Media Trust is set to host masterclasses across the UK to help charities improve to boost their communication skills

A new digital skills training programme is set to be created after a grant from a tech giant.

The Media Trust held a launch event for its new programme, which will see free digital skills masterclasses take place across the UK, after receiving funding from Google.

A recent study found that more than 70% of charities felt they lacked the digital skills to reach their target audience.

The aim of the new programme is to help charitable organisations access the digital skills training needed in order to reinforce their communications capacity at a time when many aspects of their work encounter digitalised environments.

Media Trust chief executive Su-Mei Thompson said: “Over 45% of charities don’t have a digital strategy, despite 73% believing that strengthening their digital skills would help their organisation grow. For over 50% of charities, funding constraints are the biggest barrier to getting more digitally savvy.

“At Media Trust we know first-hand how under-resourced most non-profits are when it comes to marketing budget and communications expertise and how hard it is for staff members to commit to attending training and development programmes.”

Google UK senior director, Graham Bednash, affirmed the company’s commitment to ensuring charities have the skills to make the most of the opportunities the web has to offer.

He said: “We’re delighted to support this new Media Trust programme and bring our experience in delivering free skills training to help ensure charities have access to the digital expertise they need to do their essential work.”

Edinburgh is one of 12 locations across the UK where masterclasses will be delivered. Dates will be announced soon on the Media Trust website.