{"id":1085,"date":"2023-01-03T11:25:21","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T11:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/digital-first\/?p=1085"},"modified":"2023-01-04T16:21:19","modified_gmt":"2023-01-04T16:21:19","slug":"meet-sarah-an-embedded-digital-champion-helping-people-get-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/digital-first\/2023\/01\/03\/meet-sarah-an-embedded-digital-champion-helping-people-get-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Sarah, an embedded digital champion helping people get online"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet Sarah Cooley, Sarah works at Magna Housing, a Dorset-based Housing Association. Sarah regularly works with Dorset residents who have never been online. Completing our free embedded digital champion (EDC) training has made a big difference to her, and she\u2019d recommend it to anyone considering taking part.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>\u201cI completed the EDC training a few months ago, and I found it really informative. I\u2019m pretty good digitally, but I didn\u2019t really have the confidence when advising others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The programme run by Dorset Council is designed for anyone who works and advises members of the public regularly.<\/p>\n

It aims to equip front-facing staff with even more skills to help them help their service users get online.<\/p>\n

It might be that you\u2019re like Sarah, or perhaps you aren\u2019t confident online yourself, whatever your level of digital skill, this training is still a great option for you if you work with Dorset residents.<\/p>\n

Being a tech whiz is not what is essential, you just need lots of patience and to be enthusiastic about helping people get online.<\/p>\n

This is what Sarah has to say about how the training has impacted her work:<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a segment where we looked at spam, fraud and fake news and it\u2019s been really helpful to be able to help others be safe online.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Our training covers also covers accessibility features, password security, and more, as well\u00a0as signposting you to lots of other great resources.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a customer who wanted to get online, and I was able to help her set up an email and Facebook, which she now uses to talk to her family,\u201d Sarah recalled.<\/p>\n

In Dorset, nearly a third of our residents are digitally excluded, meaning they have significant barriers to participating in the online world, so it\u2019s great to hear our embedded digital champions are making a difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe training happened online over a few sessions, which meant I could really take the time to digest it. There were lots of people from different places on the course, and I enjoyed meeting them all.\u201d Sarah explained.<\/p>\n

You can choose to either complete the course in one or two weeks, from the comfort of your own office or home, online.<\/p>\n

So, what would Sarah say to anyone considering the training?<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say give this a go and invest the time in it. Even if you think you know everything you need to about computers, and the internet you can still learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wherever you work in Dorset, if you regularly help people access your services, this course is for you.<\/p>\n

You can be like Digital Norma, who is an embedded digital champion, meet her here:<\/p>\n