A partnership which helps staff and customers gain new skills is celebrating its first year in working together to promote and develop learning.

The GMB Building for the Future Project and Surrey Choices day care and community support have been working with Nescot and Somerset Colleges in the delivery of a wide range of fully funded nationally accredited level 2 distance learning courses with the benefit of blended learning and tutor support.

Other courses delivered include:

• City & Guilds level 1 Business and Administration delivered on site by Training Links based in Portsmouth
• Support Employment Practitioners level 3 delivered by the British Association for Support Employment (BASE)
• On-line Food Hygiene level 1 and 2 delivered by High Speed Training

One particular highlight of the partnership has been the one to one Functional Skills training delivered by Training Links. This has been totally tailored to the needs of one customer, Brian, where traditional education routes did not suit or provide the support he needs. 

This has shown how working together has given vital support to an individual and talented artist who requires extensive additional support and wanted to improve his English as a stepping stone to achieving his goal in setting up his own studio to sell his work.

Brian has received his certificate from Julie Gelson, Operations Director.

Phil Mack is Surrey Choices Learning Project Officer and has been really pleased with the way the partnership has worked. Phil said

Working with Paul and the GMB has been invaluable and has enabled me to access training providers I would not normally have had contact with and helped to provide learners with a tailored service adaptedto their learning needs."

Paul Simmonds, GMB Project Worker, said

Working with Surrey Choices is an on-going and successful project with further distance learning sign ups pending and discussions taken place regarding supporting learners in all aspect of running a digital radio station based in Surrey.

We are also looking to enhance our relationship further by involvement in offering assistance/support in the review of the organisation’s overall training programmes."

Working with like minded partners and project workers in adopting an inclusive, proactive approach to learning and development provides everyone with equal access and equal opportunity to learning opportunities.