Helping boroughs to develop, recruit and access the talent they need to use data effectively in their organisations….
Introduction Modern public sector organisations recognise that they need staff with excellent digital skills in order to thrive. LOTI boroughs have committed to working together to build London’s digital talent…
…London Recovery Board’s Digital Access for All Mission has set a goal for “Every Londoner to have access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and the device or support they…
Introduction Get Online London is London’s first Digital Inclusion service offering Londoners access to refurbished devices, free mobile connectivity and digital skills they may need to get online. Supported by…
…updates from LOTI on our work supporting apprentices. If you work with apprentices and would like to find out more, get in touch with Edi, our Skills & Talent Manager….
Introduction London faces perhaps its most critical challenge in reaching net-zero emissions by 2030. On 16 and 23 May 2022, LOTI and the London Environment Directors’ Network (LEDNet) – the…
Why is LOTI focusing on Adult Social Care? Adult social care is under enormous pressure. Budget constraints are severe and demand is growing. Both social care professionals and the people…
Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many residents becoming newly vulnerable while also exacerbating the needs of those already vulnerable. Boroughs had to urgently respond to these changing needs by…
Introduction Led by: Hounslow, and Brent in partnership with Social Finance. Idea in a nutshell: To develop a prototype multi-agency data platform that equips frontline workers with better information…
…to go into every technology contract and tender to ensure councils can access all system data. LOTI is now campaigning for boroughs to implement six specific measures to improve data…
…and processes in local government, LOTI has created a hands-on London Data Ethics Service. To learn more about and access the Data Ethics Service, please visit the dedicated resource page….
…a way that is more accessible to SMEs. Complementing this work, we have developed an Innovation in Procurement Toolkit with PUBLIC to help boroughs see how they can improve their…
Introduction This project was part of LOTI’s Digital Inclusion Innovation Programme, which aims to use innovation methods to design and scale initiatives that support digitally excluded Londoners who have been…
…a range of barriers to getting online, including lack of wifi provision in hostels, limited or no access to suitable devices, etc. We focused on TA hostels specifically, for three…
Come join the LOTI team in the new role of Skills and Talent Manager and help boroughs access and grow the talent they need to thrive!…
…London has 12.3% of all of Europe’s AI engineers, the most engineers of any European city. (Source: graph from Sifted, data from Sequoia. Accessed at https://sifted.eu/articles/europe-engineering-talent) As the global race…
…together. We hold regular forums for our members to access expertise from each other, the LOTI team and our partners. 2 – Build capacity – we help boroughs access the…
…drive this agenda forward. With their support, we remained committed to building London’s digital talent pool and would like to recognise those who were instrumental in making this possible. Establishing…
Virtually all local authorities face big challenges in hiring and retaining the talent they need in the fields of technology, digital and data. The struggle is not merely inconvenient. It…
…in the future and one that delivers incremental value, rather than an expense. Bridging the Skills Gap: The Human Element of Digital Transformation Attracting and retaining talent was another focal…
…achieve little of their ambitions for digital and data innovation. Consequently, we’ve redoubled our efforts to develop boroughs’ skills and capabilities and increase the size and diversity of the talent…
…a wide range of initiatives to help boroughs access the talent they need in digital, technology, data and innovation. The first of these is LOTI’s Job Description Library, a database…
…local government for years. We aimed to address the challenge of recruiting digital talent through our digital apprenticeships scheme. City Tools was our first contribution to helping boroughs get more…
…have shared candid feedback about what they most love and least like about their roles. They’ve also shared their thoughts on how LOTI might help boroughs access more data talent….
