Home Local News West Lancashire Borough Council support Be Online Campaign

West Lancashire Borough Council support Be Online Campaign

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West Lancashire Borough Council is supporting the national Be Online Campaign, which is aimed at encouraging people to discover the possibilities which are opened up when you go online. Being online can help you to find work, it can entertain you and it can also help you to keep in touch with your loved ones and the outside world.

The Be Online campaign, which is taking place from 23rd February to 8th March, will be focusing on these benefits as well as online services to support your health, and also everyday things such as finding information, managing your money and following hobbies.

Latest figures from the Office of National Statistics have shown that in West Lancashire there are between 10% and 14% of residents who do not use the internet.

The Borough Council cabinet member responsible for digital inclusion, Councillor Jane Houlgrave, said ‘We want to inspire as many people as possible to discover the possibilities that open up when you’re online. The Be Online campaign is designed to help people make the most of using the internet to live life to the full. If you or someone you know needs to access a computer or help to get online and using the internet, there’s lots of support to get started.’

‘Get online – Learn the Basics’ are bite-size courses at Lancashire County Council-run libraries which provide one-to-one help which is useful for people who have not used a computer before. These courses take place at Skelmersdale Library every Monday from 9.30am to 12.30pm, and also at Ormskirk Library every Thursday from 2.45pm to 3.45pm. The aim of the course is to help users to become more confident so that they can progress from supported sessions to being able to use a computer independently at home or in the library in six weeks or less. The courses are free, although the places are limited, so please book in advance by calling 0300 123 6709.

There are also other places throughout the borough which offer free access to the internet and guidance to help you to get started. You can also go into any post office and the staff there will be able to tell you where is the nearest place for access, training and informal online support in your local community.

If you have got access to a computer and you would like to become more confident online digitalskills.com has got a great ‘how to’ section which covers everything from what is a laptop to selling on eBay. Another website learnmyway.com offers information which can help with everything ranging from how to keep in touch with friends and family to looking for a job, shopping and managing money online.

The County Council’s Lancashire Adult Learning service provides a range of targeted provision to disadvantaged and hard to reach adults in the community as well as a publicly advertised programme of learning. Courses develop the ICT skills of jobseekers and others who have little or no experience of using computers.  There are also opportunities to learn how to use iPads and Tablets, send emails and use the internet. The service also has an information, advice and guidance team which offers help to people to get into learning and work. Please call 0300 123 6711.

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