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ALW 2006 Yorkshire and Humber Region Award Winners

Kevin Cooper, age 56, Wybourne, Sheffield
Nominated by: Dallas Mead, Community Training Services Ltd
Press Contact: Lisa Hughes. Tel: 0114 2767661. Email: lisa@communitytraining.co.uk 

New Deal encourages Kevin out of his shell

Regardless of twenty years of unemployment Kevin Cooper’s learning programme has not only resulted in improved health and renewed confidence but also a qualification and a full-time job.

Kevin was referred to a college by Jobcentre plus as part of the New Deal employability programme. “I thought no one would give me a chance, I didn’t think that I would enjoy attending the training but I made new friends, improved reading and spelling and got a job.”

Kevin’s nominator, Dallas Mead, refers to him as, “a changed man.” Kevin himself says of adult learning, “it has given me a new sense of direction and the opportunity to make new friends … It also helps you to help yourself and your family.”

Maria Kay, age 52, Hull
Nominated by: Anne Logan, Skills for Life, Hull College
Press Contact: Gary Hughes. Tel: 01482 329943. Email: ghughes@hull-college.ac.uk 

Maria develops passion for learning

Maria hated school and could not wait to leave. She left with no qualifications and moved into various unskilled jobs until her father died. After years of nursing him Maria found it difficult to go out and was often afraid to meet and talk to other people.

“I realised I had become a prisoner in my life,” she explains, “and this made me think that I had to do something with my life and that only I could do it. The first thing was to get some qualifications that would help me get a better job and allow me to do something for myself.”

To do this she went to a basic skills class to improve her literacy and numeracy skills. “When I walked into the class and saw a friendly face I knew this was the start of something that was to change my life!!” she says. Maria is now studying for an NVQ in teaching support.

Caroline Moulds, age 38, Malin Bridge, Sheffield
Nominated by: Rachel Bentley, Hillsborough College
Press Contact: Sarah Clothier. Tel: 0114 2603607. Email: sarah.clothier@sheffcol.ac.uk

“My mind has been stimulated and stretched more than ever and I love it!”

While experiencing a period of loneliness and boredom due to ill-health Caroline Moulds decided to prove to herself and others that she could have a brighter future and better career prospects. To do this she enrolled on GCSE Maths and Computing courses at a local college and has since progressed to a Social Studies & Humanities Access Course.

When asked about the difficulties faced on her learning journey she said, “I overcame them by throwing myself in at the deep end and talking to my fellow students.”

Her tutors are bursting with praise not only for her academic success but also for her warmth, independence and wicked sense of humour.

“I want to continue changing my own life so that I can work with and help other people in similar situations and show them that they too are capable of achievement,” Caroline explains.

Norman O’Rourke, age 43, Grimsby
Nominated by: Peter Ryley, Centre for Lifelong Learning, University of Hull
Press Contact: Veronica Farrar. Tel: 01482 465414. Email: v.m.farrar@hull.ac.uk

“There was something inside that said that this was not all there was…”

Despite periods of chronic depression and homelessness, Norman boldly embarked on a part-time degree in Social and Behavioural Studies determined to break a cycle of depression and dependency.

His nominator, Peter Ryley, explains how Norman did this by setting himself little targets on the way and moving one step at a time. He commends Norman’s, “determination to use academic work as a way of both understanding his own experience and helping advocate education as a route for others.”

Norman now works with people, whose lives are affected by homelessness, supporting and helping them achieve the way he has.

“He is a mentor and a leader,” says Peter, “what gets him through [the bad times] is an inner strength that overcomes his insecurity” but, “what marks him out is his conviction that this strength is in everyone if they can be helped to find it.”

Nazreen Riaz, age unknown, Keighley, West Yorks.
Nominated by: Vera Ostojic, Keighley College
Tel: 01535 618603. Email: vera.ostojic@keighley.ac.uk 

Nazreen’s new horizons

Nazreen’s learning journey began with a basic English class, from there she progressed to other basic skills courses and on to a foundation diploma in Care. From foundation level she moved through intermediate to a national diploma and then on to her current position applying for professional training in Social Work at universities. Nazreen achieved all of this in five years and as such is a shining example of how far a little bit of learning can take you.

