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ICT Training
The rationale behind providing training
to WuC participants is that it builds
up the confidence of novice users,
and improves their skills, as well
as helping to build social networks.
ICT is valued as a basic skill, and
training needs to overcome fear of
the technology. Informal training
outcomes are more difficult to measure,
but they are tangible nonetheless
in the way they impact on someone's
outlook or attitude.
The model for training WuC participants
developed along the following lines:
- Pre-delivery training needs assessment
- Pre-delivery training courses
- Installation - set up/induction
training
- Follow up training sessions
- Progression routes to ICT related
education/employment/enterprise
However, some of the WuC pilots adjusted
the model where there were two critical
factors at play:
- Tight timescale for implementation
that precluding training needs assessment
and/or induction training and/or
- Lack of revenue budget to provide
staff for training or to help run
training events
This tended to lead to dependence
on outside agencies such as colleges,
or local training providers to provide
the ICT training (but from within
their own budgets and using subsidies
from ESF funding or the local LSP).
In the absence of this local support,
the WuC projects tended to have insufficient
revenue funding to offer training
to WuC project participants. Therefore,
the WuC project remained responsible
for training its participants and
was in some cases held accountable
by the community for failing to deliver
the promised training.
The WuC pilot projects consistently
underestimated just how little people
seemed to know about what they had
been given (for the large part completely
free of charge) and how to work it.
In consequence, the projects sometimes
missed the point that the training
needed to be pitched at the right
level - which was usually pretty rudimentary.
Their longer term aim on ICT training
was to encourage progression routes
to further education/lifelong learning,
but this tended to depend on the response
of the community to the ICT training
on offer and whether the project had
sufficient resources to follow this
through with residents keen to progress
further.
As soon as residents had their computer
installed at home, there were numerous
requests for some training on how
to use the pc and the software. It
became apparent that most residents
were looking for just basic 'Computers
for the Terrified' and ideally delivered
by people they knew in the community
or in their local learndirect/UK Online
centre.
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Local
ICT Centres & Online Learning
A WuC project may become perceived
focal point for community access to
ICT, but it needs to work in partnership
with established local training providers
under the auspices of the local 'Learning
Partnership' to meet the likely increase
in demand for ICT training. From research
evidence coming from the UK Online
centres programme, the general principle
holds that ICT training courses should
be provided in community locations
where local people feel comfortable
to meet - not necessarily the local
college or library and in a format
that is comfortable - from informal
taster sessions tostructured courses.
In the initial stages of the WuC
programme, there was little overt
demand from recipients for the provision
of online training resources, reflecting
the preference for some peer supported
advice in support of novice users
who had a low level of ICT skills.
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Home/School
Link
The concept of the home/schools link
was introduced by DfES for the six
phase two WuC pilots. It embraces
the idea that network access allows
parents and children to communicate
with a school for both administrative
as well as pedadogical reasons. These
can be access to report files, delivery
of assignments and access to learning
resources online. The DfES contributed
£5m to the new e-Learning
Foundation to "assist in
the provision of ICT for schoolchildren
in Wired up Communities area".
There was a particular emphasis on
joint working to harmonise the aims
of the WuC project with those of the
LSC, local council education department
and education action zone. Most of
the money was spent on equipment and
support staff. Some family training
opportunities were realised, and schools
became local learning centres in some
cases.
A presentation
on progress made was provided by the
E-Learning Foundation at the April
2002 Wired Up Communities conference.
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