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An Oxfordshire Private Nursing and Care Home

‘It’s been great fun and we’ve learnt a lot’

As part of Oxfordshire County Council’s ‘Basic Skills at Work’ programme, this project is being developed for caring and catering staff who want to improve their basic skills, particularly English.

As is often the case with employees who work on rotating shifts, opportunities for this group to acquire new skills in the traditional ways are restricted. Especially so when the need to work overtime is great, and the organisation’s need for a flexible approach to working hours can make planning free time in advance difficult.

The training needs analysis not only identified literacy needs, but also computer skills needs. With the exception of trying an occasional game - perhaps on one of their children’s computers - most of the employees had never really used a computer before.

In recognition of possible work related benefits, the nursing home management, committed to creating better learning opportunities for their staff, agreed to paid release for training during working time. As I write this summary, a successful pilot project has just been completed with some of the night shift; a flexible approach all round has enabled delivery to take place on site between 10.00 p.m. and midnight.

It can sometimes be difficult to present opportunities to improve basic skills in an attractive way so, by linking what might otherwise be perceived as ‘back to school learning’, to the learning of a completely new skill that could put you right out in front, can really make a difference; and if your employer is allowing you to do it during your normal working period, so much the better.

It is through using word processors, the internet and e-mail, that the NIACE laptops are enabling my students to not only improve their work related literacy skills, but also to experience a variety and wealth of new learning and new opportunities that might otherwise be denied them. To see the students grow in confidence, be proud of their achievements and to really value and be able to measure the extent of their learning, is a joy. As one student remarked, ‘it’s been great fun and we’ve learnt a lot’

Michael White
Project Leader

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