How we’re providing laptops to schools to help keep children connected

Connectivity has always mattered at Colt – it’s what we do. This past year has shown more than ever how critical staying connected is – with our customers, employees and the wider community all being impacted by the pandemic.

2020 really showed us the power of connectivity in keeping the world ticking on; even as most day-to-day tasks had to stop, we saw the impact of what happened when people couldn’t access basic connectivity and how negatively they were affected.

This is why over the next few months we’re replacing all laptops used by our employees which are over five years old and giving the old ones to schools across the globe. As well as making sure our employees have the tools they need to continue supporting our customers, we’re thrilled to say this will provide over 4000 laptops to be used for children’s education across Europe, Asia and in the US.

Connectivity for education has been of huge importance during these unsettled times as schools around the world closed their gates. As learning was forced to be carried out remotely, laptops and other mobile devices have been essential to teachers being able to reach their students: to provide pastoral support as well as minimise the negative impact of the pandemic on academic development.

As some school children now return to the classroom and others continue to learn from home, we’re proud to be able to provide these laptops to support digital education and enable teachers and students to connect with each other and the world more widely.

Building a connection with our communities and contributing positively to those we live and work in has always been a priority for Colt. We operate in 21 different countries and have a group of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) champions in each one, running initiatives to support local communities throughout the year.

Over the last 12 months, alongside working hard to continue to deliver for our customers, we’ve also aimed to offer support to local communities as they have faced the impact of COVID-19. The pandemic has kept us physically separate and at the same time brought us closer together as Colt teams from Asia, Europe and all across the world have connected with each other and their local communities.

Over the coming months we’ll share more about this laptop roll out, but in the meantime, you can learn more about Colt’s CSR initiatives here.

Gary Carr is Executive Vice President Chief Financial Officer, Colt Technology Services