Winter 2009

trainingtrainingnewsnewsPassionate about learningPassionate about learning

Winter 2009, Vol 1 Issue 3Winter 2009, Vol 1 Issue 3

Virtual RealityVirtual Reality HLC launches a Virtual Learning HLC launches a Virtual Learning

suite for the sectorsuite for the sector

www.hlc-vol.orgwww.hlc-vol.org

LEARNING DIARY : CONTRACTING : LLITE : VIRTUAL LEARNINGLEARNING DIARY : CONTRACTING : LLITE : VIRTUAL LEARNING

and the winner isand the winner isHLC’s fi rst learner awards ceremony.HLC’s fi rst learner awards ceremony.Jenny Mills pictured with her Lifetime Jenny Mills pictured with her Lifetime Achievement awardAchievement award

Celebrating Third Sector LearningCelebrating Third Sector LearningHLC

trainingnewsRegistered offi ce:Humber Learning Consorti umGoodwin CentreIcehouse RoadHull HU3 2HQ

T: 01482 327438E: offi [email protected]: www.hlc-vol.org

Editor & Adverti singAndy Cook01482 [email protected]

Arti cles for trainingnews are welcome and are free of charge. We do include other adverti sements and inserts please contact the Editor above for details of charges.

Chief Executi veHelen [email protected]

Director of Operati onsAndy Crosslandoperati [email protected]

Director of ProgrammesPaul [email protected]

Head of FinanceAlison Clarkfi [email protected]

Head of Administrati onDiane Patt rickoffi [email protected]

Administrati on AssistantZoe [email protected]

Head of Communicati ons & ResearchLes [email protected]

Communicati ons SupportAndy [email protected]

Head of Quality & Performance ImprovementRichard [email protected]

Project LeadersHeather [email protected]

Vickie [email protected]

Project Development WorkerDave [email protected]

“HLC will assist the voluntary & community sector in fostering social

cohesion through learning based soluti ons”

NEXT DEADLINE13 March 2009

ABOUT US

2 trainingnews

Once you have fi nished with this magazine, please recycle it

1. News2. Vacancies3. Events4. Trainers and consultants5. Who are we6. Contract partners

Disclaimer: The informati on contained in this newslett er is printed in good faith. Whilst every care is taken to ensure that it is correct HLC cannot accept liability for any omissions or inaccuracies and does not take responsibility for the quality of any services menti oned.

Humber Learning Consorti um is “passion-ate about learning” and how it can be used to develop and build the confi dence of local communiti es in the Humber Sub-Region.

The previous editi on of Training News announced that HLC had been successful in winning 4 new contracts. This editi on brings even more positi ve news for both HLC and the local VCS with the Community Grants programme.

Community Grants – Coming Soon!We are currently in negoti ati ons to be-come the co-ordinati ng body for LSC/ESF funded Community Grants throughout Yorkshire and the Humber. These grants of between £2,000 and £12,000 are focused on supporti ng smaller VCS organisati ons who do not currently access mainstream government funds. We expect signifi cant demand with limited funds available. We are hoping to launch the grants in January, so keep a close eye on our website www.hlc-vol.org newslett ers and bulleti ns for fu-ture announcements. Contact Alison Clark email: [email protected]

We are now delivering the following projects:

Personal & Community Development A small LSC mainstream contract deliver-ing learning for enjoyment throughout the Humber. Delivered by VCS orgs to the most disadvantaged learners. Contact Richard Pyka email: [email protected] Neighbourhood Learning for Deprived Communiti es This key mainstream LSC contract supports the development of the most deprived learners and communiti es. With an increasing focus on developing learner’s employability and personal development, contact Richard Pyka email: [email protected]

Not In Educati on Employment Or Training (NEET)2 year LSC/ESF funded initi ati ve focused on reducing the number of young people in the East Riding of Yorkshire who are NEET. Acti vity is currently focused on Brid-lington & delivered by East Riding Training Services (ERTS). We are currently tender-ing for 2 more projects, post 16 NEET throughout Haltemprice and Holderness and 14-16 acti vity working closely within schools throughout the East Riding. Con-tact Heather Jameson email: [email protected] Adult EngagementLSC/ESF funded acti vity focused on sup-porti ng the most disadvantaged 19+ learn-ers through a wide range of accessible accredited and non accredited learning. They are delivered by a variety of pub-lic, private and VCS orgs throughout the Humber. Contact Heather Jameson email: [email protected]

Informati on, Advice & Guidance (IAG)With the signifi cant barriers faced by many learners, as well as a complicated choice of progression opportuniti es, it is impor-tant to support learners with quality IAG. This LSC/ESF funded initi ati ve supports all post 19 learners on LSC/ESF funded provi-sion in the Humber. Again delivered by a variety of public, private and VCS organi-sati ons, contact Heather Jameson email: [email protected]

Humber SkillsThis is a key initi ati ve funded by the Big Lott ery for 3 years to develop the capacity of VCS organisati ons off ering a range of services including diagnosis of organisa-ti ons and Managers and Trustees capacity, direct funding support for training and Learning Soluti ons and informati on service for VCS orgs in the Humber. Contact Vickie Walker or Dave Edeson email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Variety - the spice of life

On the webHere are the top pages you clicked on our website this month . . .

