Finding a job can be difficult at the best of times – but try searching for employment when you are offline, and a difficult task becomes almost impossible.
But thanks to Dorset Council’s Digital Doorway scheme, job seekers in Weymouth and west Dorset are now more equipped to find work.
Already benefitting from excellent courses run by BCHA and Brighter Horizons, 32 residents are now also digitally equipped to complete their training and go out into the virtual world to look for work.
They were all referred to Digital Doorway – which gifts laptops or tablets to digitally excluded residents.
For these jobseekers, a laptop was the most suitable device as it makes it easier for them to do online training and complete job application forms.
We spoke to two recipients – both had lost their livelihoods due to the impact of the Covid pandemic.
Fashion designer Mercedes from Dorchester saw her business and life fall apart from the fall-out of Covid.
The 56 year-old, who lives with her 16 year-old son, has been unemployed since her fashion business collapsed over a year ago.
Mercedes’ business had been growing year on year for 7 years. She was a designer and wholesaler and oversaw every aspect of her firm, from finance to production to graphic design and marketing.
But when the pandemic hit everything froze and shops became more nervous about buying and Mercedes soon saw her orders coming to an end.
Brexit added further complications and it came to the point she had to choose to either borrow money to keep the business going or to close it – she chose the latter.
She said: “It was a very difficult time for me, not only did my business collapse but so did everything else in my life.
“Fashion had always been my life; I didn’t know how to do anything else. Living in Dorchester it was almost impossible to find similar work and I just didn’t know what to do.”
Through the Job Centre, Mercedes was introduced to the training organisation Brighter Horizons and the Multiply course it runs in Weymouth on behalf of BCHA.
The course is for the unemployed to help increase their confidence and give them the skills needed to find work.
Mercedes signed up to the course and was also referred to Dorset Council’s Digital Doorway scheme to receive a laptop.
“I felt like I was stuck,” Mercedes recalled. “I wanted to open myself up to new skills, I wanted to recycle myself!
“The course was really great for me. I started the course full of doubts and came away very motivated. That’s where I am now, I feel like I’m turning a corner.
“This laptop will give me so much more freedom and thanks to the course, I feel I have more knowledge to use it. It’s opened the door to technology for me.
“You need tech for everything – it’s endless. When looking for jobs you need to search the internet and you need to be contactable digitally.
“With a laptop it’s much easier to search and apply for jobs and do online courses. It will make a huge difference to me.”
Stewart from Weymouth has been unemployed on and off since 2011 and lost his most recent job at a local restaurant because of the pandemic. This resulted in anxiety and depression, affecting his ability to find new employment.
The 49 year-old joined the Multiply course and received a Digital Doorway laptop. In addition, Stewart has received invaluable support from one of Dorset Council’s volunteer digital champions who is based at the Weymouth Job Centre once a week.
“The course has been enlightening and so helpful,” Stewart said. “And now I have the laptop it will help me in so many ways, but especially for searching and applying for jobs.
“Gone are the days you just can walk into somewhere and ask for work – it’s all online now.
“I’ve also been able to see Nigel, the digital champion, whose knowledge is just outstanding. He has been able to help me so much and if I get stuck with the new laptop, I know who to turn to.
“I’m really excited to use the laptop, expand my learning and improve my chances of employment.”
Multiply is designed to help people back into work and have more confidence digitally.
The course starts from basics and then builds on the learners’ digital skills each day.
Together the learners support each other as they develop their skills and are also offered ongoing support from Dorset Council’s volunteer digital champion.
Course leader, Pia Unwin, said: “Digital exclusion is a huge barrier to finding work and maintaining skills. The cost-of-living crisis is making it difficult for people to prioritise between keeping warm, eating and having "luxuries" such as Internet and devices, which really are the basics to enter the world of work.
“Digital Doorway has made an exceptional difference to the clients that have come through our doors.
“For some of them, without our courses and interventions and the support from the Digital Doorway these guys would be still out of work, would have less access to what many of us would see as basics and still struggling significantly to break the digital barrier.
“We need to continue this support. Between us we can empower and support people to integrate into the world of work and to help them to discover what is accessible and available to them.”