Facebook and Barclays have banked together with UK’s Digital Champion, Martha Lane-Fox and tech startup Free:Formers to support the ‘Web for Everyone’ campaign which aims to minimise ‘internet inequality’.
Created by UK startup Free:Formers, Web For Everyone, is a year-long programme of workshops targeting 12 diverse industries and the applications of new technologies in each of them.
Facebook EMEA director of policy Richard Allan said that the web is at the crux of individuals’ daily lives but only a small proportion of people actually know how to create it.
"Web For Everyone will bridge the gap between using the web and building it, whilst showcasing the huge opportunities digital skills can deliver across a range of sectors," Allan said.
In addition, the campaign is designed to motivate individuals of all generations and backgrounds to not only get online, but to also assist in building their own website.
Barclays bank chief executive of retail and business banking Ashok Vaswani said that one of the biggest challenges for the UK is evolving to become digitally savvy in the face of an increasingly sophisticated technological world.
"That is why we are working with Free:Formers and why the Web For Everyone programme is so important, it helps people learn valuable, transferable skills like coding and web development, which are increasingly essential in any industry," Vaswani said.
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The fashion industry has been selected as the first campaign focus to showcase how digital technology can help, including helping young designers launch their latest collections on Facebook, stream online catwalks, or help talent spotters find the next top model on Instagram.
Martha Lane-Fox said this year marks the 25th anniversary of the web, given to the world by Tim Berners-Lee.
"I’m proud to be celebrating a British invention that has changed the world forever with an array of activities that show the web is #webforeveryone,"Fox said.
Free:Formers founder Gi Fernando said the mission is to connect business and young people through our ONE:FOR1 model.
"Throughout the year-long programme we will help people of all generations and backgrounds to not only use the web to its full potential, but to actually create, influence and build the future of the internet,"Fernando said.
