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BrightSparks Learning at Acklington PrisonFestival of Learning Success: Last year's Learning Revolution Festival was a chance for trade unions and community members to connect - that's certainly what happened in a small fishing village located in Northumberland. Conrad Stewart and Jenna Moffatt, from Craster in Northumberland, saw an advert in the local paper for the Learning Revolution Festival event in Amble which featured an opportunity to try the bagpipes. Learning to play was something that Conrad in particular had always wanted to do, so they went along to give it a go. Collaboration: The BrightSparks Learning Centre at Acklington Prison was granted funding for three years by unionlearn, as part of the Learning for All Fund bid for the Northern Region. The partnership has proved very successful and the centre has since moved on to become part of the POA's national bid. They are now in their fourth year and none of this would have been possible without the assistance, guidance and patience of unionlearn's Beth Farhat. Beth was a staunch supporter of the POA in setting up the learning centre, she attended every event that was held, and supplied as many promotional materials as she could lay her hands on. The added benefit that came from this close working relationship was that the learning centre received high profile in certain magazines, the Learning Rep, Unionsnorth and the Gatelodge POA magazine. Unionlearn were also invited to give a presentation to Union Learning Representatives (ULRS) at the Education, Learning and Skills Forum (ESLF) in Darlington, which was a great success. The presentation was arranged to cater for twenty-five ULRs, and forty two ULRs actually attended the session. Various learning possibilities: The centre is committed to learning in the workplace and if more than ten staff members express an interest in taking a particular course that is not currently on offer, the learning centre will source and provide the course for its staff. A cross range of courses are on offer at the learning centre, including;
In the hands of bagpipe expert and Prison Officer Steve Christie, Conrad and Jenna very much enjoyed the experience and they even signed up for further tuition at the learning centre and have been attending most weeks ever since. Learning the bagpipes is not something which is on offer in many locations so without the opportunity presented by the BrightSparks Learning Centre, Conrad and Jenna might never have had the chance to take them up. Smitten with their new hobby, Conrad and Jenna juggle their work and children to get in some daily practice and hope that they can turn into proficient bagpipe players in the future. This is all thanks to the Learning Revolution Festival. Beth Farhat from Northern unionlearn said: 'The BrightSparks project embodies what trade union learning is all about, engaging with POA staff and now having an even wider impact within the surrounding community. Their willingness to accommodate what learners want and to be innovative whilst doing so is one of the main reasons they have been - and continue to be - so successful. Working with them has been a pleasure and a privilege.' Future planning: BrightSparks Learning Centre has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Fire Brigade Union and a learning agreement with Baltic Training and Jigsaw Training who are supplying NVQs* Level 2 and 3 in Business Admin, Customer Service, IAG* and Management. The learning centre also delivers in-house training in:
BrightSparks Learning Centre gained Matrix Accreditation in November 2009, and in December 2009 they were awarded the Quality Award* from unionlearn. The learning centre continues to grow in strength with more learners accessing the learning centre and being introduced to opportunities that will stand them in good stead for the future. Case studies and projects (800 words) issued 21 Jun 2010 |
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unionlearn Telephone 020 7079 6920 |
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