Spotlight on Black Country Housing Group Click Start

1. Tell us what you do.
Black Country Housing Groups is delivering the Black Country Click Start project, a free service for people aged 18 – 64 who are unemployed or ‘economically inactive’ e.g. Not in paid employment, self-employment and are not available for or not seeking work. The aim is to help people to develop their personal financial and digital skills to enable them to make the most of the internet, manage their money and find training, volunteering or employment opportunities online.

Black Country Click Start is funded by the European Social Fund and the BIG Lottery and any Sandwell resident currently in receipt of Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Housing Benefit will be moved over to Universal Credit by July 2018 can apply to participate in the project.

2. What is your proudest achievement?
Our proudest achievement is that we support individuals (complete beginners or those who’ve not used the internet at all) with the skills they need to enable them to use a computer, show them how to get onto the internet and even in some cases show them how to set up an email address.

3. What is the most valuable lesson you have learnt about working with people in Sandwell?
What we’ve learnt from working with people in Sandwell are that you can’t assume that people are comfortable or familiar with technology.

4. What are your plans for the future and some of the challenges you face?
We’d like to obtain more funding to continue offering this valuable services to those that need it.

For further information, contact Kevin at Black Country Click Start BCHG on 0121 561 7935 or email BBO-Clickstart@bchg.co.uk