HLC

NEWS

trainingnews 3

Step into management

happy 21st Home-start

Home-start North Lincolnshire celebrate their 21st birthday on 30th January 2009.

As part of the celebrati ons, Home-start have organised a Salsa night to be held in Scunthorpe.

Tickets priced £10 are available by telephoning 01724 858433 or email: [email protected]

skills initiative

Skills Initi ati ves have recently joined Hull Training, one of the regions largest training providers. Starti ng in January, Skills Initi ati ve will provide a range of Workforce Development training courses along with Apprenti ceships in Customer Service and Horse Care.

Training is available for individuals to att end, or alternati vely we may be able to off er bespoke sessions.

We also work closely with funding holders and can advise on funding you may be eligible for to help pay for the training.

Telephone 01482 613324 for further informati on.

hlc learner survey

We apologise for not including the learner survey as promised in this editi on.

As soon as the full report is available it will be posted for download on our website www.hlc-vol.org

farewell & good luck

HLC would like to wish Jane Ainsworth well for the future aft er taking up a positi on with Igen.

seasons greetings

HLC would like to wish you seasons greeti ngs and a Happy New Year.

In brief

Are you a new manager? Or stepping up to a new man-agement positi on?

Then why not come along on Thursday 15th January at 1.30pm unti l 3.30pm at St Georges Centre, Leeds. Have a chat with our tutors and be inspired about a new and ex-citi ng training qualifi cati on for Managers and Supervi-sors within the Voluntary Community Sector.

Hosted by West Yorkshire Learning Consorti um, the programme is for staff and volunteers and will consist of a combinati on of: a full

qualifi cati on and one off training days. So there really is something for everyone!

The Programme will consist of 13 Topics specifi c to Vol-untary Community Sector, some of which are listed be-low:

• Funding Strategies & Bid Writi ng – Find out how to WOW the Funders

• Supporti ng & Developing Volunteers – New tools to enhance your volunteers’ experience

• Adapti ng to Change – Gain new strategies

• Building Teams –Learn in-novati ve methods to build your team up

There are only 15 places available on the qualifi cati on programme. The price of the qualifi cati on is £80 and £15 for the individual accredited training days. We operate a bursary system that enti tles organisati ons with an in-come of less than £20,000, to FREE training.

To book a place, contact Alison Brophy at West York-shire Learning Consorti um, Leeds, or email [email protected]

Volunteering Eng-land is looking for partner organisa-ti ons to deliver its ground-breaking Excellence in Volun-teer Management (EVM) training.

“This is a blended-learning pro-gramme for people who manage volunteers,” says Tony Edwards of Volunteering Eng-land. “Our partners fi nd it’s a great way to generate income and keep up-to-date with leading-edge ideas.”

EVM is delivered by a network of licensed, quality-assured providers, who regularly share best practi se and who fi nd EVM to be a great way of reaching a wider training market.

To apply, please visit www.volun-teering.org.uk/ILTP

New opportunity to deliver learn-ing to managers of volunteers

The Learning and Skills Council in the Yorkshire and the Hum-ber Region is currently recruiti ng learners to its Regional Learners’ Panel. The Panel discusses all matt ers relati ng to the post-16 learning and skills sector and the LSC is looking for applicati ons from full and part-ti me learners across further educati on and from peo-ple involved in work-based learn-ing through apprenti ceships and Train to Gain. Learners of all ages are being sought and the LSC is keen to ensure there is representati on from all sectors of the commu-nity and from each of the four sub-regions of Yorkshire and the Humber, that is: West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire

and the Humber and East Riding. NIACE, the Nati onal Insti tute of Adult Conti nuing Educati on is co-ordinati ng recruitment to the Panel. Please help to promote the Panel and the recruitment opportunity to learners you are in contact with via the Applica-ti on Form (from the link below), which contains a fuller briefi ng on what the Panel does.

To download the applicati on form visit www.niace.org.uk/documents/YH-Regional-Learn-ers-Panel-app-form.doc Further queries and returned ap-plicati on forms can be directed to [email protected] or phone John Lawton on 079200 40649.

