Page last updated at 09:19 GMT, Thursday, 06 May 2010 UK
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Central First School in Ashington, Northumberland has opened its doors to parents keen to retrain and gain new professional and personal skills.
The primary school, one of six within the Ashington Learning Partnership, a government funded Trust, is offering 22 free online vision2learn courses. Vision2learn (www.vision2learn.com), from e-learning solutions company Creating Careers, provides nationally-recognised vocational qualifications online, in subjects ranging from computer skills, work skills and personal development, to health, fitness and coaching. Parents can sign up and either work from home or study with fellow learners at the school’s newly opened Parents’ Room, which features a suite of PCs with internet access with coffee and tea on tap 8.40am-8.30pm, Monday to Friday.
“Vision2learn courses lead to national qualifications, most of which are eligible for government funding initiatives, which means adults will be able to study at little or no cost”, said David Godfrey, Head Teacher at Central First School. “We want to give parents, who may have missed out the first time around, the opportunity to get back into education to show their children that learning is a life long experience and one that does not finish when they leave school at 18.”
Paula Hannay, a 41 year old mother of triplets – Jay, Jasmin and Taylor aged 8 – worked for 16 years as a machinist at Dewhursts, making clothes for Marks & Spencer before taking a career break to have her children. Shortly after finishing her maternity leave the factory closed laying off 500 local people and topping up the already high unemployment levels.
“When the Parent Room opened I was delighted”, she said. “The courses in Computer Skills and Healthy Eating caught my eye. It was a great comfort to start this new venture with other mums in the same boat – in fact it‘s very much ‘comfort in numbers’ and a step I probably wouldn’t have taken on my own. If you get stuck, there is always someone there to help you out. It’s been a great boost to my confidence and I’m hoping to get myself a part-time job in the school once I’ve qualified”, she winked. “It’s great now at home too. For the first time I can help my kids with their homework. Very satisfying.”
Twenty-six year coal miner’s son and father of one Paul Brock, also enrolled. “I’m interested in the Computer Skills, Business Admin and Sports Coaching courses. I’m here to refresh my skills”, he said. “I used to be good at computing, but with time have forgotten the basic stuff. It is all coming back to me now and these new courses have given me the push I needed to get back into work. I’ve been unemployed for five years. My experience has always been that if you apply for a job simply saying you have ‘knowledge’, your CV ends up in the bin or ‘round filing cabinet’ as some people call it. If you have ‘qualifications’ they always give you a second look.
“What’s more, I can work at my own speed – studying in the Parent Room with my mates and also online at home – fitting it around my five year-old daughter Sophie, who attends Central First School. Once qualified I’d like to coach the kids and get some positive energy into them!” he said.
Head Teacher David Godfrey, who together with Creating Careers, has been the driving force behind the new Parents Room said, “I want to see Central First School being at the heart of this very close community. Our aim is to extend our impact beyond the classrooms into the lives and homes of the local area that we serve. The partnership between home and school is perhaps the most important factor in ensuring the successful future of the whole community.”
“We hope our vision2learn courses give parents the choice and flexibility they need to get back into learning. We find that enabling people to set and drive their own learning agendas helps them to make positive choices about further study and work and help their children to develop positive attitudes towards learning”, concluded Jonathan Ovenden, Business Development Director at Creating Careers.
To find out more about vision2learn please contact Jonathan Ovenden on 01661 864470 (mobile: 07730 402653) or email: jonathan.ovenden@creatingcareers.com.
For press enquiries please contact Zoe Mullan on 07553 374198 or email: zoe.mullan@creatingcareers.com.
About Creating Careers and vision2learn:
About Ashington Learning Partnership:
In 2006 a group of Ashington schools was chosen by the government to become pathfinders for a new educational venture - forming an educational trust. One year later the schools in question, Ashington High School, Bothal Middle School, Central First School, Hirst Park Middle School and Wansbeck First School, formed the Ashington Learning Partnership and became one of the first twelve Trusts in the whole country.
They were joined in the venture by some very prestigious partners: Northumbria University, Northumberland County Council, Wansbeck Business Forum, Ashington Children’s Centre and Northumberland College.
The Trust was formed to improve the already good quality of the education of the children in the five schools, nearly 3,000 in all. By pooling resources and sharing the expertise of staff they have increased the range of provision for their pupils. More importantly, they have begun to explore new ways of delivering education to match the needs of their pupils.
In addition to making savings by joining together, the interest in the Trust has also enabled it to secure additional funding. One example of this is the building of a Business and Enterprise Centre costing over a third of a million pounds.All in all it’s a ground-breaking educational project which will enrich the education of young people in Ashington’s schools.
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