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Computer & IT

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Along with our supplementary school, training in information technology (IT) is also very prominent in the educational package that the KCC endeavours to delivers.

One of the KCC’s overriding goals has been to tackle the social exclusion of and within its community. The KCC has recognised that access to the internet and basic IT skills can
play a major role in tackling social exclusion. Groups including the elderly, women and immigrants can benefit greatly by gaining online access to health, education and benefits information, and by keeping vital contact with friends and relatives.

Moreover, it is well known that the scale of the IT skills gap among adults is greater than that of basic literacy and numeracy. On that premise, people risk being increasingly
excluded as the rest of us accelerate towards a society in which computer skills are fundamental to the way we live.

Another growing concern and one, which the KCC shares is the fact that such members of the community not only face the problem of being socially excluded but also risk being jobless or being forced to go into unskilled work. Hence, IT courses suitable for refugees, asylum seekers and or migrants settled in this country. Our different levels of study, ranging from basic literacy to advanced also include further support for lower and higher levels to help students with speaking, pronunciation and spelling. Indeed, overnment studies have shown that three-quarters of the workforce now use computers as part of their job. By 2010, 90% of all jobs will need computer skills. Research from e-skills UK, the relevant sector skills council for information technology, shows that just over half of employees believe their staff need additional computer skills.

Equally important is that children from families that do not own computers are at a significant disadvantage and access to technology at school does not necessarily compensate.The KCC has aimed at providing training for those members of its community whom cannot afford computers at home in order to narrow the gap between their more advantaged peers.
An important object of the KCC is helping such children and young people within its
community to develop core skills which will be useful in studying and working after they
leave school. As such particular emphasis is given to the core skills of IT and problem
solving. To that end, the KCC has endeavoured to providing a significantly simplified,
more coordinated approach to providing internet access and IT training.

Training in the core areas of IT that are currently being covered are;

– Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
– Internet and e-mail
– Multimedia Flash
– Multimedia Dreamweaver; and
– Photoshop

The IT courses currently running at the KCC are from Wednesday to Sunday between 10
am to 6 pm. To meet the demand 16 fully functional brand new Dell computers with flats screens all installed with the relevant software where purchased.

The KCC IT tutor has developed levels of competence in the area thought and certificates of competence are awarded to those who attain the required level. It is anticipated that these certificates will support job and educational applications.

At the time of writing, the KCC IT tutor had hahimself been deemed competent to provide
IT training for members of the wider community through the Job Centre scheme, whereby
local jobcentres will forward their clients to the KCC for training in basic IT skills. This
programme began on the 26th of January 2006 and will be run on Thursdays and Fridays. Certificates for these courses are awarded by an external body; namely the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) for the successful completion of the courses. Additional to the wider members of the community, the ECDL courses will also be available for existing members of the KCC.

The classes are scheduled on the days and times indicated on the table below;

In addition to the scheduled classes, the KCC IT tutor also provides training sessions for individuals on a one to one basis. These individual training sessions are scheduled around the main classes indicated above and cover many aspects of computer skills from
multimedia editing and internet searching to networking and computer hardware. The criteria for enrolling on the ECDL courses are that the person must be 15 years of age or over, have a certain level of English, is a refugee with a valid work permit. The reasonable travel expenses of all persons enrolled on the ECDL courses will be paid.