Digital Engagement Coordinator bridging the gap

Rangitīkei District Council, Libraries team was recently successful in securing funding to employ a Digital Engagement Coordinator, Rashmi Natarajan.

Her role is to increase the community's ability to use digital devices and platforms – such as internet banking, code clubs for kids, using a smart phone better, connecting with friends and family.

The first course, is all about enabling better use of technology to bridge the gap between the community and banking facilities. Rashmi’s internet banking course will teach you all you need to know about internet banking. This basic internet banking course is a personalised programme that caters to the individual’s needs, pace and abilities. Since the programme is customised, the learners can have as many sessions as they want until they have become competent and fully independent and confident. The sessions run every week for an hour at designated venues around the district such as the ICT hubs in Marton, Ratana Pa, Te Matapihi in Bulls and the Taihape Library.

Rashmi’s main objective for this course is to build the confidence in her learners who are encouraged to learn from their own device, however tablets and computers are available. The sessions utilise demo sites and apps that are in place just for these training and learning purposes ensuring full security with no one is divulging any personal details.

Learners get to experience the world of online banking from these dummy websites and apps where they are allowed to make mistakes without having to worry and learn to navigate through all of the different features that their respective banks have to offer such as paying bills, making personal transfers and setting up an automatic payment.

Here is what the course entails in the following key points,

It is a personalised course that enables people to learn the basics of performing online banking transactions.

It runs every week for an hour at different venues in Rangitīkei district. The interested participants can choose their session time either from 11-12 or 1-2 pm.

The schedule is given below:

• Tue - The Lobby at Taihape
• Wed - ICT Hub at Marton
• Thu - Ohakea Room at Bulls in Te Matapihi
• Fr i- ICT Hub at Ratana

What it covers? Basic internet banking features such as,

1. Banking safely – Security features and the types of scams one needs to be aware of
2. How to pay someone and how to pay bills
3. How to set up an automatic payment and edit it
4. How to put a temporary block to a card
5. Viewing statements online
6. Opening new accounts
7. Changing passwords for online banking and for cards & many more

If you know of anyone who is wanting to jump on the internet banking bandwagon too, please contact Rashmi at 027 2182 248 or email her at rashmi.natarajan@rangitikei.govt.nz

To stay up to date about what courses will be on offer follow the Rangitīkei Districts Libraries & Information services and Rangitīkei District Council Facebook pages and be one of the first to hear what is up next.