…Digital Access for All Mission, which has set a goal for “Every Londoner to have access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and the device or support they need to…
…Whitehead, LOTI’s Skills and Talent Manager, set up our first ever pan-London apprenticeship schemes to bring in new talent and upskill existing staff. We now have cohorts focused on data…
…a common pool of talented professionals in hard-to-fill roles, which can serve all our members. We must also grow our own talent. We’re actively seeking partnerships with corporates and training…
…introduce them to Jo Cumper, a recruitment consultant who will be working as LOTI’s Strategic Lead for Talent Acquisition over the next 9 months. Helping boroughs access the digital, data…
…boroughs the latest insights from LOTI’s research on device upcycling, including pain points and barriers experienced by both public and private sector organisations. The report can be accessed here. We…
…setting up three peer networks to bring data professionals together. This year, our primary goal is to help boroughs access more data talent – both by training up their own…
…with private sector firms. Boroughs therefore have to be more creative and mindful in their recruitment methods to attract the right talent. Having recently created a guide to effective recruitment…
…be focusing on developing boroughs’ data talent pool; supporting them as they adapt their workplaces and practices to life post-lockdown; experimenting with collaborative procurement; and further strengthening their joint cyber…
…access to the internet; 10 million people across the country will be denied access due to a lack of basic digital skills(1). As the cost of living crisis worsens, these…
…networks of data professionals to explore the question: “How might we increase boroughs’ access to data talent?” The workshop started by reviewing feedback that LOTI had collected through a survey…
…Cyber Security of Smart Streets Researcher, UCL) shared this initial prototype and responded to questions about our thinking to date. You can access the plan here, and the full recording…
…London-based community organisations now a part of the movement, the initiative has been able to reach thousands of people who were struggling to afford to access the internet by getting…
…brief summaries of each idea in the video of our Friday Show & Tell. https://youtu.be/kQD9gMWQIXw Digital Access for All Mission Digital exclusion has long been an issue of concern for…
…progress on a number of projects. This included an update on our discovery into how we might increase boroughs’ access to data talent, for which we now have 33 suggestions…
…Access for All’ mission to ensure that everyone Londoner has access to good connectivity, basic digital skills and the device or support they need to be online by 2025. Theo…
…our Data Capacity Discovery. We’ve been working with our community of data professionals to explore the question: “How might we increase boroughs’ access to data talent?” Data skills are vital…
…of the future of data and AI in our city. The London Datastore, a free and open data-sharing portal where anyone can access data relating to the capital, provides over…
…lots more work to help boroughs access the skills and talent they need, and improve their internal operations and the services they deliver for Londoners. My huge thanks to all…
…post, we outlined 10 things that LOTI is doing to help boroughs access the talent they need in the fields of digital, data and innovation. In the face of stiff…
…or witnessed, and what ideas they have for increasing boroughs’ access to data talent. This week, LOTI is working with a freelance recruitment consultant to analyse the results in advance…
…willing partners could trial an LAS in London, where we have a highly motivated and talented group of council colleagues wanting to find new solutions – but a similar approach…
…with cognitive, sensory, and physical disabilities to be digitally included. Help residents with disabilities to access services and opportunities that are now mostly accessible online. The zones were launched mid-October…
…the map as new feature requirements are identified. Access the map If you are a borough, TfL or GLA officer that requires access to the dashboard please get in touch….
