Francene Mullings, founder of Idea to Income Academy promises to help bridge digital skill shortages amongst struggling local organizations in safe and accessible community spaces.
The Federation of Small Business “Learning the Rope” report* highlights that a quarter of smaller companies in England lack digital skills, affecting both their productivity and growth.
There are many local business owners and organizations struggling to reach their audience. This group forms the backbone of their local economy but is often excluded from the wide” digital skills” conversation.
Through step by step training and support, Idea to Income Academy help these organizations bridge their digital skills gap and enhance their local reach and impact using the various online platforms.
Idea to Income Academy provides personalized 1-2-1 and group training that builds both confidence and capacity for managers, owners and staff to take positive actions online.
Francene feels that libraries and other under-utilized community spaces could open their doors to facilitate this training.
The sessions, already delivered in Fulham and Kingston Libraries, have helped over 100 organizations in the last year, which represents a 90% attendance rate.
“Offering digital skills support in libraries reach some of the most deserving organizations at the heart of the community. The individuals who run local businesses and charities work long hours, usually in a small team and have little capacity to access the expensive conventional options. Attendees feel safe in a library space.
They expect friendly assistance, so they jump to the opportunity for either free or low-cost support”. – Francene Mullings
Idea to Income Academy also receives excellent feedback after each session, many around appreciation for personalized, relaxed support in a familiar location. The training sessions range from 2-3 hours in the form of 30-minute, 1-1 sessions or group training. Topics covered include social media marketing, local marketing, and introduction to software tools to become more productive at work.