This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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E-learning initiative for North Lanarkshire
18/06/2002
An e-learning initiative to enable local people in North
Lanarkshire to develop computer, literacy and numeracy
skills was launched today.
The project will provide a focus for lifelong learning
within the community, providing a website, an outreach
worker and a computer lending service. The website offers
electronic learning services that can be delivered straight
into people's homes, for beginners to more advanced
learners.
Speaking at the launch of the Community Learning Hub,
which is based in the Motherwell North Social Inclusion
Partnership, the Minister for Finance and Public Services,
Andy Kerr said:
"I am delighted to launch this new service and
congratulate North Lanarkshire Council on their innovative
approach. By targeting educational resources at local
libraries, we can help achieve our aim of extending access
to technology to all our citizens, for the good of the
local community and Scotland as a whole. Education and
learning is at the centre of the Executive's priorities and
we are committed to Scotland becoming a learning
nation.
"To achieve this we are encouraging greater
collaboration between education and the library service to
promote lifelong learning through the Public Library
Network. The purpose of the Network is to ensure all of
Scotland's libraries are linked to each other, allowing
them to share resources and educational materials. All
libraries will be connected to each other by March
2003.
"Local authorities like North Lanarkshire and libraries
such as Motherwell are making an important contribution to
the process of building a knowledge economy through
initiatives such as the Learning Hub and E-Books
facility."
North Lanarkshire Council's Community Council's
Community Learning hub has been funded through the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and the Scottish Executive Public
Libraries Excellence Fund.