Community Computer Technicians Ltd

IT support with an ethical twist

We are a Community Business formed in 2003 by IT Technician Neil Harland who realised that in Redcar & Cleveland and the upper Esk Valley there were some computer shops offering a support service but that the poor computer user with a problem had to disconnect their kit and take it to the shop and leave it to be fixed, then go and pick it up again, but there was no one offering a mobile service. Indeed, sometimes the cause of the problem was on the premises particularly with internet connection problems. After discussions with the local Co-operative Development Agency, and with the support of two lecturers in computing from the University of Teesside, (Dave Eagle and Vicki Rushin), Neil decided to set up a social enterprise under the community business model. Community Computer Technicians Ltd is a Company limited by guarantee and was incorporated in August 2003 to "provide IT & related technologies Support services".

Initially Neil worked from home providing support to domestic, voluntary sector and commercial customers ranging from Scarborough in the East to Stockton in the West. Sometimes it got too busy for one technician and so a colleague, David Smith was called in on a part time basis. David also looked after the business when Neil required to take some vacation. These days we operate out of an office in Loftus and a further part time employee, Alex Smith, has joined the company to provide more cover for those busy times. Unlike some of our competitors in the area we offer a complete ICT service and don't shy away from other projects outside of the strictly computer orientated field. We have a range of skills including electronic engineering, adult tuition, data cabling and website design and so can take on many diverse projects. We believe we are the only company in the East Cleveland area with such a skill set and can therefore offer a wide range of services.

The ethical twist is that being a social enterprise all the profits are either re-invested in the company or given away to good causes, not into the director's pockets. This model seems to have particular resonance since the financial crisis that began in 2008. Since starting the company we have refurbished computers and given them away to voluntary groups, given technician time to voluntary groups, refurbished laptops and made them available to voluntary groups for a very small fee and recycled old computers into their component parts to either re-use or dispose of correctly. Also members are invited to join in with ideas for running the company and have been quite creative in coming up with ideas about how the company is run.

We are the only IT support company in this area, with such an ethical record!

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