A college in Halesowen has launched a digital bus to help tackle "digital poverty" in the community.

Halesowen College has introduced CEDRIC, 'the big digital bus', as part of its initiative to widen educational participation across the region.

CEDRIC, short for Creating Engaging Digital Resources in the Community, will tour the area, providing IT upskilling to businesses in the area and working with hard-to-reach communities.

The sessions will be led by John Murray, director of operations and stakeholder engagement, who said: "The aim is to address digital poverty in harder-to-reach communities, helping residents to navigate our online world and to master the basic digital skills needed for employment.

"CEDRIC is equipped with laptops, tablets, and VR equipment and will provide a friendly informal environment in which to learn."

The bus was purchased with funds under the ‘Essential Digital Skills’ remit, with the aim of responding to skills improvement plans.

A number of contractors worked on the bus to overhaul it and refurbish it.

Lee Palmer, of L J P Electrical Contractors, played a key role in the bus restoration and worked to ensure that the bus met the college’s expectations, collaborating with Pete Walker of Pat-Man 24/7 and Toby Dilks of Tall Tobys to deck the bus out with neutral colours and suitable lighting.

Halesowen-based print company, JPL Print & Design, produced and installed the high-quality creative wrap.

Mark Kay of JPL said: "It has been a pleasure to work with Halesowen College on this project and JPL are very proud to have been part of the transformation 'CEDRIC' has received."

College principal Jacquie Carman said: "We are very passionate about education and CEDRIC has been designed to widen education participation across our area.

"Over the coming months we look forward to welcoming people on board CEDRIC for a fantastic learning experience.”