ICT
European Social Funding has enabled us to set up an innovative ICT unit. Our previous project gave a number of beneficiaries their first taste of working with a computer and led to 6 people successfully achieving a CLAIT qualification. All beneficiaries expressing an interest in this subject receive an initial assessment. This assessment covers an individual’s IT skills and other areas such as literacy, numeracy, hand / eye co-ordination and the ability to deal with abstract concepts.
| The process of working towards CLAIT qualifications has illustrated that ICT training is a valuable tool for people with learning disabilities. Our move to Exeter Community Centre has given us the opportunity to improve our ICT facilities; the room is purpose-designed and provides a much better teaching environment. The groups are intentionally small to enable the tutor to provide the essential input that the beneficiaries require; this intensive person-centred approach encourages our beneficiaries to learn and acquire new skills. We have recognised that as a person becomes aware of their abilities and as their self-confidence increases so they are motivated to progress into mainstream learning and employment. |
 | We have found that the hard outcomes of the actual qualifications are more than supported by the soft outcomes that the beneficiaries gain from their time in the unit. Many of our beneficiaries are first-time IT users and the process of achieving an IT qualification can have real benefits in developing and improving self-confidence and task-processing. |
 | We aim to continue using OCR’s range of IT qualifications running courses in New CLAIT and the more advanced CLAIT Plus; the ICT unit has links with our Office Skills group and our Placement Officers for the provision of placements in office, reception and administration work. |
| Since Axcess began 6 beneficiaries have achieved a CLAIT qualification; by the end of this project we aim to have enabled a further 8 beneficiaries to achieve CLAIT Plus qualifications with 6 beneficiaries achieving New CLAIT qualifications. OCR’s CLAIT suite is a nationally recognised series of qualifications covering industry-standard IT applications such as Microsoft’s Word, Excel and Powerpoint. CLAIT Plus has replaced IBT II and aims to test an individual’s proficiency with software applications with real-world activities - Unit 2 (Spreadsheets), for example, will be tested with a 3 hour exam over which the applicant’s work will cover a number of worksheets, creating, applying and editing formulae and formatting and linking data. |  |
 | Leonard Cheshire’s Workability programme has been very useful for our beneficiaries who have wanted to develop their IT skills further as it provides beneficiaries with a PC of their own for them to practice and use at home. |
Tel: 01392 667765