…and large-scale. The private sector is also competing for the same talent pool, and it can offer more attractive salaries, benefits, and career opportunities. Salary gap: The public sector is…
…Digital Inclusion Programme Support Southwark Shade Nathaniel-Ayodele, Technology Project Manager Dan Powell, Digital Learning Partner Stuart Carter, Corporate GIS Manager Westminster Rhoda Phillips, Digital Inclusion and Talent Lead Rajiv Kumar,…
…and Social Finance (data), Multiverse and Founder & Coders (talent), PUBLIC (GovTech) and has a partnership with industry body techUK. LOTI’s innovation days for adult social care and Net-Zero have…
…a large “data company” might locate a talent academy to develop its future workforce. It could be the place where we’re shaping UK national education policy in this area. All…
…be accessed here and is also available to view on the project page. Preventative Working Toolkit Final This toolkit seeks to share the methods, approaches and outputs delivered by this…
…talent by becoming better workplaces, as well as London Tech Week’s fringe event, AI Ethics: An Engineering Job, which feeds into LOTI’s work on data ethics and responsible innovation. It…
…accessing sufficient talent in the fields of digital, technology, data and innovation is one of the greatest barriers preventing them from delivering on their goals. Better recruitment and skills development…
…At the LOTI Away Day on 11 January, boroughs highlighted that the difficulty of accessing sufficient talent was one of the greatest barriers standing in their way. One key factor…
…work. Councils access the Public Health England (PHE) line list data for the latest infection and outbreak details in their area, helping to understand hotspots and cluster and deliver interventions…
…best of digital, data and innovation to improve public services and outcomes for Londoners. Explore this site to learn more about our work. We’re now supporting London’s Digital Access for…
…the baseline In the blog we published last month launching DIIP, we set out how this programme would support London’s wider Digital Access for All mission, which has a goal…
…case study of a Connecting People Remotely AT pilot undertaken by Hackney and funded by LOTI. 5 – Guide to councils’ powers to fund digital access for disabled people –…
…a remit for tackling digital exclusion across London. Its ultimate aim is to contribute to the London Recovery Board’s Digital Access for All Mission: “Every Londoner to have access to…
…the cost-of-living crisis worsens, there is a risk that people will be forced offline due to financial pressures. No one should have to sacrifice their access to the internet during…
…left out and unable to access services vital to them because of their inability to access online services for many different reasons. The case that was being made there was…
…procurement leads in boroughs to define common data access / API requirements for future tech tenders. LOTI – Tender Wording for Data Access and API Requirements In addition, we embarked…
…meeting, we shared a progress update on our work with procurement leads: Finalising the Data Access and API Tender Requirements, which provides suggested wording to be included in all technology…
…resource. Particular thanks to Steven Blantz, Jack McGarrigle and Joe Shah from Camden for their help and contributions to the early stages of this work. Data Access and APIs: More…
…burden. There can be a steep learning curve when using new tech, and it might not initially make things easier. Adequate access to computers and smartphones for staff can be…
…informed about and access other local amenities in my area, from libraries to swimming pools; be automatically notified or enrolled in related services like signing up for a parking permit….
…in the future. Across the top four key groups, social activities were the most important perceived benefit of accessing the internet. Unemployed respondents were more likely than average to access…
…able to access and work with? Councils operate around 600 lines of business ranging from schools and social care through, environment and waste, elections, public health, high streets and local…
…the first-ever London Digital Inclusion service: a sustainable solution to tackle digital exclusion, supporting the delivery of giving offline Londoners access to upcycled devices, free mobile connectivity and digital skills,…
…what a year it has been, we’ve helped thousands of digitally excluded Londoners to build their digital skills and confidence, meaning that they can access all the benefits the online…
…as the internet and computers, and those who do not”. This can be down to inadequate access to infrastructure through geography or income or both, lack of access to devices,…
…Researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute and leads their Rethinking Data project, which you can find out more about here. Read more about the ideas in this post by accessing…
…free access to system data. These things help deliver better functionality and also help avoid vendor lock-in. On this front, we have suggested Tender Wording for Data Access and API…
…their local communities to access devices, data and digital skills support. Across two days, Good Things’ Community Engagement Manager, Louise, and Volunteer Manager, Hilary, visited five London Digital Inclusion Hubs…
…themes between them. You can access the slides to the workshop here. Touching base with our members We finished the week off with the latest meeting with our members, using…
…has not been able to contact within 24 hours of reporting. The Shielding Patients List, which is now published by the NHS. Boroughs access this data to understand which residents…
…in procurement guide. We’ll shortly share a guidance manual PUBLIC has produced with us on practical steps boroughs can take to improve their technology procurement processes. ✅ Data access and…
…this project would be a vital precursor to many other digital inclusion initiatives, and would be ideal preparation for starting work on the Digital Access for All Mission in May….
