Investment in laptops helps students stay on course

@RedcarCollege – Students who may have previously struggled to access remote learning from home have been given a helping hand from the Sir William Turner Foundation.

The charity, which supports education in Redcar, has funded 20 new laptops for learners at Redcar and Cleveland College.

“Being able to supply laptops to those students who don’t have access to a computer at home, makes a massive difference,” said the College’s student services manager, Lorraine Preston.

“It enables them to be able to continue with their learning through lockdowns and participate fully in lessons.”

For many families the unprecedented demands of lockdown proved a challenge. College principal Jason Faulkner said: “With parents and siblings also working from home, we have seen students who initially said they had access to a computer at home, finding the whole family needing to use the same equipment.”

Fortunately, the college was able to step up and provide digital kit for those that need it most.

And the injection of a further 20 laptops, will now help support even more students moving forward.

Chairman of the Sir William Turner Foundation, Peter Sotheran MBE, said: “The Foundation has supported education in Redcar for hundreds of years. Each year it invites Redcar and Cleveland College and the secondary schools to apply for funding for projects that will enhance the education of students in the area.”

Partnering with the College for 30 plus years, he explained, the Foundation’s support has taken many forms, all reflective of the times, from buying gardening equipment for students on the foundation skills courses to 12 years of funding health and social care students on their annual visit to an orphanage in Romania.

The most recent investment in essential laptops follows a £23,000 grant to replace the audio-visual system in the college’s lecture theatre. The purchase of high-definition audio visual equipment and lighting controls has transformed the lecture theatre into a modern, fit for purpose space which provides staff, students and external clients with a high quality, user-friendly environment.

Redcar and Cleveland College principal Jason said: “The College and our students are fortunate to have been supported by the Sir William Turner Foundation for many decades, opening up opportunities to young people that they may not otherwise have had.

“The last year has been exceptionally challenging for some young people and these additional laptops, funded by the Foundation, will help us to continue to support their studies.”