The Department of Trade and Industry warns new initiative must target society’s most hard-to-reach groups

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is investigating the numerous alternatives to the Home Computing Initiative (HCI) that have sprung up since the government abolished the scheme in this year’s Budget.

Adrian Goodall, senior e-business policy advisor at the DTI, said: “I’m talking to the ex-HCI providers that have set up their own schemes. I’m looking at what’s out there and seeing how it could be incorporated into the government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy.

He added that he has a meeting planned with the Digital Inclusion Team on 17 October where he will report his findings.

“I’ve been told by the Treasury that I can’t back a scheme unless it targets the hard-to-reach groups, such as the elderly and the unemployed,” Goodall said. “My job is to show the Treasury that there is all of this activity among former HCI providers and to see how we can all work together.”

Martin Prescott, former managing director of HCI reseller Red PC, which was the first HCI provider to go under as a result of HCI being scrapped, has developed an alternative called the Home Training initiative (HTi). This combines training with the loan of computer equipment to employees.

“I’m the managing director of Red PC Services, which I’ve set up as an HTi provider,” he said. “Between now and Christmas we’ll be offering HTi to just under 50,000 employees across 10 organisations, including two NHS Trusts and a trade union.

“We had hoped to get other resellers signed up as HTi providers, but we’re so busy that we haven’t got time to keep chasing people. If resellers want to come on board, our doors are open. Evesham is showing an interest.”

Carolyn Worth, external relations manager at Evesham, said: “We are looking at the various alternative options out there and we have been talking to Martin.”