South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 27/10/2016

An event has taken place to recognise the benefits of employing people who have taken part in a community learning course.

The aim of the event is to attract more employers to work with our community learning service and help job seekers become ‘employment ready’ by learning a range of skills including IT and customer service.

Tutors, existing partners from Job Centre Plus and representatives from some of our primary schools attended along with some of our successful community learners, who were on hand to share their own experiences of how these courses have helped make a difference to their lives.

Like Steffannie James, who studied maths and was chosen as this year’s ‘learner of the year’ owing to the commitment she put in to completing her studies. She is now studying a creative writing course.

We offer the courses to employers which can be workplace-based and targeted to their needs. We also provide courses with elements of job coaching to individuals including English, maths, IT skills and improving their self-confidence. There is even a course on knitting to help improve communication as well as crafting skills.

Some of the family learning courses which we run include fun with words and numbers. They take place in a school setting so that parents can also learn together with their children.

Soraya Young, deputy head teacher at Coniston Primary School in Patchway where one of the family learning course is run, said: “The family learning events have helped build community spirit within the school and has put parents in touch with other parents they wouldn’t necessarily have spoken with or spent time with otherwise. It has led to an increased uptake at our school parent coffee morning because this is a way for the friendships that were initially fostered to continue easily. Parents and children have spent quality time together, engaged in fun learning activities, something they might not have done otherwise.”

Cllr Jon Hunt, Chair of Children, Adults and Health Committee, spoke at the partnership event. He said: “Last year around 1,000 people attended community learning courses in South Gloucestershire. The wide range of topics aims to help people grow in confidence, improve their literacy and numeracy skills and help them progress to further learning or employment.

“We hope partners and employers have been inspired to work with our community learning service to help even more people improve their employability skills.”

The event was held at Poole Court in Yate last Thursday 20 October and was organised by South Gloucestershire Council’s Community Learning service.

Courses are aimed at people aged 19 and over. For more information about our courses or if you are an employer who would like to know more visit www.southglos.gov.uk/communitylearning or telephone 01454 864613.