Dozens of adults in the Bournemouth area have been ‘Bourne again’ thanks to a life-changing digital training course.
The Bourne Digital course was part of a pioneering national programme called Power Up, run by the Good Things Foundation charity and funded by JP Morgan.
Locally, the project loaned devices and provided 12 weeks of training for people with low or no digital skills.
Clients, who were all either unemployed or underemployed, came together to celebrate the successful end of the project.
And it’s been quite the journey for all of them.
Sarah Brown, Bourne Digital Project Manager, said: “When the course launched in February last year it was due to run from job centres, libraries and community centres – and then the pandemic struck.
“We suddenly found ourselves having to find ways of training people with very low or no digital skills completely online.”
Lead partner, Ansbury Guidance, rose to the challenge and with the help of Skills & Learning, BCP Council’s Library service and Dorset Council’s Digital Champions, the training was quickly moved online.
The clients were loaned laptops and provided with mobile data so they could learn from home and Bournemouth Library service provided space for one-to-one help as lockdown restrictions eased.
“Now, 16 months later, we’ve seen 47 men and women join the course and they are now so much more equipped to find employment in the modern workplace,” Sarah added.
“We’ve seen people who could not even switch on a computer now confidently do everything online, including retaking English and maths courses via remote learning.
“Digital is everywhere and helping people gain those skills has been life changing for them. Not only are they better prepared for employment but being online has meant they were socially connected during lockdown.”
Bourne Digital ran a series of 12-week online training programmes, using the Learn My way resources (https://www.learnmyway.com/) from March 2020 to June 2021.
The training introduced clients on the course to all the Microsoft Office functions and included confidence building, online safety, CV writing workshops and careers advice.
Weekly online lessons were always followed up by one-to-one support from a volunteer Digital Champion.
Digital Champion, Andy Taylor, said: “Bourne Digital was an interesting way to provide help and support to those struggling with modern digital technology.
“To be able to meet the clients virtually and to understand their problems was enlightening and to see how they progressed was remarkable.
“Getting to meet them in person and hear how the project changed their lives, often in very dramatic ways, was incredibly gratifying.”
Client, Martin Pipe, added: “Oh wow, I can’t begin to say how much Bourne Digital has changed my life.
“I couldn’t even switch on a computer this time last year, now I’m doing college courses in maths and English all online. I can’t thank the Bourne Digital team and my Digital Champion enough.”
