The Northern Ireland Housing Executive funding has helped develop a new Virtual College for Kilcooley Women’s Centre.

A Community Grant of £5,000 was allocated to enable the group to open its new Interactive online community-training platform.

Local residents can now digitally enrol, while gaining online accreditations and supporting the organisation's' 'blended learning' programmes.

It will also enable virtual classrooms to take place for rurally based students who cannot easily access a class in Bangor.

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Alison Blayney BEM, Chief Executive Officer of Kilcooley Women's Centre, said the Virtual College would help massively towards local people achieving online accreditations.

She added: 'This grant from the Housing Executive has been instrumental in Kilcooley Women's Centre realising their digital transformation strategy which will enable online, blended and distance learning for residents.

"The grant enabled us to create the Virtual College system, which is an online learning portal which not only enables people to engage in programmes, soft skills activities, networking opportunities and formal courses during lockdown periods.

"It will also widen participation through digital engagement for years to come as we emerge from COVID-19.

"This has helped transform an organisation formed in 1995 to move into the digital age – we support over 500 disadvantaged women and 100 pre-school children on a weekly basis."