Recruitment to the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Learning panel

FREE fi nancial healthchecksEast Riding Voluntary Acti on Services (ERVAS) are off ering free fi nancial health checks to the voluntary sector - this includes Registered Chariti es, Sports Groups, Residents As-sociati ons, in fact any group with an unpaid management Commit-tee or trustee body within the East Riding of Yorkshire (exclud-ing Hull).

We will give an in-depth review

of all of your fi nancial systems and report back to you on the strengths and weaknesses of your group. We will also suggest ways that you can improve the systems and give support as re-quired to enable you to do this.

If you would like to make an ap-pointment for this service please telephone Sian Broughton on (01482) 871077 or e-mail [email protected]

FEATURE

4 trainingnews

and the winner is . . .

Provider of the year 2008: Hull Hostel Forum & Christ Church Bridlington

Tutor of the year: Rachel Hunter, Mindworks Learner of the Year: Gary Gibbs, Hull Hostel Forum

The very fi rst learner awards ceremony held on 12th November at the Octagon Centre was a signifi cant milestone in HLC’s (Humber Learning Consorti um) development. The event not only al-lowed us to celebrate the success of our learners and delivery partners but also our own numerous achievements over the past year. The launch of the new HLC brand and website were the most nota-ble of these but also the reformatti ng of the old favourite – Training News typifi es our willingness to move with the ti mes and embrace change as an opportunity.

The number and variety of nominati ons for all the awards was grati fying but reading the stories of determinati on and striving against the odds to learn and achieve was inspirati onal to the judging panel. As in all such events there can only be one winner and it seems a stale cliché to say everyone is a winner in their own way – but when an individual overcomes the barriers and someti mes complex diffi culti es evidenced in the nominati ons to achieve a personal goal then they have to be winners in their own right.

The atmosphere across the room was charged during the ceremony and it was obvious that all the learners present were pleased to be part of our celebra-ti on. We are well aware that for many adults, it may be the fi rst ti me their success has been recognised and cel-ebrated. The signifi cance of even a small achievement should not be underes-ti mated in terms of distance travelled in their lives. HLC is privileged to have generated this opportunity and the staff team were touched to see such appre-ciati on and pride in all the nominees and award winners. Margaret Coleman, Director of Yorkshire & Humber Learn-ing & Skills Council was delighted to be asked to present the awards and openly recognised the contributi on made by the voluntary and community sector in delivering learning.

We were also very happy to publicly rec-ognise and thank our partner organisa-ti ons for all their hard work and support in delivering life changing learning expe-riences within their communiti es.

HLC is acutely aware that we are only as

good as our partners and we can only bathe in the refl ected glory of their suc-cess. Yes we provide support and guid-ance to our network of partners, but the real impact of our work can only be seen through the achievement of their learn-ers. The fact that we had a ti e for the provider of the year award aft er much deliberati on demonstrates how strong the commitment is to HLC and improving the experience of the learner.

The lifeti me achievement award won by HLC’s founder – Jenny Mills acknowledg-es the signifi cance of many years of hard work and eff ort that went in to establish-ing a well respected and highly eff ecti ve organisati on. Jenny and HLC will always be interlinked, because without her foresight and dedicati on, HLC would not have been born or thrived.

The event was an undoubted success, enjoyed by everyone who att ended and will defi nitely be repeated next year, when we hope it will be even bigger and bett er.

Helen Groves, Chief Executi ve, HLC

FEATURE

trainingnews 5

Outstanding contributi on to learning 2008: Sue Bell, Foresight

Overcoming barriers award: Dawn Wood, Willow Return to learning award: Joan Gooseman, CERT

Young achiever 2008: Sarah Smith, Winner

Supporti ng learning award: Angi Daley, Winner

Most improved learner of the year: Gary Randle, CERT

More photographs from the day are available on www.hlc-vol.org

Celebration of Learning Award Winners

6 trainingnews

Virtual reality• Virtual Learning Environment, Social Networking and Intranet - all under the same roofA brand new web facility designed to encourage the use of the web to support skills development, conti nued professional development, networking and collaborati on between voluntary and community sector learning providers has now been launched.

It uses some of the tools that work so well on social networking sites MySpace and Facebook.

The Communiti es of Interest have been developed by Humber Learning Consorti um. They allow practi ti oners and providers to off er a support mechanism to their learners, staff and volunteers using a range of communicati on faciliti es, resources and interacti ve tools.

The website is very fl exible, and not only off ers a “Virtual Learning Environment” toolset, it can also be used as a “Social Networking” resource or provide an “Intranet” for organisati ons.

