The newsletter of New Pathways Tyne and Wear
Issue 21 July 2006
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The newsletter of New Pathways Tyne and Wear |
Issue 21 July 2006
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Managing and Delivering nextstep in Tyne and Wear |
Dear Welcome to our new HTML version of our monthly e-newsletter 'Update'. If you are having trouble reading this newsletter, please go to our web version. We welcome any comments you may have about this new version - please email any feedback to l.johnson@connexions-tw.co.uk. Contents:
We hope you find the newsletter useful and informative. Regards If you are no longer interested in this update facility please click the link below. |
We would like to wish a warm welcome to our new nextstep providers in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. They are: Northumberland: CEP Associates, Castle Morpeth Disability Association, DISC, Links, North East Chamber of Commerce, Probation Service, Shilbottle Skills Centre and Training Solutions North East. Tyne and Wear: Employment Opportunities, Into Change and North East Chamber of Commerce There will be a full list of nextstep providers in August's edition. Congratulations to Mick Towers who will be taking on the role of Delivery Network Co-ordinator in Northumberland from the beginning of September. We are always looking for organisations working with people who have yet to achieve a full Level 2 qualification, and who would be interested in joining the nextstep network. If interested, and your organisation holds the matrix quality standard for information, advice and guidance, has staff who have or are working towards an NVQ Level 3 in Information, Advice and Guidance and can successfully access the client group, please call Marie Brett, Adult Services Manager on 0191 245 3466 or email: m.brett@connexions-tw.co.uk. |
| Guidance Council Closure |
It has been announced that the Guidance Council will be closing, with its assets transferring to another organisation with similar aims and objectives. Its trustees considered that the Guidance Council is no longer a going concern after struggling to define a role in recent years. Ratification of this decision will be sought at the AGM on 1 November 2006. |
| LSC North East Regional Management Team |
| Big Lottery Fund Advice Plus Programme |
Big Lottery Fund have launched their Advice Plus Programme, which aims to ensure that more people who need advice have access to good advice services, wherever they live in England. The Advice Plus programme will fund projects that benefit the people who need advice and the organisations that provide it. They will fund projects that raise awareness of, increase access to, or improve existing advice services. They will also consider funding new advice services or new ways to meet identified needs where no, or limited, services exist. The focus of Advice Plus is projects that support people in accessing services and benefits such as housing, education and health services, or welfare benefits. Advice Plus aims to help develop sustainable services and would like the projects they fund to link with or develop local, regional and national plans or partnerships. Under this grant programme, they will only make grants to voluntary and community sector organisations, which could include charities, credit unions, self-help groups, social and community enterprises and community based co-operatives. For more information on the Advice Plus Programme or any other Big Lottery Fund programmes please contract the Big Advice Line on 0845 4 10 20 30 or visit the website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. |
| Rural Challenge Northumberland |
Rural Challenge Northumberland describes a partnership project consisting of ten Essential Skills providers, who aim to bring learning to learners throughout rural Northumberland. Over a two-year period, 600 individuals will receive Information and Advice and, out of these, 400 will achieve national certificates in Literacy or Numeracy, at either Level 1 or Level 2. This service will be available to those aged 16 or over, who are not currently engaged in training or education and applies to both employed and unemployed individuals. The project, which will be overseen by Northumberland Essential Skills Quality Forum and managed by CEP Associates, will bring learning opportunities into locations bereft of provision. Engaging those currently not in learning into the learning culture and improving the skills level of the workforce underpins the project. The entire geographical area of Northumberland will be covered by the participating organisations, excluding only the non-rural areas. The programme is funded through Northumberland Learning and Skills Council. For more information, please contact Derek Seely, CEP Associates on 01670 521805 or email: derek.seely@cepassociates.co.uk. |
| Passion wins success for the North East! |
A leading voluntary sector adult education provider has won national recognition for trail blazing a new approach to meeting the basic skills needs of adults. The Workers' Educational Association's North East Region was presented with a national award for its Whole Organisation Approach to Skills for Life by Bill Rammell, MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, at a ceremony in Birmingham. "Passionate places, passionate people” was used to describe the North East's commitment to developing and delivering educational opportunities to enable local people to achieve in life and work. The Whole Organisation Approach involves all staff in the WEA in learning about basic skills needs, developing team work to ensure that all parts of the organisation are alert to basic skills, and then integrating opportunities to brush up on these needs in a range of courses. Mike Rugg, the WEA North East Region's Quality Assurance Manager,who accepted the award on behalf of the WEA, has battled to overcome his own literacy and maths difficulties due to having dyslexia. He said "I know from my own experience that the biggest barrier is the embarrassment or stigma some people feel about coming forward to address these difficulties. Many of the staff at the WEA achieved the national qualification in literacy and/or numeracy as part of our involvement in the Whole Organisation Approach project. This raised awareness of the barriers people face." Initiatives like the Whole Organisation Approach have done much to remove the stigma some people feel about having gaps in their skills. The WEA offers courses in partnership with other voluntary and community organisations designed to put learners at the heart of the learning experience. 105 WEA learners in the North East have achieved a nationally recognised qualification in literacy or numeracy since last August as part of the WOA project. For more information, please contact Mike Rugg on 0191 461 8100.
