Meggitt and Vodafone UK have created the End Digital Poverty Coalition together with MobileIron and N2S to help ensure that those Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) students living in digital poverty would not be excluded from the remote work experience programme in 2020 and prototype a model which every business in the UK could involve itself in to collaboratively tackle the issue of digital poverty.

SMBP, which facilitates more than 700 weeks of work experience every year to youngsters with few resources, rapidly adapted its delivery model as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic when it became clear that millions of youngsters all over the UK were losing out in the battle to maintain their online education.

The End Digital Poverty Coalition model piggybacks on the existing commercial relationship between business and their mobile network operator. The pilot, project managed by PTI, will involve Meggitt plc and other Vodafone UK customers donating surplus and refurbished corporate tablets and a 4G data allowance - provided in the same way the devices and data is delivered to their employees. The devices will be protected by software donated by MobileIron which ensures they cannot be misused. It is distributed to the students by N2S and Vodafone. Support is provided jointly by Vodafone customers and Vodafone.

Andrew Garard, Global GC and Director of Corporate Affairs at Meggitt plc said, 'Instead of just talking about the problem of digital poverty, in a very short space of time we have collaborated with our supplier Vodafone UK, Mobile Iron and N2S to find a solution. We are delivering not just the devices, but also the necessary mobile data and safeguarding protection to address digital poverty amongst the 2020 SMBP student cohort. This approach has an immediate impact for those who are suffering the most exclusion, made worse in recent months by Covid-19.

Barry Matthews, Founder of SMBP said, SMBP routinely brings together four different businesses which each provide a day of hands-on work, insight and experience. It's week long course also includes time spent at a local professional sports club learning about the psychology of resilience, using lessons from professional sport to enhance prospects of success in the world of work. COVID-19 drove a coach and horses through this model. The obvious answer to this issue was to take the scheme online. However digital poverty is day to day reality for students attending SMBP weeks and this is how we could make a difference,

Andrew Yorston, Head of Legal at Vodafone UK said, 'We're passionate about doing our bit to address the impact of digital poverty and have worked on many projects to this end since the Covid-19 crisis began. We're delighted to be providing connectivity and technical support to work placement students who would otherwise miss out on such important life experiences during this most challenging of times for young people.

Former England International,Andrew Gomarsall MBE, Director at N2S, said 'Digital poverty is not solved by providing an individual with a device. Without data and support it's useless. A Ferrari is beautiful to look at but without fuel and someone to help when it goes wrong it remains something to look at. I'm proud to be supporting SMBP - a great charity helping students from 23 towns and cities across the UK - and excited to collaborate not compete with other corporates to level up the UK.'

(C) 2022 Electronic News Publishing, source ENP Newswire