Canolfan Maerdy wins Welsh Government backing for ICT improvements

A community enterprise based in Tairgwaith near Ammanford has received backing from Communities 2.0, the Welsh Governments digital inclusion programme. The support will help Canolfan Maerdy to improve their office technology and improve their ability to deliver adult learning opportunities to the community.

Canolfan Maerdy provides two distinct services. It operates a day nursery (Lots Of Tots) for children, offering full day care, afterschool and holiday facilities and a breakfast club.

The Centre also provides lifelong learning opportunities to those who are in work, seeking work or wishing to improve their health, wellbeing and economic prospects. These include a range of adult education and vocational learning opportunities in conjunction with various education providers in the area.  The centre also provides a number of clubs which allow people to develop and practise their online skills in a range of areas.

The support from Communities 2.0 will enable Canolfan Maerdy to increase their training and employment support services and also to develop an outreach programme to take training to people and organisations who are isolated. Research carried out by the Centre has shown that there is a gap in service provision for young people in the local area and this coincides with poor public transport, and low qualification attainment levels. The outreach provision will allow the centre to focus support on young people who are either NEETs or economically inactive, and take training to a more local venue to them.

Communities 2.0 support has included help with the purchase of up to date laptops for training, tablet computers and improvements to the Centre’s website. The programme will also support Canolfan Maerdy with training on Microsoft Office, social media marketing, data protection  and Sage accounting.

Communities 2.0 is a Welsh Government programme which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Helen John is Centre Development Manager of Canolfan Maerdy. She commented,

“We are delighted that our application for Communities 2.0 support has been successful. We have been really impressed at the depth of knowledge, expertise and professionalism of Communities 2.0 officers and we believe that the support we have received through the programme will make a real difference to our ability to deliver much needed training in the community over the medium to long term. The extremely thorough ICT review and helpful  guidance we have received from the team will allow us to utilise the technology effectively and efficiently”.

Communities 2.0 project director Cathryn Marcus commented:

“Communities 2.0 is delighted to be able to add its support to this timely investment in Canolfan Maerdy. The organisation offers an important service in the Valley areas of Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot and this investment will help the organisation to deliver essential training services across the area”.