Phil * (not real name) is in his early 60’s, and been in a practical job his whole life – including his most recent role for 16 years. The role has changed and Phil says himself that he has learned the minimum of digital skills for work that he absolutely had to.

Phil told us:

“I’ve avoided computers, I don’t get on with them”.

Now he’s found himself in a position where he needs to find a new job. He visted us at Bramhall library, having been into the Job Centre – who told him that jobs are advertised online now, not on a noteboard, and he’d heard he could use library computers.

He said:

“I was hoping it would be like the old jobs board, but just on the computer. I thought, let’s switch it on, have a look, write down the address – done and dusted – but its’ not really like that”.

He was amazed to hear that 80% of jobs have to be applied for online. Phil is also going to come along to Starting Point’s job club on a Tuesday morning in Woodley supported by local IT compnay CDL Software.

He liked the sound of the specific support to look for a job. We explained job sites like Indeed , and Phil agreed it had similarities with the old noticeboard method but that the way you applied, and needing a typed up CV is different. 

In the library, Digital Champion volunteers helped him set up his first email address, and practice sending an email. They explained why it’s important to set backup phone or email details to re-set his account if needed, and why he needs to log out safely. Phil made big strides using a mouse and learning how to create capital letters using the ‘shift’ key, remembering all the steps at the end of the session. He said

“some of this is coming back to me now, I think it’s my confidence that’s not there yet”. 

Phil is motivated to learn digital skills through his need to find a job, and Starting Point’s flexible way of teaching supports this. He will learn a skill one step at a time, and in a practical way for what he needs. He’s learning about emails – because employers need to contact him. He’s learned how to type capitals and numbers – because he had to set a password.

Hopefully, this will have other benefits for him as services increasingly go online. As well as having a local library session he can pop into to practice his general digital skills, the specialist support of our Tuesday Job Club is also there for him to take the steps most important to him – look up jobs, create a CV, apply for roles, and feel confident replying to potential employers online. Support is not just about one service, but it being close to home, easy to access, covering what you need, and friendly. Phil’s biggest comment, like lots of learners is:

“maybe I’m just too old and stupid for this”.

We hear this from a lot of people, so trust us Phil, you definitely are not. Today your first email, tomorrow a new job.