PRESS RELEASE - 27 January 2005

DirectSupport|online wins praise from early adopters

Brilliant!... Friendly… Comprehensive… Accessible… A lifesaver…

These are just some of the many positive comments we received from those who returned the DirectSupport|online user questionnaire.

As UK online centres are persuaded to access more management help online, the survey was developed to gain an understanding of what users think of the new DirectSupport|online services, and to get suggestions for improvements. Currently funded by Ufi, the DirectSupport programme was set up in 2000 by the Department for Education and Skills, as a free guidance and mentoring service for UK online centres. Devised and delivered by voluntary sector partners, the programme has recently changed emphasis to move more services into web-based forums.

The winner of the survey prize draw, Nuneaton Women's Multi-Cultural Resource Centre was presented with a disgo lite USB memory stick. Centre Manager Lena Patel, shown below with DirectSupport's Brian Rich, said:

"We are really pleased, not only to have won the prize draw, but also with the tremendous help and support we have received over many years – and continue to receive – through DirectSupport. This support has helped us with projects, recruitment, and setting up our email system, and has given us the confidence to apply for funding."

The Experts Online forum, the most recent innovation for centres, was particularly well received: over half of respondents had already used the interactive service to ask questions on a diverse range of areas from Health and Safety to Computer Security. This guidance has proved to be essential to help with the everyday running of centres, for example to get clarification of legal or staffing issues, or avoid potential pitfalls when applying for funding.

The quality, timeliness and relevance of answers supplied were all praised, with over 90% of users scoring these aspects in the top range. The browse facility – to allow any member to see questions and answers – was also popular: almost 70% of respondents had read the answers to other people's questions. Other very popular DirectSupport online services included the daily xPRESS digest of regeneration news.

The research generated ideas to help users, including better promotion of the service, and a Quick Guide. In response, a leaflet for all centres is now in preparation.


Notes for Editors:
1. DirectSupport is a consortium of agencies working with UfI to provide free advice and mentoring services for UK online centres. The lead consortium partner is ruralnet|uk (www.ruralnetuk.org), offering experience of IT and ICT support to communities, networks and partners covering both rural and urban areas.

2. Any UK online centre can request free access to DirectSupport|online - either via the website or the helpline:
www.directsupport.org.uk
Call 0800 026 0202

3. Ufi: Supporting UK online centres, Ufi Ltd (www.ufi.com/) is one of the government's key partners in delivering the workforce development and lifelong learning agendas. Ufi took over responsibility for UK online centres from the DfES in 2003. It aims to drive up demand for learning, to help adults improve their employability by acquiring new knowledge and skills, and to help businesses become more competitive.