01-01-2008
Wakefield ACES Good News Bulletin January 2008
Neighbourhood Employment Team Opportunities
Citizens in over 300 postcodes across the district are being offered new learning opportunities - free of charge - in a drive by the Council's Neighbourhood Employment Team to help people return to work.
A wide range of NVQ qualifications, which include business admin, team leading, waste management, and children's care are available, as well as special training courses covering food hygiene, first aid, basic health and safety or manual handling.
The main areas which could be eligible are Lupset, Agbrigg, Belle Vue, Castleford, Ferry Fryston, Hemsworth, South Kirkby, Kinsley and Fitzwilliam and South Elmsall.
Cllr Maureen Cummings, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health said: "All these courses and qualifications give real experience and provide a chance to learn skills that employers look for. We are keen to make them accessible to those who could benefit most and by removing the costs, which can often be prohibitive, we hope as many people as possible who are eligible will seize the opportunity".
Drop-in sessions to sign up for the courses are available in the Agbrigg Centre and Belle Vue Community Centre, St Georges Centre Lupset, Airedale Community Centre, Kinsley and Fitzwilliam Community Centre, Havercroft & Ryhill Community Learning Centre, Hemsworth Community Initiative Centre, All Saints Community Centre, South Kirkby and the Five Towns Resource and Technology Centre.
Anyone interested can check their eligibility for a free place on 01977 723940 or text 07884 302704 and the team will call back.
Wakefield's Neighbourhood Employment Team is funded by Jobcentre Plus and Access to Employment. The Access Employment project is funded by European Regional Development Fund and Yorkshire Forward.
Putting the "Customer First"
Wakefield Adult & Community Education Service are delighted to maintain the Customer First standard which sits alongside their Investors in People and Matrix awards.
The standard focuses on building relationships with employers, maximising marketing awareness and providing an excellent customer service. Jane Granville, Deputy Principal Adult & Community Education Service explained, "this standard helps us give a quality service and win new business. It applies to the work we do for employers for Train to Gain and NVQ's. It also helps us find employment opportunities for job hunters on our NET (Neighbourhood Employment Team) projects".
Mosaic Magic!
Carol Ward, who has just completed a beginner's course in mosaic, may be a novice but this hasn't stopped her winning a coveted regional prize in a competition sponsored by Britain's leading tile specialist, Topps Tiles. Carol, from Havercroft, Wakefield, was taught by mosaic artist Josephine Hepworth on a course provided by Wakefield Adult Education Service. As one of 12 regional finalists, her work will now go forward for national judging in the new year.
The Topps Tiles Awards for Achievement in Mosaic celebrate the work of beginners who are learning mosaic at adult education centres, community groups and mosaic workshops throughout Britain.
Creative Thinking Wins Prize!
Stuart Pereira, a learner on the Creative Writing course has won first prize in the Morley Literature Festival Short Story Competition. He will be receiving as award from the Mayor and £50 towards new books. The story Stuart wrote was based on a family drama following the discovery of a photograph.
Adult Learner Awards: A Tutors View
Last year Peter Bell, Senior Tutor, Skills for Life nominated Jacob Fletcher, a young learner with WACES to receive an Adult Learner Award. This was Peter's first time nominating and he agreed to provide his take on the process and what it meant to him.
My experience of nominating Jacob
When I received the nomination form from NIACE it looked quite difficult to complete. I had already decided on my candidate and rang him to tell him the good news. The class he was attending had finished (it was a 14 week Homebuilder/Construction Skills for Life class) and he was in employment with a local company working on an estate.
We met after work one evening and I remember sitting in my car discussing the nomination form and completing it together. My candidate has dyslexia so it was not easy for him to write easily so a lot of encouragement was needed. I advised him to write exactly how he felt regardless of spellings or grammar and he produced some wonderful statements on how much he has achieved on the construction course, in Skills for Life and personally.
Altogether completing the form took about two hours.
It has been a great encouragement for me to nominate someone for an award (my first) and I will certainly consider nominating other learners in the future.
The learner experience throughout the nomination and award process
Jacob needed a significant amount of support throughout the award process but I felt that this was important for him and was a reflection on WACES as a service. He lacked confidence but managed to attend interviews for local radio and newspapers as well as NIACE and the construction media without my help. However he did ask for my personal involvement at the Award Ceremonies in London and Barnsley.
Jacob was thrilled to share his achievements with people as long as he was prepared, and he appreciated my support throughout. He was thrilled one morning at work, when a colleague on the site discovered his photograph and article in a national newspaper.
How he felt going to London
Jacob had never been to London so to be invited to the award ceremony was a daunting task. He asked me to go with him as a guest, which I accepted, and together we planned the day. We went by train to London and then by tube to the venue near the Houses of Parliament. The event lasted most of the day so we did not get to see much of the city but Jacob and I enjoyed meeting other learners receiving awards and meeting NIACE staff from the Yorkshire and Humber region. I was delighted when Jacob was awarded the ESF Individual Award for the Yorkshire and Humber Region 2007.
What benefit Jacob has gained from receiving the award
Jacob's confidence with others has improved and he has had opportunities to deal with challenging situations that he was unprepared for. Jacob finds new things hard to deal with and needs to be prepared before being asked to do something. In the past his fears have stopped him from progressing in his career but now he knows that he is more than capable of dealing with unexpected situations positively.
Why you would recommend tutors nominate a learner/group or family We all like to celebrate achievements and tutors in particular have the opportunity to do that with one or more of their learners. The effort is worth it. Not everyone will win a regional or national award but WACES will celebrate every nomination. Not all of the nominated learners will need the level of support that I gave Jacob but our involvement and support will help us all celebrate what a good job we have done and encourage others.
Congratulation Also Go To:
Elizabeth Fox, NVQ placement learner at Chesney's Centre who has gained employment with the Post Office Counters Service. Liz is currently undertaking CLAIT, English and an NVQ in Customer Service.
Cheryl Saul and Sharon Banks from Havercroft and Ryhill Community Learning Centre (previously Havercroft Skills Centre) achieved their NVQ Level 2 in Customer Care this year. Both enjoyed the course and would recommend it. "We received lots of encouragement from our assessor who we always found very helpful, it has really helped us with our work and feel more confident in the service we provide".