…plan LOTI’s contribution to the Digital Access for All mission. Our thinking to date can be accessed here. Meeting with our members to share updates on projects. Joining the LOTI…
…of the Digital Access for All Mission. Working with partners in the public, third and private sectors, our goal is to use innovation methods to discover, design, develop and scale…
Digital Inclusion Innovation Programme – tell us about your work! As part of our Digital Inclusion Innovation Programme, which falls under the London Recovery Board’s Digital Access for All Mission,…
…roles or capabilities do you find it hardest to access or recruit for? (Because we want to understand if and how we can help address persistent capability gaps.) The LOTI…
…excluded personas living in TA, understand the different forms of TA these individuals access, clarify the nature of their needs and develop potential solutions that might help to address them….
…sets out why we have created a survey and database, both accessible to anyone from the wider public sector, in order to better serve the information needs of our members…
…during the pandemic and they wanted us to use this knowledge to help socially isolated carers and people with dementia access activities and support that they find meaningful. Based on…
…may be facing digital exclusion. Practitioners can use the resource to signpost eligible residents to the most appropriate packages available. Access the list of social tariff broadband deals here Access…
…approaches to supplying and managing devices Testing and evaluating purpose-made accessible devices. Supporting community groups to hold virtual / hybrid sessions We turned these suggestions into concepts which were presented…
…prototypes for supporting access to Zoom calls so that people with dementia and their carers can join online community group activities. This included configured and remotely managed tablet devices, printed…
…a wonderful opportunity. In my position as a LOTI researcher I am able to go in, and with a little bureaucratic navigation, access different people without prejudice, borough staff with…
…of homelessness, giving them bespoke assistance to access careers, homes and true independence. They don’t just help them manage an immediate crisis but equip them with everything they need to…
…and many more, allowing partners to access the breadth and depth of the tech industry and companies of all sizes. Early and meaningful market engagement is a key part of…
…out of the COVID-19 pandemic, where we saw many either unable to or struggling to get online to access the help they needed. Why focus on these two very specific…
…London Borough analyst in a secure area of the London DataStore, please get in touch with the LOTI team for access. Our initial analysis is also publicly available. This aggregated…
…and shape the values embedded in the technology. But how do we define the “open” in “open source AI”? In AI, does openness refer to access to the artefacts of…
…for public access here. These include: Guidance for leaders and all council staff Guidance for CIOs and data leaders, produced with Faculty AI A state of play report The first…
…public services. This makes it difficult for new entrants and SMEs to access the market and deliver much needed innovation. To ensure value to the taxpayer and avoid unnecessarily procuring…
…access. And according to the Lloyds Digital Consumer Index 2023, 1.3 million Londoners lack basic digital skills to access online services. The cost of living crisis is making things worse…
…billion programme to help communities (mostly rural) access fast gigabit-capable broadband, it seems apt to share what is happening in London. Contrary to perception, slow digital connectivity affects hundreds of…
…should be embedded in future planning as a way of meeting the needs of multiple residents. At the moment, myriad factors from poor local connectivity to residents not having access…
…together to tackle digital exclusion given that being online is – as a result of the pandemic – more vital than ever for accessing education, work, government services, as well…
…to share resources, intelligently coordinate the actions of different teams, and maybe even predict and prevent, we need the ability to access data from lots of different sources. Rarely has…
…For the full lowdown on what was covered in our meeting with our members, you can access the slides here. All member workshop 9 October This Week This week, the…
…Social Care Leads and Chief Finance Officers. The outcomes (for each persona respectively) ranged from accessing the right ATs to using ATs well to manage conditions to making ATs part…
…our LOTI Data Managers meeting on 10 November. PHE have confirmed that: An API to access the data is in development and will be available soon Line List data has…
…throughout the life cycle of a contract, for data access and APIs, and for how to run innovative procurement procedures. What can LOTI do? Right now, we are opening up…
…to access public sector procurement opportunities. It also makes it more difficult for the public sector to get value for money, especially when often there’s a small number of (typically…
…shared experiment on innovation in housing procurement, kicked off the digital engagement project & connected our Data Managers network with NHS Digital to improve access and management of Covid-19 datasets….
