James Watt College is set to run a variety of evening classes at its North Ayrshire campus in Kilwinning to help people from across the region gain essential computing and IT skills.

The college is offering a number of courses to suit every level of knowledge, from complete beginner to those with advanced IT skills.

Computing for the Terrified covers the basics of using the mouse and keypad, using simple software and saving and printing your work, perfect for those with no experience. PC Passport focuses on learning industry-standard software and skills with a choice of beginners, intermediate and advanced levels.

For those who already have some IT skills, but would like to learn more about working with the Internet, a range of Certified Internet Web Professional (CIW) classes are on offer. CIW Foundations introduces the essential, hands-on skills and knowledge required for web development, while CIW Professional Website Designer covers designing and publishing websites with popular programmes such as Dreamweaver and Microsoft FrontPage.

Loraine Johnston, Senior Lecturer in Computing at James Watt College, said: "Students of all age groups have enrolled on our computing evening classes - some want to brush up on their existing skills while others just want to keep learning new skills.

Computers are now part of everyday life, whether in business or at home. Today, having computer skills opens up a wide range of opportunities and with the help of James Watt College it’s never too late to learn computing and IT skills."

PC Passport student Jenifer Collett (33) from Kilwinning enrolled on the PC Passport course and recognises the benefits of taking up an evening class in IT. Jennifer commented: "I decided to do the course to further my education as so much has changed since I left school. I felt nervous at first but my lecturer was really friendly and approachable".