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Bridging the gap – the role of adult learning
Pontio'r bwlch - rôl addysg oedolion
David Hughes, NIACE Maggi Dawson, WEA Cymru
#morethanhousing
Learning where you live
The role of Adult Learning as a tool for the development of the individual and the community
Maggi DawsonVice Chair of NIACE Cymru and CEO of WEA Cymru
The scope of adult community learning
• For adults of all ages, delivered in a variety of settings• A second chance to learn. (Tenants or staff)• At times and venues to suit, at a pace and level that is
appropriate to their needs• It empowers, fulfils untapped potential and brings
enjoyment and enrichment • Can be for creative and leisure reasons - academic or
vocational - increased active citizenship and increased control over one’s life
• Brings about change in the lives of the family, the group, the community and wider society
One approach : the WEA offer
• WEA formed 1903 and is a democratic voluntary adult education movement
• Learning is Contextualised, Negotiated, In partnership• Accredited and non accredited, using tutors and e-learning• Learning programme developed in consultation with HAs• Housing, Tenancy and Independent Living Skills• Community participation skills• Work related skills• Preparation for work• Welsh history and culture
Addressing Essential Skills Needs
• Course content which assists with literacy and numeracy • Everyday money management and coping with cuts in
benefit and rising cost of living eg :• Simple budgeting techniques – having money left over for
things that really matter• Supermarket shopping – what is best value for money?• Save or borrow? What is the actual cost of credit?• Get better with numbers – basic techniques for making
calculations easier to understand• Using the internet to find a bargain
Is this what Housing Associations want?
• Here to listen and learn and develop a fresh approach• Build on existing case studies and what works• Use a variety of funding streams/co-investment• Need to be flexible and responsive• Chance to access ESF through partnership working• Chance to measure impact and show value• Chance to influence political parties and their manifestos
WEA Cymru
[email protected] : Regional Manager
[email protected] : Accreditation Team
[email protected] : Director of Curriculum and Welsh [email protected] : CEO
www.weacymru.org.uk
Skills for communities Sgiliau ar gyfer cymunedau
Lesley Griffiths AM
Minister for Communities & Tackling Poverty
Gweinidog Cymunedau a Threchu Tlodi
#morethanhousing
Discussion Themes
1.What are the barriers to learning that tenants and their families face?
2.How can we overcome them?
3.How do we identify the learning and skills needs of tenants?
#morethanhousing
Issues & Interventions Materion ac Ymyriadau
Farida Aslam, Monmouthshire Housing Association #morethanhousing
Tackling Poverty Learning Where You Live
Exploring the learning & skills needs of individuals within social or supported housing and how they can be met.
The MHA approach Farida Aslam Inclusion Coordinator MHA
What I hope to cover! • MHA context • Interventions, addressing poverty and the learning
and skills agenda holistically • Issues • Partnerships• Outcomes • Keeping an eye on Business Benefits
What I hope to cover cont......
• What's emerging..... In work poverty• Exploiting supply chains - using social clauses
to fund our work • Action research going forward • Points to consider....
MHA context
• MHA has 3600 properties • Based on our profiling data (80% complete in
2012)• 59% of tenants we house are working age • 21% of these tenants are working full time • Average income of our working tenants are
£15,060.00
MHA context
• The average income of our working age tenants across the board is £13,597.00
• According Child Poverty Action group 2/3 of children experiencing poverty belong to working families.
This is a key theme we are coming across.
MHA contextSnapshot of work profile: • 15% of those working age are working in
health and social care positions • 16% in sales and marketing • 9% in cleaning jobs • 8% in transport • ¼ of tenants affected by the B Tax are also
those that are furthest away from the labour market.
MHA context
Basic Skills Issues,• Via profiling 735 tenants have self identified
as having learning, reading and writing issues.
• 20% of those that we are working with have basic skills issues.
Via a 3 pronged approach: 1. Addressing the immediate financial issues via our Money Wise services
2. Addressing the long term issues via our Work and Skills Wise service
3. Addressing Digital and some aspect of social inclusion via Web Wise
MHA’s Work & Skills Wise service....
Aim:
•Promoting Education •Building Confidence•Raising Aspirations
Work & Skills Wise Service
Job Seeking
Skills Programme
Bursary Scheme
Computers in the
Community Scheme
Life long learning & training
Volunteering
Job Seeking Skills Programme •6 weeks innovative job seeking skills programme Small groups of 6 no more than 8
• Considers how to approach thejob market, where to look, the hidden job market, internet and other informal contact
• How to complete application forms, type of applications, preparation, and confidence
• CV development tips, good and bad CV’s what to include what not to
• Interview techniques, good and bad interviews learning from the past
•Where next ... Participants leaves with the skills needed to finding work...
Bursary Scheme • Helps service users improve skills and personal
development
• Bursary can be for anything related to education, training and self development that can demonstrate progress of help towards employment
• Paying course fees;
• Buying course materials
• Role involves finding suitable courses & putting learners in touch with course providers or other financial schemes
Computers in the Community
•A computer loan scheme that allows MHA tenants to borrow laptop computers from MHA for a certain period of time.
•The laptops are provided in order to help you complete educational courses and learn computer related skills.
•Tenants sign a the user agreement
• Only one laptop can be issued per household
• Must have completed two courses already, adding up to a total of 12 weeks.
• Must be willing to enroll on further courses.
Volunteering• It aim is to help them gain valuable experience
in the workplace
• MHA have opened all department up to volunteering
• Managers and staff members have received training about their roles.
• Volunteering is offered on a needs led basis - match
• Work placements are brokered not only internally but externally too.