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| Disability Champions@Work |
The Disability Champions@Work project is for members of all TUC affiliated trade unions. Once identified, potential Champions will attend a training course to equip them with the knowledge, skills and tools to carry out their role. The course includes:
During the training, Champions will establish the role within their workplace by carrying out workplace activities involving their colleagues at work, other trade union reps and their management teams. The course is accredited by the National Open College Network. It is provided free of charge to trade union reps and is delivered in approved TUC Centres. The standard course format is five 6 hour days over 5 weeks, though this may vary. To find out more and sign up to become a Champion, visit the website www.disabilitychampions.com and complete the online form or call Dave Parr, Project Worker, on 01482 282512. |
| Positive Action Trainee Scheme Success |
Three Gateshead residents who were struggling to find employment are back to work thanks to a project organised by Gateshead Council's Economic Development Service in partnership with Nexus. The 'Positive Action Trainee Scheme' targets black and minority ethnic (BME) members of the community with employment opportunities available within the company. Hamzah Ismail, 48, originally from Malaysia, has been a Human Resources clerical officer at Nexus since October. He said "I found the scheme extremely useful. It gave me the opportunity to train and gain valuable experience and the confidence to successfully find a full-time job." Acting Director General Bernard Garner said,"At Nexus we have a Social Inclusion Fund that we use to help disadvantaged people to overcome the barriers to stop them working. These can be anything from a lack of up to date training or confidence to not having any references. "Black and minority ethnic people are significantly under represented across employers and despite sometimes having excellent qualifications and experience, they often find great difficulty with their job search." Gateshead Council's Economic Development Service has helped more than 1,300 residents back into work over the past 2 years. The Service offers free advice and training that prepares people for work and offers financial support where possible to help people overcome barriers such as affording new work clothes or travel passes. The Service also works closely with local businesses looking to recruit new staff such as Nexus, as well as with companies making redundancies, to help people find alternative employment. For more information, please contact Gateshead Council's Economic Development Service on 0191 477 3747 and quote reference NEXUS 1. |
| Northumberland College to offer new Foundation Degree |
Northumberland College has teamed up with Sunderland University to offer a new Foundation Degree in the increasingly popular area of Complementary Therapies. The programme was developed in response to Holistic Therapy students at the college who had expressed an interest in continuing their studies at an advanced level. As part of the foundation degree, students will have the opportunity to study human biology and health; aromatherapy; acupressure massage; nutrition and diet; management and professional development. In addition, students will complete a research project as part of their work-based learning within an NHS hospital. For more information, please visit www.northland.ac.uk. |
| Useful Websites and Guides |
Student Finance Direct - Find out about sources of funding for Higher Education in England, download the latest 'Guide to financial support for HE Students', chat live to an adviser and apply online for financial support. Guide to Volunteering while on Benefits (pdf) - Department for Work and Pensions guide explains what is permitted and any impact that volunteering may have on benefits received. Guide for the over 50s (pdf) - Department for Work and Pensions 'Are you over 50?' guide provides an overview of the services available across Government and includes information on working options, flexible working, gaining new skills and the new age-discrimination laws. |
To submit any articles for August's edition, please email l.johnson@connexions-tw.co.uk no later than Monday 21st August 2006. Don't forget to check out our website www.new-pathways.org.uk for news and useful information on learning and work. |
| © New Pathways Tyne and Wear 2006 |
Celebrating Success: Bill Rammell MP Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, presents a plaque to Mike Rugg, Quality Assurance Manager, WEA North East Region