ACTIVATE Learning has loaned more than 450 laptops from the Department for Education to students who have had trouble accessing technology.
The laptops are part of the Government’s drive to ensure learners around the country are able to access teaching and learning during the pandemic and part of the effort to address digital poverty.
The 462 laptops were distributed to learners across colleges Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
Group executive director Bernard Grenville-Jones, said he was delighted to support students and apprentices in this way, rebooting access to remote learning for those who previously had significant barriers to doing so.
He added: “We have set up a network comprised of different teams around the college group, to very quickly confirm those students who are most in need of these laptops and work out the best way of getting them into their hands.
“It is magnificent to see the Government’s speedy expansion of the initiative from schools, to include colleges, as we play a vitally important role in our local communities and economies.”
All the laptops have been tested and preloaded with software by Activate Learning’s IT team.
Leia Mills, Group director of IT at Activate Learning, said: “It’s great for us to be able to support our learners in this way and my team were delighted to be able to work on this project.
“Throughout the pandemic we have done as much as we can to support learners digitally as they work remotely, including setting up an IT helpdesk and offering technical support.
“Digital poverty is a very real issue for some of our learners and these laptops will make a huge impact in addressing the needs of some of our most vulnerable learners.”