• Volunteering pack – introducing Volunteering at MHA
• Induction pack for Manager (Roles/Responsibilities)• Application form/verbal request to volunteer• Induction pack for volunteers includes:
Volunteering log Confidentially statement
Confidentially agreement Personal development record Exit questionnaire Training course attended whilst
vol..• Reference provided
Volunteering
How the service works ..... Referrals from NO to Money Wise or directly to W&SW
Name: Date:
Address
Contact number
Email address
Date of birth
Benefits received
Education/Training
Work Experience/ employment Voluntary Full-time Part-timeNot worked
Recent area of workDo you want To return to that area? Y
es
No
Long term goal
Do you have any criminal convictions?
Yes No
Personal CircumstancesChildcare, language - mobility needs, other access to internet & transport
Referral by
Self referrals
Individual action plan NAME:
Address:
Contact details:
Start date: Expected end date: Actual end date:
Long Term Aims and Goals:
Steps Needed to Achieve This:
DATE Objective Tasks to complete. Review date
WORK AND SKILLS WISE
CASE STUDY, CLIENT CONSENT FORM
I, _________________________________________
Give my consent for Monmouthshire Housing Association, as part of my involvement with Work and Skills Wise service, to use me as a case study.
The information I provide to the Work and Skills Wise team may be used for the purpose of promoting the Work and Skills Wise Service to other potential users, be it online publicity or for news articles.
Signed _______________________________________
Date ___________________
MHA: Promoting Education, Developing Experience, Raising Aspiration
Consent form
Work in practice delivering to need
•Lead officers receives referral•Complete assessment & (Basic skills & digital) •Develops individual needs led personal action plan • Provide one to one support•Deliver JSSP, Brokers Vol Placements, administers Bursary scheme & arrange course•Responsible for recording outcomes and all programme support.
Outcomes
• Work and Skills Wise service has supported 302 tenants
• Helped 128 tenants complete courses - 36 are currently engaged in learning this year.
• Assisted 24 tenants into employment
Outcomes
• Assisted 22 young NEETS into employment
Went on to win the Walesyouth excellence awards inEmployment and Training 2014
• Helped placed 90 volunteer into volunteering placements – internally & externally.
• We have also provided tenants with over £4,000 in bursaries to help towards employment and skills development since its launch in 2012.
Outcomes
Outcomes
Kate a beneficiary of Work & Skills Wise service involved in active learning, Bursary scheme and volunteering now a manager in a local public house.
Passport to beauty with Charter Housing
•337 attended •78% found the fair useful •50 job application from were received by one company alone..•CV and application form desk 50 people supported with CV advice •Time consuming but!•We will do it again next year Funded by NIACE
Employment & Skills Fair
• Duplication lots of it - lack of communication with agencies or meaningful joined up working
• Being passed from pillar to post – lots of agencies involved, lack of focus.
• No one agency taking the lead? • Gap in Mental health employment provision• Gap in post 45 – 55 employment provision
Issues
Issues
• Lack of childcare, free courses, but no transport, • MHA covering Transport cost/very costly in rural
area • Lack of confidence/aspiration • Where there is confidence, its hard to navigate the
leaning landscape• Need carrots to entice learning, (CTIC-Bursary)
Issues
• Continued ongoing support is key • Needs led support is very time consuming, but
it works! • Balancing cost of service with actual outcomes
and impact on arrears • Training for staff, what route do they take? • Outcomes, what outcomes should we be
capturing?
Partnership working strategically • Chair Employment and skills partnership (BESTP)• Get Monmouthshire online • Post 16 education partnership • Chair Monmouthshire NIACE Learning festival• Participants of Collage Gwent Community
learning partnership • Financial Inclusion partnership
PartnershipsWe can’t do it alone & need to work inpartnership • Involved in a number of partnerships some
effective some not so effective.• We have in place a number of individual
partnership arrangements that work for us e.g.
Job Centre Plus
• JCP paying for courses - limiting pressure on MHA bursary scheme
• We are being written into Claimant Commitment • Using MHA addresses and operating a new
flagging system to advise tenants of our support • Drop in at JCP for our tenants
MACE
• Promote our service to tenants• Won’t charge our tenants for course, have
informal arrangement in invoice us • Will hold info sessions for our tenants • Will hold joint informal meetings to introduce
tenants to a learning environment
Basic skills Continuum….
Our work shows evidence of cases wherewhere Promoting Basic Skills can change lives atan • Individual level• lead to organisational change and • community benefits
What's emerging in work poverty.
How do we deal with that - Creating a culture of learning?
•Promoting life long learning •Offering out of hours appointments
Exploiting supply chains• Getting voluntary work experience
placements within our chain• Asking managers within the chain to be
inspirational speakers in our Job Seeking Skills programmes
• Providing taster days
Using social clauses to fund workSeeking contributions to help fund:• Bursary scheme • Computers in the community schemes• Expense for travel for work experience
placements
Action research going forward
• Action research is an opportunity for us to learn if we are really having an impact
• Sector is really well placed to do this now• Interested in independent academics conducting
longitudinal studies on the impact • We will look at this next year, this is worth
collaborating on as a sector.
Points to consider How or why
Tenants needs Tenants Profiling
Gaps in provision in local area
Developing your focus
Role we want to play Project/Pilots v Services
What role we can play/afford
Collaboration? Leader? Housing consortium? Exploiting chains/clauses
Capacity & skills Training/Support
Business & Social Benefits Impact /Results /Tools.
Discussion Themes 1. How might the skills and learning needs of tenants and their families be addressed?
2. What are the gaps in provision?
3. What are the challenges in meeting these needs? What are the solutions?
4. How can we work more closely together as sectors to fill the gaps to meet needs?
#morethanhousing
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