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Oldham Council's employment team has landed £266,084 to stop residents being locked out of work by poor internet skills. The money, drawn from the national Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, will pay for a new programme called GOW Digital that promises devices, data and one-to-one coaching across the borough.

The grant arrives months after the same service, Get Oldham Working, was named best in Britain for tailored employment support at the 2025 ERSA awards. Judges singled out the way coaches match people to training, apprenticeships and NHS jobs rather than pushing them into any vacancy that appears.

Leader Cllr Arooj Shah saw the approach first-hand when she sat in on sessions in June, watching advisers help residents plot routes into health care, construction and digital roles. One recent success was an eight-week NHS preparation course that fed local people straight into hospital and care-home jobs; participants said they had 'always wanted' to join the health service but lacked a way in.

Young Oldhamers got their own leg-up last autumn when more than 300 teenagers filed into Queen Elizabeth Hall for the annual Oldham Careers Fair. The September event lined up employers, colleges and apprenticeship providers under one roof, giving students a direct taste of what is on offer before they finish school.

Council bosses have not yet said how many residents will join GOW Digital or when the first lessons start, but they insist the £266,000 pot is big enough to reach every neighbourhood that currently struggles with broadband access or online confidence.