Wick company helps get tech to tots and teens

A community interest company based in Wick has teamed up with High Life Highland (HLH) libraries to help give children access to technology.

Wick-based Budding Engineers is working with HLH to take in donations of old laptops and PCs for a scheme called Tech4Tots & Teens. The aim is to give children and young adults access to digital technology and encourage an interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects.

People donating equipment will be asked to fill in a permission form with their details and will receive a certificate from Budding Engineers to confirm their device has been securely erased and wiped.

The enterprise was set up by Dave and Liz Kerr from Caithness and has already seen hundreds of devices given to children and young people.

Dave said: “We know there are a lot of youngsters out there whose parents just can’t afford to buy a device. The laptops we refurbish are donated with a version of the Linux operating system and we also install several additional educational applications.

“This is a fun way to learn, as these are in a game format and will help with their numeracy and literacy skills. All our devices will be PAT tested prior to being sent out to the families. Some of the applications we install are known to help those children with additional needs and some of the feedback from parents has been amazing.”

HLH senior network librarian June Robertson said: “This is a great project to be involved in and we have agreed for 14 of our libraries to be drop off points for anyone willing to donate their old laptops or PCs to Budding Engineers so that they can wipe them, refurbish them and then donate them to families in our communities.”

The libraries accepting donations are: Ardnamurchan, Brora, Culloden, Dingwall, Dornoch, Fort William, Fortrose, Glen Urquhart, Grantown, Invergordon, Inverness, Portree, Thurso, and Ullapool.

More information on Budding Engineers can be found at: www.budding-engineers.co.uk/

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.