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February 2001
PHENOMENAL SUCCESS @ ELECTRONIC VILLAGE IN BARNSLEY
Dearne Electronic Community Village (DECV), supported by the Community Economic Regeneration Team (CERT) in Barnsley, has passed the momentous figure of 500 members in only eight months since opening in May last year.
The Electronic Village is a community access resource with 13 computers offering free access to the Internet, e-mail, word processing, and digital imaging facilities for members, which was set up in response to national government strategy on Information Communications Technology (ICT).
Since opening in May, the response from the community has been phenomenal, with people of all ages taking advantage of the facilities at
Shepherd Lane, Thurnscoe - including 33 senior citizens and over 250 children of school age.
"It's been quite fantastic to be a part of such a successful initiative, and none of it would have been possible without the help, support and guidance of Barnsley CERT team", said Frank Barlow, chairman of Dearne Electronic Community Village. "People of all ages come here, often with no previous experience of computers, and within minutes they've found something of interest on the Internet, or are emailing friends and relatives," he continued.
Staffed by 15 local community volunteers including Frank Barlow, the centre's current opening hours are 9.30am - 5.00pm during the week. Due to the sheer demand for computer facilities, the centre is soon due to open on Saturdays and some late nights. New Opportunities Fund (National Lottery money) is providing funding for two salaried staff to commence work in May.
Ann Vallance, case worker for CERT, said: "The use of email and the Internet in particular is a burgeoning area in the world of business, and CERT is keen that minority groups don't get left behind in the information age. In the case of DECV, the 'minority group' is anyone that doesn't have access to computer equipment and training because of prohibitive cost, regardless of their employment status."
Part of the free training offered at DECV includes the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL), the European-wide qualification which enables people to demonstrate their competence in computer skills. ECDL is designed specifically for those who wish to gain a basic qualification in computing to help them enhance their job prospects, or their career prospects in their current job. No prior knowledge of IT or computer skills is needed to study the ECDL, however some training centres ask individuals to complete a basic IT user course first. Anyone interested in learning more about DECV should contact Frank Barlow on (01709) 895154.
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