SEVENTEEN senior citizens from Montego Bay graduated a week ago from a computer training course designed by the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) to assist members to use its online banking service.

The course, JNBS Computer Application and Appreciation Programme, was launched in 2013 and has already graduated one cohort. It teaches seniors to acquire basic computer skills while honing their proficiency with the building society’s LIVE by JN online banking portal, which allows them to transfer funds between JN accounts and to local commercial banks; pay utility, cable and cell phone bills, among other payments.

Classes were held weekly over a four-month period at the JN Financial Services centre.

One participant, Robert Blake, a visually impaired member of JNBS for the past two years, heard about the programme during a visit to Catherine Hall to conduct business. Following his introduction, he signed up and joined the class.

“I wasn’t familiar with LIVE by JN before; however, it was introduced to me during the course and I am now doing most of my transactions online, including paying all of my bills as well as making local funds transfers,” he explained.

Salome Rose, who resides in Moy Hall in the parish, was initially reluctant to participate in the programme.

“I was skeptical about Internet banking because a friend of mine had a bad experience,” she explained, “However, I feel much better about the idea of online banking and using it, and I am now registered to use LIVE by JN.”

Rose also praised her instructor, Cion Grant, a member service officer with JNBS, noting that he exercised a high level of patience with all students, as he helped them to grasp the technical information and manoeuvre the software environment.

For his part, Grant said that while there is a generation gap between most of the students and the technology, he took the time to “ensure that they grasp the content (by) simplify(ing) the information and with demonstrations showing how it works, to put them at ease”.

Ricardo Dystant, manager of eBanking at JNBS, said the course is considered a gateway to members using the alternative banking channels offered by the society.

“Through this course, we are educating more of our members to become adept in using the LIVE by JN online banking platform. And, to date, this effort has been successful, as a number of the participants in the training sessions have registered to use LIVE by JN after completing the course,” he said.

The success of the programme, he said, has provided an excellent platform on which to build similar initiatives at other locations.

“We plan to roll out the programme at our flagship branch in Half-Way-Tree in the Corporate Area, shortly; and, gradually we will expand the training here at Catherine Hall to accommodate more students,” Dystant said.

During the 2013-14 financial year, the upgraded LIVE by JN emerged as the “largest branch” of JNBS based on the level of its financial transaction processing.