What is Open Door Internet?

Open Door Internet is to be established as either a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a Registered Charity and based in Yeovil, Somerset.

It will exist to provide training, education and on-the-job experience for the long term unemployed in Yeovil. It will intentionally seek to provide the opportunity of meaningful and lucrative employment for those who have been overlooked or left behind (for whatever reason) by the employment sector.

The training, education and experience provided will all be based around the web design industry, and the areas covered will include at least:

Open Door Internet will work on real jobs for real clients and will ensure that work is always completed to a good standard. Open Door Internet will stand apart from purely commercial enterprises because the focus of its existence will always be the training, experience and future prospects of it's trainees.

It is understood from the outset that it will be the speed of completion, not the quality of output, that will be sacrificed to achieve this goal.

Will trainees get to choose a specialism?

Everyone has different skills and abilities, as well as different training ceilings. Trainees will be free to focus on specialist areas, but (because of the nature of the web design industry) everyone will be expected to reach a certain level of skill in all areas.

How will skill levels and progress be assessed?

The skill level of trainees across the different areas of work will be continually assessed through the use of regular multiple-choice tests. These test will be written in-house, and trainees will be given a very clear numerical 'skill level' for each aspect of the industry.

Targets will be set on an individual basis to ensure that progress is continual and steady. This regular assessment will also ensure that any particularly weak areas can be focussed on for improvement.

Will trainees get paid?

Subject to a probationary period, and attendance conditions, trainees will be paid for the hours that they work on commercial projects. It is currently intended that the project will operate for trainees on a four-day week. Trainees will work for three days, and then have one day of classroom training / assessment.

The rate of pay, and amount of hours worked, need to be geared towards encouraging people away from reliance on income benefits, provisionally we are looking at £6 per-hour for a 25 hour week.

What will happen to trainees after they are trained?

Once trainees have reached the training ceiling they will be offered help applying for work for other web design companies. We intend to foster a good relationship with existing internet companies in the area and will maintain strong links throughout the process.

Trainees will also be offered training and advice on being able to work as freelancers.

Depending on the availability of resources and requirements they may also be able to continue to work for Open Door Internet once they have reached the training ceiling.

What will trainees leave with?

Trainees will gain a wealth of work experience and skills. By the time they leave they will have a CV detailing their industry relevant skills, and an up-to-date and relevant portfolio of work. If they have reached a high enough level they may also earn a number of industry relevant qualifications i.e. Google certification, ZEND PHP certification, and anything else deemed relevant and appropriate.

How will this be funded?

It is hoped that a combination of public donations, corporate sponsorship, and grant funding will be made available to launch the project. In the long run it is intended that Open Door Internet will generate enough income through the work that is undertaken by it's trainees to be self-sustaining.

Where will this be?

We are in the very early stages of planning but we are currently looking at a number of possible office locations in Yeovil.

When is this launching?

This is entirely dependent on the time frames involved in securing the necessary funding. Optimistically we are hoping to be ready to launch before the end of 2010.

How many trainees are going to be taken on?

The project could start with just one trainee, however the initial figures are being calculated based on 10 trainees being taken on for the first year.

Who is running this?

The project is being spearheaded by Rob Swan. Rob has over 5 years of commercial experience in the web design industry as a senior developer, consultant, and project manager. He has just given up his job to work on Open Door Internet and is operating as a freelance consultant and technical specification author during this process.

It is anticipated that a number of other support staff will be required, dependant on the number of trainees. The current business plan is being built around two additional full-time support workers.

What do the projected finances look like?

We are currently in the process of compiling a financial business plan based on taking on 10 trainees.

Is Open Door Internet a church project?

This project is being founded by a Christian and is based on Christian ideals, but does not have any evangelical goals. Open Door Internet will not in any way discriminate against individuals based on their religious beliefs.