Time to Click and Connect

Drop-in centre for digital learning

A new digital learning centre has been launched in Toryglen.

The Click and Connect Project is now based at Toryglen Community Base in Prospecthill Circus and has been opened by Glasgow Housing Association. It will provide free of charge wi- fi access as well as free courses on a range of subjects.

The project also features a new café with four computers for dropin access, which is open to the public Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

It is hoped the project will help more people use computers, regardless of age or ability.

There are 12 computers in the wheelchair- friendly centre with advice and support provided by the Toryglen Community Base and John Wheatley Learning Network who are on hand to help tenants get online and use the internet to help them find work, save money on shopping bills and with their studies.

GHA chair Gordon Sloan said: ““Getting online is no longer a luxury, it’s an essential part of modern life and access to information – and the education in how to use it – is a right for all, not just some.

“With more vital services going online, lack of access and understanding of technology can create huge divides across Glasgow.

“This is one of the most important issues of our time and we’re delighted that in conjunction with Glasgow Kelvin College, we’ve been able to open the city’s 35th Click & Connect facility in Toryglen. The initiative is about helping people in GHA communities in whatever field they need support, from finding work to advancing education, from saving money on their shopping bills to accessing our new online services.

“There’s also a range of support services including youth projects and volunteering programmes and we’re confident it will be a valuable addition to the local community.”

The Click & Connect project is a partnership between Glasgow Housing Association ( GHA), its parent company Wheatley Group, and Glasgow Kelvin College to provide free internet access.

According to research in 2014, around 115,000 people in the Glasgow area do not have broadband access in their own homes.