Tools available include:

• Discussion boards• Surveys• Chat• Video• Messaging• Announcements• Document sharing• Calendars• to do lists• resource uploads• e-newslett er creator•page creati on•creati on of sub-communiti es

Messages, documents, resources and fi les can be accessed on the move provided you can access the internet. Learners can interact with their tutor and other learners, engage in a forum or chat as a group.

Organisati ons / tutors can conduct surveys, send emails to groups of learners, create e-newslett ers and distribute them using their own mailing directory.

These Communiti es of Interest are initi ally FREE to contract partners of HLC who provide learning in the voluntary and community sector.

In the New Year we will pilot the sites with a limited number of partners.

Following the pilot, HLC plans to off er this facility more widely. The cost to non-partners will be confi rmed in the New Year.

However, prior to the main pilot HLC is testi ng its ability to serve the needs

of its own Trustees. Andy Crossland, HLC Director of Operati ons said, “It looks excellent. I think it is going to be a superb resource for trustees”

These web tools are labelled in many ways, VLEs, forums and Social Networks. However you label them it

comes down to one thing and that is an online community of your peers.

Groups of similar interests and need, be they learners, professionals, staff or volunteers can gain a lot from such a resource. They can share resources and skills, communicate in real-ti me, send each other messages or conduct discussions over the long term. These online networks provide the means to reduce isolati on oft en experienced by groups in the sector.

If you are interested and require further informati on about these faciliti es, please contact Les Braim or Andy Cook at HLC on 01482 327438 or email: [email protected]

FEATURE

LEARNERS & PROVIDERS

trainingnews 7

Llite at the end of the tunnel Llite is a Private Limited organisati on based in New Cleveland Street Hull with further sites in North and North East Lincolnshire and Sheffi eld. Established in 2001, Llite was developed in response to local people not accessing local jobs in constructi on and allied trades. People from out of town were being brought in by the local constructi on companies. Llite wanted to turn that around so that local constructi on jobs were accessible to local people and Llite would help to supply learners with the skills and resources to achieve this.

Llite has since developed a workforce of 45, and is now the largest deliverer of constructi on training in Yorkshire, working with 1,200 clients per annum. Despite the growth, Llite is as passionate about developing local people and enabling them to achieve their potenti al as they were when fi rst established.

James Epworth, Strategy Director of Llite said “The Constructi on Industry is a very good career opti on. For local unemployed people enrolling with Llite, learners will have the potenti al to develop skills in a range of Constructi on Industry roles. But it doesn’t stop there; we also help learners to fi nd a job through our employability support services”.

Llite have an aft ercare service which means once the learner has entered employment, they can sti ll contact Llite to resolve any issues they may have. James conti nued “the aft ercare service is proving to be a valuable resource to learners. If they feel they need further skill development in the future or

any help or advice, then we have the faciliti es and resources to provide this”.

Learners enrolling with Llite will develop skills in the following trade areas:

• Bricklaying• Plastering• Joinery• Plumbing• General Constructi on work• Painti ng and Decorati ng

Llite works with a number of stakeholders including local colleges, Jobcentre +, LSC and HLC to off er these courses to local people. Llite assess each learner on their own merits, and their learning progression is very much tailored towards that individual. If the learner needs more practi cal skills, a qualifi cati on or if the learner has the skills but can’t get into employment – then Llite can off er them a service that best suits their needs. If the individual doesn’t have a CSCS card for example (a passport for constructi on sites) then Llite will make sure they have the skills to obtain one. James Epworth conti nued “This (CSCS card) is great for anybody who may have been made redundant in the Constructi on Industry fi elds. Obtaining this passport along with employability sessions can greatly enhance someone’s employment prospects”.

•James Epworth, Strategy Director of Llite

Llites Employability Quest teams includes life coaches, basic skills tutors and recruiters. They aim to develop learner’s confi dence through learning, acti viti es and events which encourage learners to develop achievable career goals. In January 2007 Llite obtained a Grade 1 (outstanding) Adult Learning Inspecti on (OFSTED). It is a major achievement and one Llite is very proud of. Further achievements in Matrix and Investor in People awards were coupled with praise of how well Llite deliver and integrate Basic Skills into Constructi on training programmes.

HLC have recently awarded an Adult Engagement contract to Llite whose staff have also benefi ted from HLC services by att ending a Level 3 IAG course.

Looking towards Llites future plans James said “Key fl exible New Deal contracts are essenti al to sustain Llite. We are hoping to expand further into North East and North Lincs and develop programmes in conjuncti on with local schools and colleges. We hope to be further involved in the regenerati on of Hull, building schools for the future, and supplying labour from programmes run here at Llite.”

