In April 2023, Seetec Pluss were successful in our application to the Device Bank project, managed by the Good Things Foundation. The National Device Bank is a project to provide devices to people in need by thousands of community organisations in Good Things Foundation’s network.
We were grateful to receive 40 Lenovo Yoga 370 laptops and Vodafone sim cards for our participants in Uxbridge, London.
Our Integration team made our Employment Advisers at our Uxbridge office aware of the initiative, and invited them to complete an online form for any of our 1,300 Restart Scheme participants. We know that many of the people we work with struggle with making online job applications because of a lack of access to devices, and our staff knew that this would be a fantastic opportunity for them.
On Wednesday 31st May, 16 people were invited to the Seetec Pluss Hillingdon office to receive their laptops and Vodafone sim card. The team supported them to set up the laptops, and shared information about upcoming basic digital skills courses.
Here are some quotes from some of the individuals that received the laptops, and how it will make a difference to their job searching.
“My aim is to develop my skills in IT and then get into full time and better paid employment in the IT sector. I believe having my own laptop will facilitate me to get on a course and also be able to train in IT. By not having one, it was hampering my move into the right training as well job opportunities.”– Peter Balisanyuka
“I am not very confident with using smart phones and tablets etc, I feel I can improve my basic digital skills with the help of using this laptop. I can also get better at searching the internet in day to day life, and be able to search for jobs online.”– Diljeet Madan
“I can now develop my skills and confidence by using my laptop and learn how to send emails and check things online. It will make me more independent in leading my daily life and not rely as much on family and my children.”– Ramandeep Kaur
“Having a laptop to myself will certainly help me to better my computer skills as well help me with my
English learning classes. I can watch online English videos and other training material to practice my language skills and get better with my spoken English. I believe this will also help me with confidence and make sure I am not making any mistakes when completing tasks on a digital device.”– Afaf Alareqi
“My laptop will help me to improve my English. Plus, the future is all about digital devices, so I feel I really need to learn how to use a laptop and do things online such as shopping, travelling and applying for jobs and enrolling onto new training courses.”– Igram Duale
“I’ve been living in the UK for 4 years, I moved here from Italy with my husband and 2 children. I have always wanted to study and make a difference to my life, however my responsibility and duties
towards my family have left me no time. I have now decided to better my skills and have enrolled in the Seetec ESOL program to speak and read better English. Having my own laptop will help me to learn how to use digital devices and improve my life in many different ways such as, online shopping, paying bills and keeping in touch with friends and family in India.”– Mohinder Kaur
“As a refugee from Afghanistan into the UK, who came here looking for safety and security for myself and my family, I’m very grateful for the opportunities provided in the UK. I aim to develop myself as much as I can and learn very good English as well as online and digital skills which will be possible for me now that I have access to a laptop.”– Amarjit Kaur Bajaj
We hope these laptops will give our participants a new sense of freedom and digital inclusion, we can’t wait to hear more about their progress! #NoOneLeftBehind
