Viridian Housing has started a partnership with London-based IT training company Student@Home and the charity U Can Do IT to provide free internet training to 300 Viridian residents over the age of 50 in an effort to combat social isolation. The project is reported to be costing around £80,000.
The project follows the successful completion of Viridian’s award-nominated pilot Active Online, which tested different training methods to help Viridian’s older residents to get online. The pilot produced some surprising results and the oldest resident who took part was 93, proving age was no barrier to learning.
Student@Home will provide one-to-one internet training in the comfort of each resident’s home using a tablet computer. For those with complex needs such as visual impairments, U Can Do IT will provide specialist training and support.
All the training is free, being funded by Viridian as part of its social impact agenda to help improve the quality of life for its tenants. In addition, all residents taking part will receive post-training IT support as well as a guide to buying tablets and broadband to support each customer’s long-term use of the Internet. Viridian will also be offering free mobile phone training for residents, whether they are a beginner or want to learn more.
All trainers will use an innovative app created by Student@Home. This contains a comprehensive indicator list allowing the trainer to highlight any concerns or issues the resident has straight back to Viridian in real-time, such as photographing unreported repairs or highlighting declining health or isolation.
Kelly Klein, founder and CEO, Student@Home, said, “It is a really exciting project that ties in with Student@Home’s core social values. The training will have a positive impact for residents and help reduce social isolation for hundreds of residents across the UK.”
Matt Campion, director of social impact, Viridian Housing, said, “Our pilot study showed that not only are our older residents keen to learn but that during the pilot, 70 per cent of the residents trained had already shared their skills with someone else, which will further help to combat social isolation and share valuable skills needed in this technology-focused world.”
