Throughout the coronavirus crisis, the internet is keeping us connected to friends and family and enabling us to learn and work from home. However, some people can’t access these benefits because they don’t have the confidence, kit and connectivity at home.

West College Scotland are delighted to receive funding to support as part of The Connecting Scotland initiative which aims to get 50,000 digitally excluded households online by the end of 2021.

The successful application will result in the College being in receipt of 100 kits, in which students will receive a chrome book, 24 months of internet with a MiFi device and IT support being provided by WCS digital champions.  The main emphasis of the award is to reduce the digital divide and support students to continue to engage in further education and the kits will go specifically towards helping students from low income households, digitally excluded families and young care leavers.

In addition, a team of staff will receive training to become ‘Digital Champions’ and will then be paired with recipients to support them through the set-up and use of their device. The College is aiming to receive and distribute the devices by early 2021.   

Iain Forster-Smith, Assistant Principal Student Life and Skills spoke of positive effect of the funding saying, “Improving equality of opportunity for students from all backgrounds is at the heart of West College Scotland. Access to core digital support is essential in our students learning journey and we are extremely grateful for the support from Connecting Scotland.”