This is the course for anyone who has been made to feel stupid by a computer. Nobody here assumes you already know the words.
We cover the physical machine, the keyboard and trackpad, how files and folders actually work, how to write and send email, how to fill in an online form, and how to recognise the scams that target people who are new to all of this.
By the end you will be able to sit down at any computer, find what you need, and get something done on it.
Jobs this leads towards
Real roles people do after this course and the ones that follow it.
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Every job that has a computer on the desk
Email, documents, video calls and accounts are the entry ticket to most work now.
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Customer service / front desk
Bookings, records and messages — all on a computer.
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A stepping stone to IT Fundamentals
Comfortable here, you are ready for the IT track.
Is this for me?
Ninety seconds, no wrong answers, nothing recorded. It tells you how closely this course matches what you enjoy — and where to look if it does not.
Try it — two minutes
The kind of thing you would actually do in this course. Nothing is saved; it is just to see if you enjoy it.
What a week looks like
Day to day, so nobody is surprised.
- One evening a week, two hours, in the lab with an instructor beside you.
- Every session starts with ten minutes of typing and ends with something you made.
- A short practice task to try at home on any device, never graded.
- The last session of the course is a show-and-tell for families.
Three questions from week one
Get them wrong and you belong here. Get them right and you belong here too. Nothing is recorded.
Books worth having
None of these is required — the course lends what it needs. These are the ones worth owning.
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Computers for Seniors For Dummies
Nancy Muir
Ignore the title: it is the clearest zero-assumptions book in print.
Find it ↗ -
Typing.com (free website)
Ten minutes a day is worth more than any book.
What to bring
Usually nothing. Where something small helps, it is here.
- ▸Nothing to buy. Laptops are lent for the course.
- ▸A notebook for passwords and new words.
- ▸Headphones if you have them.
Do this at home
Between sessions. Ten to twenty minutes; the people who do this are the ones who finish.
- Habit 1Type for ten minutes a day at typing.com.
- Habit 2Send one email to a family member each week.
- Habit 3Find one thing on the internet you did not know, and write down how you found it.
What you will be able to do
- Navigate Windows and a web browser confidently
- Organise, save and find your own files
- Send email with an attachment, and manage an inbox
- Spot phishing, fake support calls and scam links
- Fill in an online form — a job application, a school form, a benefits form
What you will use
- Windows 11
- Microsoft Edge
- Outlook Web
- Google Chrome
What the course covers
The lesson plan for this course is being written. Register and we will tell you the moment it opens.