Emma was looking to improve her confidence and abilities in a rapidly growing digital age and our Accessible Digital Skills course stood out as the ideal route to learn more. Through the college’s collaboration with Active Prospects, an organisation that helps those with learning difficulties reach their full potential, Emma was offered the opportunity to build on her digital skills and increase her awareness of the advantages and risks of the online world.
Why did you decide to study Accessible Digital Skills?
I wanted to build my digital skills so I could keep up with today’s digital world. I was especially interested in learning about AI and how it can make things more accessible for someone like me. This course gave me the chance to explore that and see how it works in real life.
How did this course help you with your digital skills?
I really enjoyed how accessible the course was and how friendly everyone made it feel. It ran over four weeks, with a final week to go over everything again, which really helped. We learned lots of useful skills like staying safe online, spotting phishing, and understanding secure websites. The bronze, silver and gold stages made it easier to build my knowledge gradually. I now feel much more confident dealing with the risks of the internet.
How did you find the teaching and support?
This course really helped me build my confidence using computers. I also appreciated that my ideas surrounding the accessibility of AI were listened to and used in the lessons. At one point, I suggested a way AI could simplify a concept, and the teachers explored it, which helped the whole class understand things more clearly. Richard and Imogen were both very supportive and encouraging. It meant a lot to hear that they felt inspired and that they had learned from me as well.
What are your future goals, and how has College has helped shape them?
I like to take each day as it comes, but definitely want to keep building my creative skills, especially in design. I’m part of a choir and would love to use my digital skills creatively to help promote it. It was also really enjoyable to get the change to make a small recipe book during the course, and it showed me how I can combine creativity with digital skills. My time at college has helped me feel more confident to explore these different interests.
What advice would you give to current or future students?
I would definitely recommend this course and East Surrey College! Just go for it and don’t overthink it. It’s a great experience and you won’t regret it. I’ve really enjoyed it, and it’s even encouraged me to think about trying other courses, like hair and beauty.