However, unsatisfied by just helping herself, Nazreen has become an active advocate of learning in her community, “I believe my learning and life experience has strengthened me to support other individuals around me,” she says.

Her nominator, Vera Ostojic, explains how Nazreen’s, “gentle but assertive stance on promoting the rights of others encourages them to follow in her footsteps into education and on to new horizons.”

Sarah Stowe, age 28, Beeston, Leeds
Nominated by: Shaheen Akhtar, LCC Neighbourhood Jobshop, Beeston
Tel: 0113 214 1778 or 07944 490841 Email: shaheen.akhtar@leeds.gov.uk 

Never as desperate as you think

Sarah Stowe had a troubled past: her mother left home while Sarah was a child, her father struggled with the needs of 12 children, and education was never the focus of life. She admits she was a bit of a rebel and ended up being labelled a trouble-maker. Her dabbling with drugs ultimately became a heroin addiction.

“As a child I was written off, which made me feel I had nothing to offer,” she recalls.

After the birth of her daughter she set about getting off the drugs. Nominator Shaheen Akhtar explains: “She wanted to make her daughter proud of her and this was her first step to improving her life.”

Sarah wanted to build up her confidence and gain experience in an office environment and completed an NCFE Customer Service qualification on the Reach Out programme. She started a placement at the Jobshop as an administration and customer service officer, supporting local people who were facing barriers and exclusion. She learned to use the computer and email, and helped customers search for jobs, fill in application forms and make speculative approaches over the phone.

“I faced discrimination for 10 years due to my addiction,” she says. “But now I’m able to take those experiences and use them not only for myself or my vast family, but also to take into the community to help people understand that life is never as desperate as you think.”

Age Concern Doncaster World War II Volunteers, Doncaster
Nominated by Jennifer Barlow, Age Concern Doncaster
Tel: 01302 812 345 Email: jenny@acd.org.uk

Using technology a world away from wartime memories

Collecting memories of World War II from clients at a local day centre, the elderly volunteers at Age Concern Doncaster learnt how to put these memories into a book and interactive CD-ROM for local school pupils.

The volunteers gained qualifications in PowerPoint, Producer and Windows Moviemaker. They then visited several local schools to give presentations about these experiences of World War II.

Mary, one of the volunteers, said, “At first I felt very nervous. I was amazed to find myself learning the intricacies of Power Point! It seemed unbelievable that a group of elderly people could make a film. I had been prepared to find the children bored and inattentive but at every school it has been the opposite. We should have been answering questions for at least another hour if it had been left to them. I always came away with a sense of achievement.”

The group are planning a similar project about the local mining and railway industries.

Naveed Khan, age 26, Bradford
Nominated by: John Daniel Thornham, Keighley College, Yorkshire
Tel: 01535 618615

Learning helps Naveed on the road to success

Commitment, dedication and the enthusiasm gained from adult learning has led Naveed to becoming a reputable and well respected member of society.

Brought up in a bad neighbourhood, influenced by the wrong people and doing badly at school, Naveed says, “My life was heading in the gutter.” Being dependent on state benefits and in a dead end job, he had to take control and thanks to adult learning turned it around.

Naveed pursued his passion for the motor trade and through his hard work he now owns his own business, is training new recruits and motivating students that are on the course he once studied.

What does adult learning mean to Naveed? “If it wasn’t for adult learning I wouldn’t be where I am today, my workers wouldn’t have a job and there would be no trainees…it’s never too late to go back to studying no matter what situation you are in.”

Trevor Mashangwa, age 39, Wakefield
Nominated by: Anne Oldham, Wakefield College
Press Contact: Diane Holmes, Wakefield College. Tel: 01924 789238 Email: d.holmes@wakcoll.ac.uk

Squeezing learning in to fulfil dream

Balancing full-time employment, part-time community voluntary work, full-time learning and Student Representative Council membership has not deterred Trevor in pursuing his dream of becoming a mental health nurse, something he was unable to do in his home country, Zimbabwe.