Llite can be contacted on 01482 716960 or visit www.llite.net

• Andy Cook visits Llite new premises in Hull

It might come a bit of a surprise to learn that the voluntary sector directly invests more in learning and development for its employees than either the public or private sector (CIPD, 2008). However, as organisati ons prepare for the economic downturn, learning & development is likely to be one of the fi rst areas that organisati ons will cut back on in their budgets.

Sadly, developing staff and volunteers has oft en been seen a discreti onary acti vity. What, if anything, can we do to make our learning & development budgets and resources go further over the next few years?

In recent years sending people on courses has decreased in popularity, relati ve to on-the-job methods of learning and development. Yet, “let’s send them on a course” is sti ll a frequent response to an identi fi ed training need. Of course, there is sti ll a great deal to be said for both the content and networking opportuniti es that external courses can off er. However, if you are looking to broaden the way you develop your staff and volunteers, here are just a few examples of the diff erent ways you could go about it, courtesy of NCVO “Leading Managers”:

On-the-job development

One of the most important and immediate forms of learning for people working in voluntary organisati ons can be through the day-to-day processes of being supervised and appraised. Regular supervision by a line manager or volunteer co-ordinator serves three key functi ons: educati onal (developing behaviour, atti tudes and understanding); supporti ve (off ering personal support and development) and managerial (providing technical input to a job, such as ensuring quality, setti ng goals, etc.). High quality supervision should be provided regularly for all paid staff and volunteers. This should be supplemented with regular appraisals, which gives managers and those being managed a chance to assess longer-term progress and training and development needs.

Mentoring

Mentors are people, usually in

management positi ons, who are willing to provide advice and guidance to more junior staff in the same or another organisati on. Mentors can be higher up in an organisati on; for senior managers it may be helpful to fi nd a mentor from outside. Line managers play an important mentoring role in their supervision of paid staff and volunteers. Mentors play a variety of roles such as helping to set career goals, listening to concerns and providing ideas for change, providing feedback outside the line management structure and acti ng as a role model and “ideas person”.

Coaching

This is one of the most rapidly growing ways of boosti ng individual performance within the workplace and can be carried out by line managers or by someone external. The coach and client work on a one-to-one basis to identi fy development needs and goals and how the staff member / volunteer will work towards them. The way the work is conducted can also be negoti ated; most coaching is done by telephone, although face-to-face contact can be arranged. Coaching is a very interacti ve way of working, with coaches able to push their clients as fast as their clients are able and willing to go. The nature of the relati onship ensures that personal support is built in. Secondments, shadowing and job-swaps

Secondments are ti me-limited opportuniti es to do a diff erent job before returning to the original post. Shadowing, or working alongside a colleague, enables an individual to observe or learn parti cular identi fi ed skills or techniques (such as chairing meeti ngs, or supervising staff ). And, a one-off job swap is a good opportunity to experience in real terms someone else’s working day – parti cularly useful when looking to change or advance a career.

Acti on Learning Sets

Acti on learning sets provide a forum for 6-8 people (usually, though not

always managers) to meet on a regular basis, oft en for a fi xed period. The rest of the group can be used as peer tutors or coaches – or just for mutual support. Oft en each manager identi fi es a parti cular issue they would like to work on. The group helps them plan and review acti ons. The set can form in diff erent ways, depending on parti cipants wishes and may involve an external facilitator or invited speakers. Set members may draw up a contract for how they want the set to run.

These are just a few examples of the diff erent methods that can be used to develop staff and volunteers. As learning and development investment could dwindle in the downturn, it would be remiss of me not to menti on Train to Gain a nati onal Learning & Skills Council programme that encourages employers (voluntary organisati ons) to develop their employees (including volunteers), by providing funding for full qualifi cati ons, such as NVQs. Humber Learning Consorti um strongly encourages voluntary organisati ons to make the most of the opportuniti es that Train to Gain aff ords. If you would like to fi nd out more we are hosti ng an informati on day at the Octagon

Centre in Hull on 20th January 2009 (10am to

2pm). Alternati vely visit the Train to Gain website www.traintogain.gov.uk

It’s not all about training, is it?• Andy Crossland, HLC Director of Operations discusses Workforce Development

FINAL WORD

Next edition: April 2009

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January 2009 (10am to 2pm). Alternati vely visit the Train to Gain website www.traintogain.gov.uk

Humber Learning Consorti um is registered in England & Wales as a Private Company Limited by Guarantee No. 4383779 - Registered Charity No. 1097333

Documents

Winter 2009