Deloitte Provides Welcome Boost for Welsh Schools

Finance and business are never too far away from the news headlines, whether it be the latest foreign exchange brokers as detailed on sites such as tradingforexsites.com, the fastest-growing companies, or the widespread impacts of the cost of living crisis.

In this sphere, 2022 has certainly seen more than its fair share of doom and gloom. As such, it’s always uplifting to come across a more positive news story. Falling into this category is Deloitte’s programme of repurposing used laptops for use in UK Schools.

6865 and Counting

First proposed by a staff member at the company, the charitable idea could hardly have come at a better time, with sustainability, levelling-up, and the increasing digital social divide being such hot topics of conversation.

Deloitte, to their great credit, were swift to act on this proposal and did so on a pretty impressive scale. Over the period from January 2021 to September 2022, Deloitte has gifted a total of 6,865 (a rate of almost 350 per month) of these repurposed laptops to schools, community groups and charities all around the UK.

Of those 6,865, a total of 3,363 have gone to schools, providing a huge boost for many education providers under increasing levels of budgetary pressures. Wales is amongst the areas to have benefitted, with Fitzalan High School in Leckwith, and Rumney’s Eastern High School each receiving 100 laptops, and a further 50 going to Willows High School in Tremorfa.

The reasoning behind the company’s admirable scheme and pride in its impact was well outlined by Responsible Business Lead for Deloitte in Wales Gareth Pritchard who stated. “There are many aspects of society where we need to level up and technology is one of them. The pandemic brought into the spotlight the unequal access to digital technology and skills. During the pandemic, we supported thousands of the most vulnerable children to stay connected to education and I feel very proud that some of this support was in Wales helping our local communities.”

A Much-Appreciated Gesture

As with many charitable schemes, the actual impacts are perhaps best summed up by those who benefit. Judging by the reactions of those involved with the three Welsh Schools in receipt of this technology boost, the Deloitte scheme seems to be striking the right note.

Deputy head of Eastern High School, Susan Cowan stated “Our pupils benefitted throughout the year from the laptops donated by Deloitte. During the lockdown period, we allocated all devices to those who didn’t have a computer at home.” Andrew Roberts of Willows High School was equally effusive in his praise, “The donation of laptops from Deloitte has had a tremendous impact on the quality of the teaching in my class. The laptops allow the pupils to become more independent learners. They now have the opportunity to independently research a variety of topics and to enhance the depth and scope of their work with practical, real-life examples.”

More to Come

As excellent a programme is, the even better news is that it seems set to be a longstanding scheme, potentially benefitting many 1000s of students in the coming years.  Deloitte Chief Executive Richard Houston outlining the company’s plans when recently stating oustHour“Today, we’ve committed to donating 5,000 of our used laptops to schools, charities, and refugees every year to help bridge the digital skills gap and support people to overcome barriers to education and employment.”