Capital City College Group Launches #Laptops4Learners to help disadvantaged students get online

#Laptops4Learners @CapitalCityCG,  @CitynIslington, @WestKing & @CollegeNELondon 

Capital City College Group and its three colleges – City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College, and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London – have launched #Laptops4Learners, a drive to help their disadvantaged students get online during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Restrictions brought about by Covid-19 mean that students will be learning through a mix of face-to-face lessons and online learning, so our #Laptops4Learners campaign is calling on businesses and the community to help provide 2,500 computers and tablets and raise £250,000 to buy more equipment to enable students to study at home.

67 per cent of our students are in the bottom three bands of social deprivation – with some living in the most deprived wards in the country – and almost a third have to share a computer, laptop or tablet with their family.

The Government estimates that within the next 10 to 20 years, 90 per cent of jobs will need some sort of digital skills, so your generosity today will help us secure a young person’s future too.

Roy O’Shaughnessy, CEO of Capital City College Group, said:

“With the UK heading back into recession and unemployment rising because of the Covid-19 crisis, it is vital that our students do not miss out on their education.

“We’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far and we’re continuing to stretch every muscle to support our students, but we know that there are many more who need our help. And with even more disadvantaged Londoners expected to enrol with us in September, we know we will need many more computers to support their education.

“With your support we can help more of our learners, so they learn effectively online and gain the skills and qualifications they need to take their next steps into higher education or their chosen career.”