The firm has helped 10,000 students in skills workshops and invested £450,000 into community programmes
Rural broadband provider Quickline Communications has revealed how it is connecting communities as well as homes in a new report. The Hull tech firm has published its new Social Value Impact Report 2024/25 which shows how, in one year, it has helped 10,000 students take part in STEM and digital skills workshops, invested £450,000 in bursaries and community programmes, and also supported hundreds of jobseekers into work.
The report records hundreds of events and initiatives as well an expanding network of partnerships, with highlights from the year also including the donation of more than 80 laptops and tablets to support digital inclusion. Quickline is currently delivering four contracts that will connect some 170,000 hard-to-reach homes and businesses across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and the firm says its social mission goes far beyond infrastructure.
Across its four regions as part of the Government-backed Project Gigabit – West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and East Riding & Lincolnshire – Quickline has reached tens of thousands of individuals, schools, charities and organisations. As we previously reported, Quickline has now delivered online safety education to over 2,000 primary school children and 3,000 parents in North Yorkshire.
Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, £166,000 has been awarded in bursaries to help students from under-represented backgrounds access higher-level STEM education through the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology (IoT). In South Yorkshire, residents were empowered to take up employment opportunities with clothing and coaching via Quickline’s partnership with Suit Works.
And future talent across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire has been inspired through programmes like Tech She Can, Run With It and Ahead Partnership, which aim to give students hands-on experience and access to real-world tech and engineering careers.
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Sarah Lilleyman-Hall, Quickline’s social values and events manager, said: “Connecting communities is about more than broadband, it’s about investing in people, creating opportunities and inspiring confidence. Whether it’s a child discovering coding or a jobseeker landing their first interview, these are the moments that matter. That’s the true meaning of connection.”
Jennifer Vincent, director of business engagement at Engineering UTC Northern Lincolnshire, said: “Quickline are true advocates for young people. Students now understand telecoms careers and the routes into them, thanks to Quickline’s engagement and support.”
Rachel Oates, engagement and communications manager for the Community Foundation for Calderdale in West Yorkshire, a beneficiary of Quickline’s QFutures funding, added: “They have funded groups breaking down digital exclusion. It’s not just about learning how to get online, book a doctor’s appointment or pay a bill, it’s about changing lives.”
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