About Enhance Waterford..
A better more connected Ireland ..For everyone..
In 1994 a small group of young Waterford people decided to run a computer skills training course. Back then the group did not even have a name - it was simply a group of people, all of them with young families and busy jobs in IT, who wanted to give something back to the community they lived in.
In 1994 computers were not as common, or as affordable, as they are today. Back then computers - and the rapidly developing Internet - still had an air of mystery and exclusivity about them. Many Irish people, especially people from disadvantaged areas felt intimidated by the emerging technology. The group decided that one of the first priorities was to demystify computers and make them accessible to all. Something we have been doing ever since.
It took nearly six months of planning to get a suitable location, borrow some computers and design a simple course - 'Using a Word Processor to write a letter'.
At first the group wondered if anyone would be interested. Hundreds of people applied for the first course and Enhance was on it's way...
Since that first course we have become more organised. Over 2500 people haven taken part in one of our programmes. More than 400 of them gained an entry level qualification. We have worked with older people, asylum seekers, homeless men and women, people recovering from substance abuse and many others. We have run programmes in Waterford City, South Kilkenny and Wexford, in schools, community centers, Direct Provision Centers, retirement homes and hostels.