Offender Learning and Skills e-learning programme

[Project Background] [Latest News]

Project Background

The Learning and Skills Council are funding a progressive programme to support and encourage the use of e-learning in England. This began in Further Education Colleges and was extended to Adult and Community Learning and Specialist Colleges. In 2006/7 the LSC decided to extend the programme to Work Based Learning and Offender Learning and Skills.

Following the first year of the Offender Learning and Skills programme, this was extended into 2007/8.

Between 2006 and 2008 NIACE managed several key strands that involved and positively impacted on the Offender Learning and Skills sector as follows:

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Latest News

Digital Inclusion Conference

Thursday 27 November 2008, East Midlands Conference Centre (EMCC) University Park, Nottingham, NH7 2RJ

In January 2008 the government recognised the importance of ICT and social inclusion by appointing a Minister for Digital Inclusion, with a cross-departmental cabinet committee working to develop a strategy to ensure that all citizens, especially the disadvantaged, benefit from new technologies. A third of adults are 'not connected' to new technologies.

This has important consequences for those involved in implementing public policy, and for those involved in 21st century learning delivery.

This conference will enable participants to discuss and debate ways of addressing social exclusion through the use of ICT. The conference will be of particular interest to:

To find out more and book online please visit:
http://www.niace.org.uk/Conferences/digitalinclusion.htm

E-Guides – Event bookings now open, don’t miss your chance.

The E-Guides staff development programme 2008/2009 is now open for bookings with events beginning in September 2008. The schedule is available online at www.niace.org.uk/eguides2008  - to register please use the online reservations system.

E-Guides – Lead by example

The free E-Guides programme aims to increase the use of e-learning in ACL (including Offender Learning and Skills, the Voluntary and Community Sector and other areas) through developing the skills and knowledge of ‘E-Guides’ so that they are able to support colleagues from all subjects in their use of technology in teaching and learning.

The programme has been refreshed for the up-coming round. Practitioners that have previously trained as E-Guides are welcome and will certainly find the new programme as stimulating as before.

E-Guides is a three-day staff development programme with the following benefits: -

The training is delivered in two parts - a two-day session and a follow up single day approximately 6 weeks after.

E-Guides Plus

The E-Guides plus event provides further development for practitioners who have attended the E-Guides programme. Practitioners who are working towards accreditation are required to attend one E-Guides + event and undertake their assessed independent task.
The E-Guides Plus event is split into two main sessions. In the morning the Session: Learning Platforms and ePortfolios is delivered. The afternoon session is run on a workshop basis with participants being able to work on areas to achieve their personal objectives. This provides opportunities for further development within a supportive environment of any of the topics undertaken during the three-day E-Guides training such as content creation activities or the cascade action plan.

Two optional online self-study modules of learning are also available. These are;

West Midlands mid summer up-date from NIACE

Latest update from NIACE regarding our work in the West Midlands region

Developing a Dynamic Community of Practice

Theme 2: Skills for Life within offender learning and skills (OLAS)

Skills for Life has always been a key area for the FE and skills sector but, since the Leitch review of skills, it has become even more of a priority, with the inclusion of recommended new targets. Level 1literacy and Entry Level 3 numeracy will become the baseline for employment in 2020. It is expected that 95% of the population should reach this threshold. Tutors need information, guidance and resources which will help them embed skills for life into all aspects of their education and training.

Whether you are just starting out or have been working in this area for a number of years, there is a wealth of materials on the Excellence Gateway, which can help you improve your Skills for Life provision.

This Skills for Life theme can be found on the Excellence Gateway website http://excellence.qia.org.uk/contentthemes and includes 10 top tips to get you started with resources, links, case studies and ideas.

View and contribute to the OLAS community forum on the Excellence Gateway where the topic of Skills for Life has just started at
http://excellence.qia.org.uk/community.aspx?community=52

Developing a Dynamic Community of Practice

Theme 1 – Managing Information

ALP is working with NIACE to create a dynamic community of practice amongst Work-Based Learning (WBL) providers with common interests to share views and information. The first of these themes is the issue of management information (MI) an area where having up-to-date, accurate information is a prerequisite for managing in today’s WBL environment. The development of sophisticated information management systems has become one of the biggest challenges for WBL providers as the complexity of what providers deliver increases with the advent of Apprenticeships, Train to Gain and employability programmes. Therefore it has become increasingly important that providers are able to control the information they need to manage their businesses effectively.

The changes brought forward by the Information Authority and Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP) will affect providers with changes in the way businesses collect and manage information and it will be important for providers to ensure they are able to meet the requirements set out by MIAP and are able to take advantage of the changes. This MI theme can be found on the Excellence Gateway website www.excellence.qia.org.uk  It highlights useful information and resources to support the MI process, and importantly offers providers the opportunity to share best practice, common interests and views.

For more information visit www.excellence.qia.org.uk  or www.elearningproviders.org

NIACE ICT Skill for Life programme 0809

Embedding ICT Skill for Life within Literacy and Numeracy

Register to receive your free copy of the learning materials developed during the 2007/2008 DIUS funded programme. These will be available soon - download the flyer below for more information about obtaining the materials via the website or on CD.

Let’s talk about...

Let's talk about.....are products that aim to provide a range of useful and well displayed money management information for prisoners and their families to use. NIACE has taken care to ensure that the format of both products is easy to use with some excellent sign posting and sound realistic advice.

Let’s talk about money – Your Money Guide has proved a popular resource not only for prisoners and their families, but also with those colleagues who offer ‘money’ and debt advice. More information is available from the interactive website:
www.niace.org.uk/projects/letstalkaboutmoney.

Let’s talk about self-employment explores the opportunities available to prisoners in a realistic way with helpful tips and advice on everything from getting the basics right to the law. More information is available from the interactive website:
www.niace.org.uk/projects/letstalkaboutselfemployment

Next Generation Learning Awards 2009: Technology Excellence in FE & Skills

Becta has launched the exciting Next Generation Learning Awards: Technology Excellence in FE & Skills. In their first year, they will look to reward all types of learning provider in the FE and Skills sector and seek to identify those across the whole system who are fully confident in the use of technology.

For further details download one of the flyers below:

Offenderlearning.net migration

The offenderlearning.net website is currently being migrated to the QIA Excellence Gateway. During this period, new items and content will be posted here. Soon, all of the previous content and resources previously on offenderlearning.net will be available through the excellence gateway and this story will be updated regularly with any news on this.

Outcomes from the offender learning and skills e-learning policy conference – April 2008

This conference was held in Bradford at the Midland Hotel and gave Senior Managers working with offenders the chance to network with each other, hear about the projects that NIACE has been involved in and learn about current policy.

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