Case Studies
The School: City Learning Centre, Blackpool
One of 100 City Learning Centre across England and set to be the biggest, CLC Blackpool is a state of the art information and communication technology rich centre created in the Excellence in Blackpool initiative in partnerships with Libraries and Lifelong Learning. Blackpool CLC includes three large ICT (Information and Communication Technology) training rooms that are used for young people, adults and the local business community to fulfil a number of functions, from business software training to multimedia work with schools and adult education.
The Challenges:
Provide increased and improved Information,Communications Technology that is reliable, secure, attractive, and innovative that fully meets the exacting demands of a flagship ICT centre. With over 50,000 adults and young people passing though the centre each year, ICT equipment also needs a high level of security to prevent theft, vandalism or students disconnection and tampering with the equipment.
The Constraints:
Lack of Space – need to increase the number of PC’s in existing space Adaptability – rooms need to be easily converted for other uses Need quality, professional solution – to appeal to corporate customers
The Solution:
Two i-desk i-rise systems installed in two separate classrooms each providing 10 high specification PCs integrated into the chassis frame and complete with an integral centre tower that can be raised or lowered electronically via infra-red remote control. When access to the PCs is not required, the centre tower,where the monitors are mounted is lowered flush to the desk top to provide a large flat meeting or
conference table. The keyboards and mouse are also stored in the central tower providing a high level of security for these peripherals when not required.
“The i-desk integrated PC desking solution has not only solved the problems we had with space in our ICT suites, it has also given us the added advantage of a dual purpose room that can be adapted at the touch of a button, something that no other supplier came close to offering.”
Ian Foy - CLC Blackpool
The Conclusion:
City Learning Centres are flagship ICT centres and a key purpose is to demonstrate the importance of Information,Communications Technology in education, business and community use. As such, ICT occupies a central place in its plans and work with partners.
The solution provided by i-desk helps CLC Blackpool to fulfil a number of important functions, from business software training to multimedia work with schools and adult education with the added benefit of being extremely robust and adaptable so that it is easy to upgrade the hardware and redesign the room layout as the needs change.
The inclusion of i-desk i-rise, enables the room to be simply adapted from ICT suite to meeting or conference room at the touch of a button adding even more flexibility to the installation.
The i-desk i-rise is a multi-PC desking solution that has a central tower built into the centre of the desk that can be raised or lowered electronically to transform from PC workstation to a large flat table at the touch of a button. The monitors are mounted into the central tower,which also stores the keyboards and mouse when not required and offers even more security for the ICT equipment when not in use.
Ian Foy, Principal of CLC Blackpool, commenting on the i-desk installation said; “Although space was our biggest problem,we needed more computer resource in the existing facility, with over 50,000 adults and young people passing through our facility every year we also needed to have better security for the ICT equipment than we had previously to avoid theft and damage or just to stop students disconnecting or playing with it. We also required a high quality, professional solution that would appeal to our corporate customers who use our facilities for their own ICT training programmes and i-desk met all of these criteria.”
The i-desk installations is an innovative product of the highest quality in terms of design and build and provides a reliable and secure resource, plus it looks attractive and businesslike so appeals to students and the business community alike. It has already invoked very favourable comments from business, education and community users, even from people who have been reluctant users of ICT respond positively to i-desks.
Ian Foy concludes; “The i-desk solution was a bit more expensive but after we had looked at the alternatives,we concluded that it offered us the best complete solution, it is easy to upgrade, easy to redesign the room layout as our needs change,and we now have the added advantage of a dual purpose room,something which no other supplier even came close to offering.”
