Wendy Dickson likes to keep busy. She is 22 and has completed two information technology courses through a Merkinch Enterprise initiative (funded under the ESF Training Project) which provided her with a computer in her home and a visiting trainer.

Wendy would find it difficult, if not impossible, to get out regularly to attend classes because of an illness. "I did ITA 1 & 2. We studied Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and Communications, that was email and the internet. I found Excel quite difficult but I can do it now," she explained.

Wendy has had to contend with challenging health for a long time. She was off so many days in her first year in secondary school that a home tutor was organised. Eventually she came back for shorter days to work in the Learning Support Resource room at Inverness High School and she gained Standard Grades in English and Maths.

"The work I did with the home tutor wasn’t worth anything; so I didn’t get any qualifications from that. You need quite a lot if you want to do office studies or even basic accounting," said Wendy. Wendy would like to work. "I’d like to do things from home. I’d like something to do."

Wendy’s bedroom has been turned into her own small but well equiped home but one room could never contain enough to occupy her.

Wendy found out about the Merkinch Enterprise course through her contact in the job centre. "I thought it was good. I was looking for something to do. It was good they supplied it [the computer] because I couldn’t afford one."

Merkinch Enterprise trainer, Stuart Watson, visited Wendy at home to set work and go over what she’d done. "I thought it was quite good. I usually did the work for Stuart before he arrived and I had my own things to work on. It was great because I had something to do, it was a goal to get it finished.” Wendy now has Higher National Certificate level credits in information technology and some more options.

"Stuart is helping me with a proposal to the Princes Trust to help buy my own computer. I would like to do another course at college but Inverness couldn’t help me. I would like to work from home. DASH (Disabled Alliance in the Scottish Highlands) are backing me. They say they would give me work, typing and things to do from home. They want to employ disabled people to do their work."

Computers are currently available from Merkinch Enterprise for anyone who would like to do training but is unable to attend courses outside of their home, perhaps through disability. To apply for the European Social Fund funded project get in touch with Merkinch Enterprise at 4 Grant Street or call 01463 240085.