Illuminance shines light on digital literacy

Illuminance Solutions and The University of Notre Dame have announced a joint initiative to improve digital literacy among Indigenous Australians, to be piloted at the university’s Broome campus in early 2020.

The partnership, which was announced at the fifth annual West Tech Assemblage event in November, aims to address technological proficiency issues affecting Indigenous Australians by teaching participants how to use Microsoft Office suite.

The program builds on Illuminance’s previous work in this space, when it ran a free, one-day program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at the University of Western Australia on how to use Microsoft Office 365.

Chief executive Nilesh Makwana said the initiative had come about because he thought technology had unintentionally marginalised people without access to it and that he could help address that.

“Illuminance Solutions is focused on delivering tech for social impact, and we believe by raising awareness as well as providing the right education and skills development, we can help close the digital literacy gap and better prepare Indigenous Australians for the workforce,” he said.

Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt, who formally launched the initiative on the night, said the program was important for improving employment and education opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

“It’s encouraging to see such leadership outside of government that’s looking to lift digital literacy rates among Indigenous Australians,” Mr Wyatt said.