National Device Bank Supporting Disadvantaged Students

Not-for-profit, WorkVentures is encouraging organisations to donate used devices to the National Device Bank to sup­port digitally excluded Australians.

As students across the country head back to the classroom, data reveals that a stag­gering 1.16 million (19%) young people lack access to a laptop or desktop computer in their home – including 400,000 Aussies who are high school age and above.

With schools across the country having or rolling out mandatory ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) requirements, insufficient access to technology can interfere with students’ abil­ity to learn and keep up with homework.

In fact, digital inclusion is increasingly im­portant for educational outcomes, with one report noting students who have positive homework behaviour, have a higher chance of completing Year 12 and increasing their likelihood of entering the workforce.

To support children’s charity The Smith Family’s work to create equal opportuni­ties for disadvantaged young people, 2,000 devices are being donated by Deloitte, through not-for-profit WorkVentures and the National Device Bank – a collaboration with Good Things Australia and Good360 Australia.

With a goal of reaching one million de­vice pledges within five years, the National Device Bank is seeking just 10% of the es­timated 10 million devices refreshed every five years by companies and governments to be pledged in order to reach this target.

CEO of WorkVentures, Caroline McDaid says, “Devices with minimum requirements are now expected for homework and other tasks, and not having access to these can impact a student’s likelihood of completing Year 12, which we know is an important fac­tor for engaging in further study and enter­ing the workforce.

“We also know that students who live in regional or remote locations, as well as those from low socioeconomic back­grounds, generally lack access to digital re­sources compared to those in major cities or with high socioeconomic status.”

To learn more about how you can support the Australian National Device Bank, visit nationaldevicebank.org.au.