Good Things Foundation is a UK-based registered charity that is working towards a world where everyone benefits from digital. They are responsible for managing the Online Centres Network and the Learn My Way learning platform. The charity was originally known as Online Centres Foundation - a staff-owned social enterprise - before rebranding as Tinder Foundation in 2013. A further rebrand, to Good Things Foundation, took place in November 2016.
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Good Things Foundation’s chief executive is Helen Milner OBE.
History
Originally known as Online Centres Foundation, this staff-owned mutual was established in December 2011 to manage the UK online centres contract after a history of overseeing the network on behalf of Ufi Ltd (now known as learndirect).
In July 2013, they rebranded as Tinder Foundation, to reflect the widening remit of the organisation, including community action and digital strategy, as well as digital inclusion and learning.
In November 2016, they rebranded once more as Good Things Foundation. At the time, Chief Executive Helen Milner said, “How to make good things happen with digital technology is a question that’s occupied us for the past decade and more. We’ve focussed on bringing digital skills to those who can most benefit from them - growing and nurturing the Online Centres Network, building the Learn My Way learning platform, and supporting over 2 million people to take their first steps with digital.
“Now it’s time to be clearer about who we are - and who we’re not. It’s been fun at times to break the ice with: “No, not that Tinder." But the confusion hasn't helped us connect with everyone in the right way! Partnerships are key to what we do, and how we can do more of it, so we needed a name that spoke more clearly about our role and vision."
At the same time, the UK online centres network was rebadged as the Online Centres Network.
Through their management of the Online Centres Network and the Learn My Way online learning platform, Good Things Foundation has helped more than 2 million people gain the skills they need to use computers and the internet more confidently.
What they do
Good Things Foundation has three strategic goals: to reduce the scale of digital exclusion across the UK; to improve people’s lives by opening up the vast range of learning delivered through digital technology; to tackle social challenges with digital solutions.
They aim to achieve these goals through numerous different projects, including the Widening Digital Participation programme, run in partnership with NHS England, and the Reboot UK project, which is funded by Big Lottery and is being delivered with consortium partners Mind, Homeless Link and Family Fund.
Funding
Good Things Foundation receive funding from a mixture of public, private and third sectors, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, NHS England, Big Lottery Fund, Princes Countryside Fund, Lloyds Banking Group and TalkTalk.
People
Helen Milner OBE is the Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation. Working closely with Government Ministers and officials since the 1990s, Helen’s ambition is to ensure that no one is left behind as the world becomes increasingly digital.
Lord Jim Knight is the Chairman of Good Things Foundation. He is currently Managing Director of Online Learning at TES Global, chair of HTI Academies and deputy chair of Nominet Trust. He was a Labour MP from 2001-2010 and is a former Schools and Employment Minister. He became a Life Peer in 2010. Jim has long been a supporter of UK online centres, and is passionate about the benefits being online can provide to everyone.
Learn My Way
Learn My Way is Good Things Foundation’s online learning platform, built especially to make getting online easy. Since 2010, over 2 million new people have got online in the UK using Learn My Way, with many of them progressing on to employment or further learning.
Courses are combined to create packages to help people follow a logical path through the site. The Online Basics package is the first step along the road for absolute beginners to the internet. Many members of the Online Centres Network also deliver a City & Guilds approved assessment based on the package, offering learners a Level 3 accreditation. For those who have mastered the basics, Online Plus allows people to progress to more in-depth learning, adding job hunting, shopping and managing money online to the repertoire of skills available to learners.
The majority of the Online Centres Network use Learn My Way to guide people through digital development, with one-to-one or small group sessions designed around the Learn My Way courses. The unique learning planner means that each user can tailor the site to their own specific needs, picking the skills that will be most useful to them.
Learn My Way is continually growing and being developed by Good Things Foundation, with a new version set to be launched in late 2016. Over the past few years Good Things Foundation has worked with partners, including Comic Relief, NHS, National Careers Service and the Money Advice Service to create courses with up-to-date content for learners. Courses are developed to be device-neutral, meaning that learning can take place on PCs, tablets or even smartphones.