WESTFIELD – In a world dominated by technology, it may seem strange to think that there are people among us who don’t even know how to use a computer.
Rather than poking fun, Westfield Community Education is now offering a free course at Western Mass Hospital’s Clark Computer Lab, located on 128 East Mountain Road, to help city residents learn basic computer skills beginning on February 18 and running every Wednesday until March 18.
“Since I’ve been with Westfield Community Education, this is the second time we’ve done it,” said Kelly Pelkey, program coordinator for WCE. “It’s for those who want to know the very basics of computers.”
The course is open to anyone living in the area over the age of 18, but Pelkey believes the students who generally make up the course are significantly older than that.
“Their children might have bought them a laptop and it has been sitting in their house and they haven’t used it because they know absolutely nothing about computers,” she said. “That seems to be the crowd we gather.”
This is the second computer course run by Westfield Community Education, as they operate a separate course for students in its Pre-HiSET, formerly GED, program and, much like that course, students in this adult course will be schooled in the basics of email, Microsoft Word and will learn both personal and professional Internet skills, as well.
Pelkey said that the last time they ran the course space was limited at one of the buildings owned by Domus, Inc., the Sanford Apartments, on Elm Street.
“We had 10 students but this time we’ll be at Western Mass. Hospital’s Clark Lab, which has about 18 PCs,” she said. “Every time we’ve done this program, I have a wait list. People are asking to be signed up and it goes very quickly.”
Asked of the general mindset of the folks taking the course, Pelkey said that it’s an interesting mix and that people enrolled in the course sometimes refer their friends, too.
“Some express an ‘I should know this by now’ attitude, but for the most part, they want to use the computer for email and some social networking stuff,” she said. “The participants are very excited and really appreciative that we offer it.”
Participants are enrolled on a first-come, first-serve basis and interested parties should contact Westfield Community Education to enroll.
Local groups that have chipped in to support the program include Berkshire Bank Foundation, Beveridge Family Foundation, the Charles H. Hall Foundation, the Horace A. Moses Trust, the city of Westfield’s Community Development Block Grant, Dollar General Literacy Foundation, Easthampton Savings Bank, First Niagara Bank Foundation, the Kiwanis Club of Westfield, PeoplesBank Foundation, Shurtleff Children’s Services, Inc., Salvation Army of Westfield, United Bank Foundation, Westfield Future Fund, the Westfield Athenaeum, Western Mass. Hospital and the Westfield Police Association.
