The library had very little impact on the research. The limited opening hours and lack of staff made this task impossible. This aside, the librarian was very optimistic about the role that ICT skills now played in everyday life. Polly pointed to the fact that she herself had needed to undertake several ICT courses in order to ‘keep up with technological advances to do with [her] job', and how they were ‘essential if you wanted to get decent job....because so
many now needed computer skills such as word, and the ability to use the Internet properly’.
7.6 Discussion
In terms of the GEVH we can see that the proprietors felt they had achieved their initial goals in Grimethorpe, particularly in relation to opening up access to computers to the community. In terms of up-skilling the community many of the people who could have been taking advantage of the centre were not being seen to do so (as already discussed in Chapter 6). The GEVH did offer a CISCO training course, but this was limited in actual places on the course and also emphasised the fact that those who applied were already competent in using ICT. It also became apparent that as an organisation the GEVH would have liked to have become a Learndirect centre. Obtaining this status would, in the proprietors opinion, have opened up the scope of the GEVH by allowing people from Grimethorpe to obtain formal qualification and not just introductory computer training. However, Gary made it clear this was not what they really wanted to do and their future was focussed on overseeing and managing the Barnsley Electronic Village Hall. Had they got Learndirect status it would have been interesting to see how this would have linked with the ‘bottom up’ philosophy used by the GEVH. For those attending the centre on a regular basis, the idea of learning new skills to obtain gainful employment was not a priority, even though they understood the importance of these skills in relation to employment in today's society. They were happier to meet, socialise and consolidate their learning as already discussed in Chapter 6. The Learndirect centre was initially set up to provide access to ICT courses according to government policy (UFI, 2006). This was less ‘bottom up’ and more in line with a structural approach that demanded uniformity across the country. Courses on offer were aimed at engaging people and affording them the opportunity to learn new technology, gain a globally recognised qualification and make themselves more attractive to potential employers. When considering the participants in the research, it is difficult to gauge the overall impact of the centre on Grimethorpe. The two clients who were interviewed were very similar to those at the GEVH, retired and uninterested in learning the new technology for employment purposes, but rather enjoying the social side of the centre. However, they understood the importance of these
skills to gaining employment in the contemporary market place. In terms of up-skilling, the volunteer tutor was perhaps the best example of someone using ICT skills in an effort to secure employment; although she pointed out she ‘had a long way to go’. Since no one from Grimethorpe was using the Learndirect centre would things have been different had the GEVH got Learndirect status?
There is no getting away from the fact that the GEVH, the Learndirect centre and the library in Grimethorpe were all party to specific local, regional and national policies surrounding the role of ICT and the Internet and the economic regeneration of communities suffering from the deprivation. These three entities were funded to raise ICT and Internet awareness in Grimethorpe in order to help up-skill the local population and create an ICT literate workforce able to compete for new jobs being created within the South Yorkshire region (Priority 4, 2002, p.4; BMBC Lifelong Learning, 2006; UFI, 2006). Teaching former miners ICT skills these projects could help them overcome the inflexibility associated with skills learned down the pit enhancing their employability in the wider region. However, other problems were identified and many could be associated with why the CTCs were not being used by Grimethorpe residents. For example, even with ICT skills there was a lack of available employment in the local area and many of those who had experienced working at the pit were viewed as reticent to travel further afield for employment - referring to what Petra had called a ‘dependency culture’. This was compounded by the fact that many of the jobs that were available were not considered to pay a working wage by former miners in Grimethorpe.
7.7
Conclusion
This chapter has focussed on the potential of ICT and the Internet to help ‘up- skill’ the local residents for them to be able to participate more equitably in the information society, particularly in relation employability. Due to the high levels of unemployment in Grimethorpe ICT policies were implemented to help build the capacity of the local community. The research demonstrated this was not happening and a number of reasons were put forward including lack of local, well-paid employment and a dependency culture constructed around previous
employment at the pit. In the next chapter the research focus moves away from the CTCs and talks to members of the community in order to explore these points and other issues raised in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7.