwanted technology into opportunities for local people and communities."
Enrolments for Learning & Skills courses starting in 2026 are now taking place.
For more information, visit www.darlington.gov.uk/learningandskills or call 01325 405601.
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