You can learn basic computer literacy and possibly earn a free laptop at four University of Hawaiʻi community colleges until the end of the month.
Hawaiʻi CC, Kapiʻolani CC, Kauaʻi CC, and Windward CC are offering free courses on digital readiness. Participants take one three-hour in-person course at any of the four locations.
The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism signed an agreement with UH to provide 100 refurbished laptop computers to students who completed the courses. Twenty-five laptops will go to each of the four participating community colleges, and the school will decide how to distribute them.
The laptops are being through Hawaiian Hope. The organization will continue to provide hardware and software support for the participants after receiving their laptops.
Maria-Elena Diaz, the interim director for the office of Career and Community Education for Windward Community College, says the classes are for people who are not comfortable using computers.
"So it turns out that nationally maybe about 16% of the population are, you know, what might be described as digitally illiterate — they don't have the literacy skills to be comfortable getting on the computer or surfing the internet. And so this three-hour course is really for those folks so that they can become comfortable with how to turn on a computer, how to use the mouse, how to check that you're connected to the internet," Diaz said.
Over 500 people have enrolled in the courses.
Most of the students are kupuna, but younger adults who had to shift to online work during the pandemic have enrolled in the classes as well.
The grant for the computer literacy program expires this month.
To apply for a digital readiness course at any of the four campuses, call 808-235-7334.
