OLN Projects to Date

OLN Projects to date

Academic year 13-14

Restore

Project: To deliver Mental Health First Aid Training to family members and carers of people with mental health problems and to staff and volunteers working in charities where service users may have or have had a history of mental health problems.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a two-day internationally accredited training course and trains learners to:

· Recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues

· Provide help on a first aid basis

· Effectively guide others in the right direction towards support

Target Number of Learners: 120

Restore has become a mainstream provider and is still delivering MHFA as well as Volunteer Training.

British Red Cross

Project: To train volunteers and a member of staff as Everyday First Aid Educators at O’Hanlon House (emergency accommodation and resettlement support for homeless people). They will then cascade their new skills and knowledge to O’Hanlon House service users. Their material will be tailored to what is particularly relevant to the target group eg hypothermia, issues associated with alcohol and drug abuse eg overdosing.

Target Number of Learners: 4 educators to be trained/ 5 cascaded learning beneficiaries and in the following academic year 95 O’Hanlon House service users to be trained

Academic year 14-15

Oxfordshire South and Vale Citizens Advice Bureau

Project: To deliver a series of 2 hour workshops to tenants and housing association support workers on Budgeting, Debt Management, Borrowing Money and Moving On to help residents manage their money better and sustain tenancy. Learners will also be encouraged to have 1:1 appointments with CAB staff to look at their needs on an individual basis which is seen as the main progression route.

Target Number of Learners: 74 unique learners (but 222 enrolments as it is anticipated that learners will enrol on up to 3 workshops)

LITZ (Leys Information Technology Zone)

Project: To deliver a range of IT courses from Beginners to Improvers, PC Maintenance, Photoshop, Dreamweaver to people resident in Blackbird Leys to promote digital inclusion and/or progression onto accredited courses delivered by other providers eg Brookes University.

Target Number of Learners: 95

Litz has become a mainstream provider and is still delivering similar IT training in BBL.

ACE Training

Project: To engage with and support unemployed people through active outreach work and to offer a programme of skills workshops for hard to place and those under-represented in the construction industry eg women. They will seek to recruit some learners though Clean Slate, a women’s project in Upper Heyford which supports people who have suffered domestic violence. As work experience they would like to find and deliver a community building project.

They will also deliver Health and Safety in the Workplace training – pre CSCS card and this will primarily be aimed at unemployed people or young adults about to embark on a career in construction.

Target Number of Learners: 30 NLDC and 14 PCDL and Outreach Worker

Career Connect

Project: To help unemployed people develop employability skills and find work through 1:1 support and creative job search workshops in Bicester.

Target Number of Learners: 40 (PCDL learners on very short workshops)

Style Acre

Project:To organise Access All Areas, a one day event of arts tasters and workshops for their service users, their families and supporters as well as other people with learning disabilities across South Oxfordshire at Cornerstone Arts Centre on Friday 24th July, 2015.

In addition they aimed to attract people to working in the Adult Social Care sector through a series of innovative learning opportunities where their service users documented what life is like in supported housing through the creation of a Photographic exhibition, a radio drama, a campaign video and documentation of the Access All Areas day. The radio drama and the 2 films were made available to OSLS for use on any learning programmes where they might be relevant eg Introduction to Working in Adult Social Care or courses aimed at women returners.

Target Number of Learners: 40 PCDL 20 NLDC

Abingdon Music Centre Trust

Project: A range of music courses

Course 1: Free Your Voice - group singing course at Abingdon Health and Wellbeing Centre for care home residents.

Courses 2 and 3: Introduction to Singing - singing activities at 2+ care homes in Abingdon.

Course 4: Musical creativity and mental flexibility - short course exploring rhythmic ideas and creativity, specifically aimed at elderly people suffering from some degree of memory loss.

Course 5: Introduction to Music Making - short course exploring different approaches to music making and music participation specifically for a group of adults with acute needs, to include percussion, singing, song-writing skills.

Target Number of Learners: 67 PCDL 6 NLDC

AMCT has become a mainstream provider and is now delivering an expanded programme in Abingdon.

Academic Year 15 – 16

Sustainable Wantage

Project Name: Community Learning in the Mix

Project: To provide a range of short courses and workshops in the The Mix, a shop in the centre of Wantage which gives the public access to Sustainable Wantage activities. The courses will range from supporting disadvantaged families, upskilling volunteers who work in the field of Sustainability as well as courses for the general public on such themes as recycling based craft courses; cookery courses to minimize food waste and to encourage foraging; DIY skills.

Target Number of Learners: 100

Sustainable Wantage has become a mainstream provider and is continuing to deliver a range of similar courses at the Mix in Wantage.

BYHP (Supporting Young People in Housing Need)

Project Name: Unlocking Potential

Project : To engage disadvantaged young people in Banbury who are not in employment, education or training in a 5 week employability skills course. The learners have the opportunity to gain 5 accredited AQA qualifications in Self Awareness, Careers and Progression to Working Life, Responsibility of Independent Living, Conflict Resolution and Volunteering as well and a qualification in Food Hygiene in Catering level 2. Local businesses also provide work experience and give input as guest speakers and facilitators. 2 cohorts will be recruited.

Target Number of Learners: 16

EMBS Community College Ltd

Project Name: Motive8

Project: To engage BAME disadvantaged young people aged 19 – 30 who may be at risk of crime, anti-social behaviour and radicalisation in a programme of sport, one to one mentoring and workshops which will motivate, inspire and challenge them to change attitudes and behaviours. One cohort will be in Banbury and the other in Oxford. There will also be a focus on healthy living to include nutrition, diet and fitness.

Target Number of Learners: 15

EMBS is a long-standing sub-contracted provider and primarily delivers accredited provision in English and Maths. It also continues to delivers some Community Learning courses including Study Skills and Sewing with ESOL

ARK T Centre

Project Name: Cowley News

Project: To engage disadvantaged, marginalised or vulnerable young adults in a programme of 8 tasters in arts subjects eg Creative Writing, Sharing Stories, Photography: Text and Image, Journalism Basics. From these sessions the 8 learners who show the most aptitude and commitment will be chosen for a more in depth project in journalism where they will develop research, reporting and interviewing skills. They will then work towards publishing features in an edition of the Cowley News. They will also plan and deliver a celebration event.

Through the project the young people will develop self-confidence, literacy and communication skills and develop an interest in politics and community engagement.

Target Number of Learners: 24

Academic Year 16 – 17

Oxfordshire Play Association (OPA)

Project Name:The Play Way

Project: To deliver introductory tasters to Play Work – aimed at people who may wish to start a career in Play Work but do not know what it involves or those wishing to volunteer in Play Work settings.

The tasters in each area were followed by a short course accredited by the University of Gloucester, “The Play Way”, for those wishing to make their first steps on the road to becoming a qualified playworker.

Target Number of Learners:

50 learners on tasters in Abingdon, Carterton, Witney and Chipping Norton

30 learners on “Play Way” in Abingdon, Witney and Chipping Norton

OPA has been offered a contract for 17 - 18

EMBS Community College Ltd

Project Name:Healthy Cooking Skills on a Budget

Project: To introduce healthy cooking skills to target groups in Banbury. As well as aiming to teach practical skills it was also a social integration project. The aim was to recruit learners from different socially isolated groups to work together eg people recovering from mental health problems attended classes with Asian women with low skills in English. The Restore service users enjoyed learning about exotic spices and learning some Urdu words and the Asian women developed their English skills by working with British people.

Target Number of Learners:50