A new learner came along to one of our community based sessions this month with her support worker.

She was struggling to use some aspects of her phone and tablet which we supported her with, such as turning mobile data on and off and navigating the home screen and settings.

We helped her with WhatsApp, sending photographs and deleting emails and messages. She wanted to get onto the British Gas and Talk Talk websites as she has been struggling to get through on the phone, but her iPad was very old and wasn’t displaying the websites properly.

She mentioned wanting a new device but feeling overwhelmed at the choice and that she would like support to choose a new device.  

We ran out of time, but she told us she lived in Cheadle Hulme and we signposted her to the sessions at Cheadle Library. She said:

But how do I know they will be as efficient as you?!

 so I introduced her to Digital Champion David, as he also volunteers there. She had a chat with him and felt comfortable to go to the library session the following week saying:

I’ll go and bother him with all this next week!

A great example of how familiar faces in friendly spaces encourage people to step outside their comfort zone and keep coming back to learn new skills. In a month when people are receiving A-levels and GCSE results, stories like this show us the value of informal learning that builds skills by addressing issues rather than following a curriculum. Not only does it support people with their concerns, it brings learning back into their lives, the Starting Point to continued education.