The ICT Hub was a project in the UK that aimed to support voluntary and community-based organisations in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

with their

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

needs. It was set up in 2005 and closed in 2008. The Hub worked to create sustainable environment whereby charities and community groups can benefit from the use of

information and communications technology Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and computer ...

(ICT).

Services

Smaller organisations can benefit enormously from effective use of technology, whether this is by building a

website A website (also written as a web site) is any web page whose content is identified by a common domain name and is published on at least one web server. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, educatio ...

to communicate with its beneficiaries, or creating a

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data or a type of data store based on the use of a database management system (DBMS), the software that interacts with end users, applications, and the database itself to capture and a ...

to manage its members. However charitable organisations often do not have the funds or expertise to implement technological solutions successfully. The ICT Hub aimed to help charities overcome these barriers. To achieve this the Hub offered services and support including: * Accessibility audits for charities *Educational events and

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some part ...

s *Online resources and useful information *Publications that cover all aspects of ICT * Circuit Rider – mobile IT technicians who offer low cost IT support *IT volunteers – professionals who give up their time to help charities implement technology solutions *Regional champions - individuals in each of the English regions who offer local advice and support e.g. ''Regional ICT Champion for Yorkshire and Humber'' *

Helpdesk A help desk is a department or person that provides assistance and information, usually for electronic or computer problems. In the mid-1990s, research by Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University studied the value of an organization's help des ...

– a free telephone number where charities can be signposted to services and support in their local area

Partnership

The ICT Hub was part of the UK’s

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

ChangeUp programme for strengthening the capacity of the voluntary and community sector. Funding for the ICT Hub ended March 2008. The Hub consisted of a partnership of organisations: * AbilityNet * Media Trust * It4communities * Lasa (London Advice Services Alliance) *

NCVO The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector, voluntary and community sector in England. It is a registered charity (no. 225922). It works to support the voluntary and community sector an ...

(National Council for Voluntary Organisations) * NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action)

References

External links

The ICT Hub websiteThe ITpedia KnowledgebaseNAVCA
There is also a Wikipedia page explaining what a

Council for Voluntary Service Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) is a type of organisation in England - "the place at which local voluntary and community organisations speak to each other". They offer a wide variety of services and support for other local organisations, for e ...

is.
iT4CommunitiesNCVO, the National Council of Voluntary Organisations
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ict Hub 2005 establishments in England 2008 disestablishments in England Information technology organisations based in the United Kingdom