Searsol has grown and expanded with the help from LEO mentorship

A COMPANY that provides computer training courses to adults and children including touch typing and computer camps now has eight centres across Dublin with its headquarters based in Rathcoole.

Searsol was founded by Sean Carthy in 2008 and offers classroom-based touch typing using their own typing programme – Typwiz. The courses are open to all children from the age of eight up to school leaving age, and are suitable for children with Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, children with writing difficulties, hypermobility and any child that wants to learn how to type.

“We started off as a training company as such, and we were approached by parents to start a typing class”, Sean told The Echo. “We opened our first centre in Dundrum, and now we have eight centres in Dublin, Kildare and Cork.

“We offer an after-school service, and the typing classes take place in the classroom by a qualified tutor.”

Searsol’ s own unique programme, Typwiz, is an interactive programme suited to children where they are awarded as they develop their typing skills and compete with their fellow classmates.

“Typing has become very popular now, especially since Covid kicked in parents are much more aware of the importance of technology”, Sean explained. “Typing is a foundational skill, and if you can get that right at a young age, it is a great skill to have as you go into adulthood.

“It is something that you have to keep practicing. We encourage the students to type out their projects or their homework using it, and once they are doing it the correct way it will stay with them for life.”

Searsol currently has eight centres, including one in Lucan and its headquarters in Greenogue Business Plaza, Rathcoole. The business has been able to grow and expand with the help from the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) South Dublin, who have given financial help as well as important mentorship.

“LEO have been very good and very helpful, and we have gotten a few grants from them as well as mentor support”, said Sean. “I think the combination of the package that they offer is really great – the training, the grants and the mentorship.

“They covered half of the cost of updating our website, which is a great investment, and we received the business continuity voucher which covered a range of different items such as marketing and training. The mentoring was great as well they really helped me with business advice and a strategy.”

Looking to the future, Sean says that the plan is to keep expanding Searsol with hopes to open more centres in the areas of Kildare and Wicklow to meet the needs of students. With this expansion comes more jobs, as Sean says he hopes to add to the current staff of six over the next three years.

For more information about Searsol or to book a free trial at any of the centres, you can go to Searsol.