{"id":155852,"date":"2022-02-27T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-02-27T18:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=155852"},"modified":"2022-02-25T13:32:04","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T23:32:04","slug":"free-laptops-digital-readiness-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/02\/27\/free-laptops-digital-readiness-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Free laptops available to digital readiness students"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Digital readiness class at Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students who complete a free digital readiness course being offered by four University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Community College<\/a> campuses statewide may receive a refurbished laptop, while supplies last. Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> CC<\/abbr><\/a>, Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr><\/a>, Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr><\/a> and Windward CC<\/abbr><\/a> are offering the introductory hands-on classes for adults with little or no computer experience.<\/p>\n

Classes will begin in March. To register for digital readiness classes at participating UH<\/abbr> Community Colleges and for class times, call (808) 235-7334. Students who complete this course will also receive a year-long subscription to NorthStar\u2019s online courses, in order to increase their digital literacy or acquire other workforce skills.<\/p>\n

500-plus participants<\/h2>\n
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Digital readiness class at Kapiʻolani<\/span> CC<\/abbr>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

UH<\/abbr> Community Colleges began offering the digital readiness program in May 2021<\/a> in partnership with the Workforce Development Council and the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> State Public Library System. More than 520 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> residents took the course in 2021, including Fely Dias<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“I am not afraid of using the computer anymore,” Dias said, after completing the course at Windward CC<\/abbr>. “The digital readiness class has helped me to navigate the computer better on my own. I can see the computer is a very convenient tool for me to handle the day-to-day things now. \u2026I learned to create an email and to browse the internet, which are wonderful.”<\/p>\n

Free laptops<\/h2>\n

The State of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT<\/abbr>) and UH<\/abbr> signed a memorandum of agreement for the laptops in January.<\/p>\n

Under the agreement, DBEDT<\/abbr> is providing 100 refurbished laptop computers for distribution to students who complete the UH<\/abbr> Community Colleges\u2019 digital readiness course. In return, UH<\/abbr> will:<\/p>\n

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Laptops being refurbished at Hawaiian Hope.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n