Trevor is currently taking the Access to Higher Education course (Nursing and Midwifery) pathway at Wakefield College and is also gaining voluntary work experience at a local psychiatric unit. His determination and commitment to learning with the ability to speak 15 languages has enabled him to gain knowledge, skills and everlasting friendships.

“Adult Learning empowers the learner with valuable life skills and academic knowledge which the learner can combine with his/her past experiences to pursue a career and be a better, productive and happy citizen,” says Trevor.

Pam Haywood-Reed, age 64, Sheffield
Nominated by: Maggie Kind, Agewell and Lunchclubs in Sheffield. Tel: 0114 275 1212. Email: maggie@agewell.co.uk 

“I’ve gained so much”

“As a child I missed out on learning because I spent quite a lot of time in hospital. I was told by a teacher before I left school the only place I was fit for was to work in a factory, so that’s what I did,” remembered Pam.

Pam then began her learning at Northern College, Barnsley, after retiring from work.
“After retirement Pam achieved her European Computer Driving License in 2003 and has since tutored 144 older people in basic computer skills. Her warm and encouraging relationship with older people resulted in her appointment as a full-time Development Officer for our charity, supporting older people on a city-wide basis,” said nominator, Maggie.

“When I started out on my adult learning journey it was just for me, I had no intention of acquiring a job,” said Pam. “If someone had told me years ago that I would be doing what I am doing today, I would have laughed at them. I’ve gained so much.”

The Retail Academy, York, North Yorkshire
Nominator and press contact: Dawn Ritchie, Tel. 01904 658 856, E-mail dawn@retailacademy.org

Learning as a retail commodity

The retail sector employs 2.7 million people in the UK and faces a skills shortage. “Many retailers have no qualifications and lack clearly defined career aims”, Dawn Ritchie explains. “They ‘fell into’ and may ‘fall out of’ retail… Wages are low and profit margins tight… Many retailers work in isolated, out-of-town locations in a sector traditionally cut-off from lifelong learning opportunities”. The Retail Academy is a European Social Fund project to protect and promote diversity on the high street: it develops and delivers both accredited and unaccredited learning, using new technologies.

Lack of time often squeezes training and development opportunities in retail workplaces and people working in the sector often lack self-esteem, associating learning with previous poor experiences at school. Many owners/managers of small and medium-sized enterprises have not achieved high levels of educational achievement themselves and can display negative attitudes towards qualifications. Early on, the project organised focus groups with smaller businesses, who felt that existing training programmes for retail were inappropriate in so far as they addressed the needs of larger retailers. For example, a member of staff might spend a significant amount of time learning about warehousing when the store they work in has only a small stockroom, let alone a warehouse.

Working with City & Guilds and designed around retailers’ needs, the Academy has developed bite-sized Certificates in Retail Principles at Level 2 and further qualifications and learning are being developed in key skills and at Levels 3 and 4.

Over 1,200 retail learners were engaged by the programme in 2005. “We have encouraged and developed pathways that allow learners to progress from informal help and advice sessions to achieving practical retail qualifications”, says Dawn. “This is the first time that: qualifications appropriate for smaller retailers have been made available;…a framework has been put into place to offer such training; and… supporting materials have been produced for SMEs”.

Harry Thompson, age 91, Thurnscoe, South Yorks.
Nominated by: Gill Bestall, Adult Learning, Barnsley Met Borough Council
Tel: 07986821750 Email: steeler_mum@hotmail.com

“A remarkable man who always gives 100%”

Two years ago, Harry Thompson’s eyesight rapidly deteriorated and he could no longer continue the adult learning classes he loved so much. Determined to continue and refusing to lose the alertness and enjoyment he got from learning Harry began to learn Braille.

He first enrolled in adult learning after the death of his wife 6 years ago and had success gaining qualifications for several OCN courses and the new CLAIT.

When asked what he has gained from these experiences Harry says, “knowledge and skills I never dreamed I would have.” His nominator, Gill, calls him “inspirational” and praises a man who – despite being 91-years-old - is not only committed to keeping his mind active but still exercises every single day.

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