Bristol ICT Training Forum – first steps
On 9th June 2010 the inaugural meeting of the Bristol ICT Training Forum was held at Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC). The intention of which was to explore the possibility of starting an ICT training consortium, including collaborative bidding for funding.
The following organisations were represented:
- John Sawbridge (City of Bristol),
- Jim Farrand (Bristol Wireless),
- Tim Browning (Bristol Libraries),
- Makala Campbell, Rachel Clarke & Martin Hanstead (all KWMC),
- Chris Pickering (TAO Business),
- Kim Spiring, Adult Learning Service (Bristol City Council),
- Sean Kenny (Voscur),
- Brian McCausland, Get Digital (Digital Unite).
Below are extracts from the meeting notes.
Discussion of actions:
- Explore the possibility of obtaining contact details for hard-to-reach people who have computers but may not have the confidence to use them.
- Building an online directory. Voscur has an ICT training provider directory and an ICT training directory. SBDN also have a list of training opportunities. These could be linked up.
- Helping the Forum to keep in touch: it was suggested that we could set up a Google group.
- Using other social media platforms: Voscur has a demand for social networking training and ran a course on RSS feeds. Sean Kenny and Kim to look into Facebook training sessions. Kim is setting up Facebook training courses; she will enquire whether an introductory session can be held for the members of the Forum.
- Collaboration: the idea was raised that other training providers could hold sessions at KWMC. KWMC would provide space, outreach and promotion; trainers would provide skills.
Other issues discussed:
- Presentation from Brian McCausland, Digital Unite. Get Digital works with people aged 50+ to improve digital literacy and increase levels of inclusion. Specific to sheltered housing schemes. The Get Digital initiative provides funding, training and support for sheltered housing schemes to develop digital literacy schemes. Looking for tutors in the area. Interested to know if other ICT Forums and organisations like KWMC exist in this country.
- Sean brought Get Connected to the Forum’s attention: a project that provides grants for nursing homes, promoting digital inclusion and training staff (‘upgrading’).
- Future meetings: organisations to take it in turns to host meetings. Makala suggested holding shorter catch-up meetings accompanied by training.
- Sean – Voscur may be able to host a meeting at the end of July at the Create Centre, with training of how to update your organisation’s website on the Voscur directory and using/setting up a Google group.
- Kim – A meeting at Stoke Lodge in October, with Facebook training.
ACTIONS
Invitations: Forum members to personally invite their contacts and the absent organisations that have been identified.
Online directories: SBDN to add a link to the Voscur directories and a section of useful training websites to their directory. All members of the Forum welcome to submit content and post replies on the SBDN Courses and Training section.
Consortium: to enquire about the possibility of joining a consortium bid (recycled computers).
Google group: Send the contact details of the Forum members to Sean Kenny to enable him to set up a Google group.
Social networking training: Kim and Sean to enquire about setting up courses in using Facebook for members of the Forum.
E-mail minutes to all attendees of today’s meeting and the previous meeting (as well as those who expressed interest but didn’t come)
CONCLUSION
A morning well spent exploring the collaboration between affiliated organisations providing ICT in the third sector and skills alignment and upgrading between the participants.