Case Studies
Despite their own reservations, leg pulling from colleagues and giving up their lunchtimes, this group of men from the factory floor at GKN driveline decided they needed to improve their lives and job prospects through learning.
Since then they have achieved levels 1 and 2 in literacy and numeracy and are now studying IT skills. Some of the men - who hadn't learned anything formally for many years - are training to become learning ambassadors so they can support other colleagues in the new Learning Centre, which they have decorated themselves.
One of the group said, ".. At first we needed help, and negotiating times to enable different shifts to benefit was difficult. Now we have come through it, other colleagues, who may have been too frightened to take up learning now come to us."
Carla Hanson from Walsall College who nominated the group for an Adult Learners' Week award said, "this group have shrugged aside their fears, worries and feelings of inadequacy. They have been successful and have broken down so many barriers." The group was delighted to win the award and GKN Driveline manager, Duncan Varnes, accepting the award alongside representatives of the learners, remarked on how morale and productivity at the plant had improved since the learning centre opened.
Partners in learning - Thanet District Council
Thanet District Council employs over 600 staff and a union-employer partnership worked together to develop Adult Learners' Week activities within the council. A planning team of six, including senior managers, union learning reps and the corporate training manager, worked together to develop the wide-ranging programme. This programme included massage therapy and beauty sessions, coastal walks, 5-a-side football, trampolining and volleyball, Spanish and French language tasters, talks on genealogy and herbalism, PowerPoint, speaking in public tuition and a reading group. Four local and national providers also set up information stands. Many of the talks were given by staff members, the IT was delivered by the training manager and local providers delivered the language tasters.
The union sourced other private providers locally. Almost 120 staff attended all of the events in Adult Learners' Week. Particularly popular were the language lessons and the coastal walks. As a result, a group of learners have expressed their interest in continuing their Spanish language learning and some council workers have volunteered to become coastal wardens.
Lift-off through learning - Eve Huggins
Becoming an adult learner has seen catering manager Eve Huggins go from strength to strength in her career. And through her example she has encouraged over 100 other work colleagues to access education and training.
Before starting her courses Eve had little direction in her working life. But when her company, Norfolk County Services Ltd seconded her into a new part-time role she got the chance to gain more skills and qualifications. Eve became a project worker with the company's Learning Lift-off programme which gives staff a variety of learning opportunities. She completed National Skills Tests in literacy and numeracy and gained qualifications in Health and Nutrition, Food Hygiene, Train the Trainer and Delivering Learning.
Eve has now started a Shop Steward's course which will bring her more responsibilities. She also developed an interest in training others - and now delivers hygiene training to new staff in the firm's catering division. She is confident enough to apply for promotion and wants to work towards taking a degree. "I feel you can never have too much knowledge," she says. Eve Huggins won an Adult Learners' Award in 2007.
Sweeping away the cobwebs - Wordsley School Cleaners Group
The four part-time workers who make up the Wordsley School Cleaners Group are very clear about how they got into adult learning: "It started completely by accident. Just as she was leaving work one day, the Head of Learning4Life - Kath Tunnicliffe - overheard one of us saying that she would never be able to use a computer. We had a bit of a laugh with Kath but she was quite adamant that we would be able to learn. We decided to develop our skills to challenge the idea people have that cleaners are thick," they say.
Since coming together in 2005, the group has learned how to operate computers, access their training materials on-line, manipulate and input text and to form, print and save documents. Having completed word processing Level 1 courses, two of the group are now studying a course in electronic communications and the other two are learning about computer art. "We've learned to support one another," the group explain. "We rarely need a tutor any more; we now laugh and enjoy our sessions. When anyone needs help, there's always someone in the group who can either help or be there to work out how to solve the problem together."
The group say the rewards are tangible. Chris has gained promotion to housekeeper. The site management spotted her newly-acquired skills and she now provides technical support by inputting data into the IT system at Wordsley School for staff contracts and stocktaking supplies. Denise has a new-found relationship with two-year-old Charlie Lee, the youngest of her 10 grandchildren: she no longer just watches, she's actually with her on the computer. Helen believes in herself more: she knows she doesn't lack intelligence and she has the confidence to achieve further success. Tracy is changing her family's opportunities. Her family is able to benefit from buying holidays on the net and snapping up bargains from e-bay. Computing is so popular in Chris's household that a second laptop is being purchased so that her son hasn't got to share the computer with his mum.