A Digital Gwynedd project, which helps the county’s residents to make the most of the latest technology has offered practical support to a Blaenau Ffestiniog man as he secured a new job.

Carwyn Jones recently attended one of the digital drop-in sessions in the Porthmadog area looking for support.

He had been in full time employment at the Kerfoots store in Porthmadog for over two years, but had become unemployed when the business unexpectedly closed down. He found that looking for work and claiming benefits had changed a lot, especially with more things being done online nowadays.

During the drop-in sessions Carwyn was helped by Rachel Martin, a digital champion with the Digital Gwynedd scheme, to set-up a new e-mail address, organise his online job searches and complete benefit applications.

After attending the sessions for three weeks he secured a new job in a local shop.

Carwyn said: “I had a smartphone and I used social media, but I had never used it for completing forms, looking for jobs and registering on websites.

“The help and guidance I have received as part of the Digital Gwynedd project has been of great help, and I now feel more confident in terms of doing more things online.”

The Digital Gwynedd project aims to help the county’s residents to make the most of the opportunities that the latest technology and the internet has to offer. The project, which brings together numerous partners led by Gwynedd Council with the support of the charity Citizens Online, aims to encourage better computer skills among all sections of society.