Highlands digital technology roadshow kicks off

A ROADSHOW to help people in the Highlands and Islands to make the most of new super-fast broadband connections is making its way across the region.

Activities for adults and children are included in Our Digital Zone. Picture: Tim Winterburn/HIE

Our Digital Zone, a partnership between Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Business Gateway and Citizens Online, will be setting up in venues in Dingwall, Fort William, Oban and Dunoon throughout January and February.

Workshops on social media, cyber-security and website management feature in the roadshow, as well as Coderdojo, a computer coding club for school-age children.

Businesses are catered for with ‘Digital Health Checks’ which provide tailored advice on how to make better use of technology.

HIE’s Adam Beeley said: “Since Our Digital Zone was launched last year, we have had great feedback from the people and businesses who have taken part.

“The range of workshops is designed to cater for all levels of knowledge and experience and we have advisors on hand to answer a wide range of questions.”

The roadshow coincides with a £260 million high-speed broadband project to bring up to 80 megabytes-a-second speeds to the north of the country.

Beeley said: “As fibre broadband becomes more widely available it will make a huge difference to our online experiences, and we want to give people the confidence and skills to take full advantage of it.”

The first events are being held in Dingwall from Wednesday 15 to Thursday 23 January.