…These sessions have revealed a shared desire from boroughs for suppliers to be more transparent about pricing models, grant free access to boroughs’ own data (please see our work on…
…suppliers. These align well with the objectives of collaborative procurement: Having more pricing transparency and clear pricing models Getting better value for money (not lower costs necessarily) Getting free access…
…Expert Support: Depending on each project’s specific needs, LOTI can help boroughs access and allocate their funding towards sourcing expert external support, for example in project management, consultancy, data analysis,…
…updates from Emma McGowan (Head of Digital Transformation, Camden) on Camden’s work to combat food poverty, and from LOTI on our work to support boroughs to have better access to…
…given access to NHS COVID19 data and were tasked with creating our own dashboards in Power BI, which we could then present back to the group to win prizes. I…
…year to this. You can catch the full recording here and the full presentation here. So far, we’ve received some really interesting project ideas, which you can access here. Please…
…(GLA) to work up details of what projects could form part of the London Recovery Board’s ‘Digital Access for All’ mission. Funding for this mission is still to be…
…part of LOTI’s work on the Digital Access for All Mission, which will start in May. After much debate, we decided to select the following two (which are covered in…
…can be accessed here. The project team has since set up an initial planning meeting to share outputs and key documents between boroughs, scheduled regular stand-ups, and nominated liaisons to…
…IT systems. Boroughs typically lack access to the information and resources required to identify, understand and mitigate the unique cyber security and resilience risks of procuring smart city technologies and…
…points in London. The dashboard is currently only accessible by London borough officers, but we’re looking into options for making some of its views accessible to the public. We’ve been…
…business plan assumed ~8 would join.) Secured substantial external funding for digital inclusion work (thanks to Theo Blackwell, London’s CDO, and his colleagues at the GLA) Supported boroughs to access…
…support and find out which boroughs might be interested in collaborating. The full summary of workshop 2 can be accessed here. Below, we share our potential first-round of projects: Project…
…only 15 places available! Successful applicants will be notified from Monday 14 June. Afterwhich, all successful applicants will then be granted exclusive access to the ONS Learning Hub to supplement…
…inclusion interventions amongst the key groups identified as part of the wider mapping work. The full recording is available to watch online, and the presentation is available to access here….
…preventative approach for supporting vulnerable residents. Details about this project can be accessed here. The full recording is available to watch online, and the presentation is available to access here….
…now. We invite any interested organisations to share their practices in our short (10 questions) survey form, and access the database to see what other organisations are doing. We’ve also…
…our members to see how it might provide access to training, mentoring and other forms of peer support to strengthen LOTI’s community and work, and help develop the careers of…
…The map will make it easier for non-data experts such as policy and project leads to easily access information about the distribution of digitally excluded older people in their borough…
…new resource to help make it easy for digital inclusion teams and VCS and health partners to access interpret data on digital exclusion. The Older People digital exclusion story map…
…of joining a Zoom call as accessible and easy as possible, by configuring and augmenting a standard tablet computer. The core innovation was to replace the email links, passcodes and…
…Encourage innovation by releasing data that allows them and others to create useful products and services. Increase knowledge and access by sharing data about London, its places, opportunities and people….
…Mayor Philip Glanville, London Council’s Digital Champion. Abi Wood, CEO of Age UK, Tim Stranack, Founder of Community Fibre, and Opama Khan, Croydon’s Head of Digital Services, Access & Reach,…
…and as a team, and ensures that employees are able to connect with colleagues, the organisation, access information and continuously develop their individual skills all within the Teams platform. If…
…as R and Python and their packages in a secure way. Many borough IT and Cyber teams restrict access to R and Python packages as their open source nature makes…
…used in technology tenders and contracts that ensure interoperability of systems and access to data are no longer points of contention in contract discussions. The immediate collaboration opportunity The introduction…
…webinar to share more details about the fund and answer any questions. The recording of the webinar can be accessed via this link and the slides presented can be accessed…
…to focus on increasing the visibility, awareness and access to local services that can repair electrical goods. While other material streams such as textiles are closely aligned and in some…
…therefore absolutely essential that they have access to be best possible tools and relationships with their suppliers. Yet we know that’s often a challenge. Borough staff are so busy they…
…access to all of the presentations online, but below are my summaries of what we heard: In Scotland, where their 33 local authorities use a single online engagement platform, created…
…provide insights. What we offer The chance to make a real life positive impact at a truly pan-London scale 26 days holiday + Bank Holidays Access to LOTI’s communities of…
…it will enable you to access free devices, and sim cards for your beneficiaries. If you’re an organisation and you’d like to donate devices, more information can be found on…
…a digital environment that users can access and engage with. Outcomes & Benefits The outcomes and benefits of this could be extensive and the more people at Harrow it is…
…Methodology for Data Projects. This starts by identifying the real-world change we want to see, and then focuses on who could do something differently if they had access to better…
…have access to AI solutions faster. 5. We need better ways of evaluating AI model performance. Some standards exist, but these were never designed for the context of public service…
…if they had access to better information?” Data is powerful only to the extent it leads to better decisions or actions. Otherwise, your dashboard is just a pretty set of…
…having access to the detailed resources, sound legal advice and support that was provided by the IG Lead for LOTI really gave us confidence and assurance to make the necessary…
…ideas for the front-end designs based on what we heard from our pilot partners; and designing access requirements and the roadmap for onboarding users. Weeks 8-13 then focused on: testing…
In our last blog, our discovery work had surfaced the real need among social care practitioners to access better information about people presenting at the front-door to make more informed…
…minority groups face when trying to access the benefits of AI and the fundamental knowledge that comes with it. I visualised this idea through a staircase with diverse groups of…
…and looking into how Copilot can support individuals with accessibility needs. All this demonstrates that with the right use cases, and the right processes and governance around it, adopting AI…
…to solve and saves money in the long term.” People are generally happy for their data to be used to predict issues, provided they can access information about how their…
…it’ll also reduce the amount of work for responding to FOI (Freedom of Information) and Subject Access requests. So what can you do? Foster friendships with and between your Records…
…inclusive way. Identifying the need, we added questions on Digital Connectivity in surveys. In a Housing survey we established 51% of our residents accessed council services on a smartphone. We…
…of this initiative was to empower Adult Social Care front door teams with a comprehensive view of selected internal and external services accessed by residents. Traditionally, the absence of consolidated…
…Online London Network Get Online London is London’s first digital inclusion service giving Londoners access to refurbished devices, free mobile connectivity and digital skills training. But we know we must…
…things that we wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to access or experience. However, the digital world isn’t risk free. Some presenters shone a light on emerging societal issues and risks…
…has been specifically designed to help the public sector address its current pain points. This includes enabling the audience to forecast future technology trends more effectively, whilst also providing access…
…approaches to make change happen but also practical examples from local government and the private sector. You can find out more and access the recordings of all the sessions in…
…help boroughs access the talent they need. This includes areas like establishing a cross-borough digital apprenticeship programme; hiring and overseeing the work of a pool of talented individuals in hard-to-fill…
…Commission (EHRC) and Bar Associations to develop high-profile projects focused on access to justice, digitisation of the courts, and equality and diversity nationally and internationally. Sophie Nelson – Projects Manager:…
…a joint budget to get useful things done. Access additional funding from GLA, London Councils and other funders. Watch our Year 3 highlights video below to get a sense of…