Neath Port
Talbot College
Catering Training for
Special Needs Trainees
In September 2000 the College was awarded a £66,000 Objective
One grant for this project which provided vocational training in
the field of catering to young people who had special training
needs (due to literacy and numeracy difficulties) in order to
improve their employability. These young people faced a number of
barriers to training and entry into employment and required
integrated vocational training and support, assistance with
personal development and training with a high staff to beneficiary
ratio. The project provided supported experience of work and
up-to-date relevant vocational qualifications which were
supported by basic skills training in literacy, numeracy and IT
customised to the world of work. Training focused in communication
skills, personal development and team working.
Hairdressing &
Barbering Skills Training
In September 2000 the College was awarded a £289,000 Objective
One grant to fund a project that provided training in a range of
hairdressing and barbering skills in order to increase the
employability and to address the issue of traditional
under-representation of men in hairdressing an women in
barbering.
Many of the beneficiaries were long term unemployed due to
a lack of employable skills, low self esteem and lack of
confidence. The type of training and support they received assisted
them in their approach to the job market and a considerable
emphasis was placed on the acquisition of a range of skills to
meet the varied needs of the market. The project lead to an NVQ
Level 2 in hairdressing including barbering units as well as team
working, health and safety, key skills, business studies and retail
and customer service. The course also provided one day a week work
experience to give practical experience of working in a
business.
The project was designed to change the perceptions that
barbering is a male dominated industry and not suitable for women
and to promote hairdressing as an acceptable, respectable and
appropriate occupational route for males.
Business Administration & IT for
Returners
The College was awarded £187,000 of Objective 1 funds to run
this project which started in September 2000. The aim was to
deliver training in 'Key Skills' to adult returners. This training
was business and IT orientated and helped unemployed and
economically inactive people into work. The project increased
skills levels, motivation and confidence of the beneficiaries
making them more likely to obtain work.
Beneficiaries received training in Clerical and Secretarial
skills, including Computerised Accounting, Book-Keeping and
Secretarial Procedures. Generic Key Skills such as Basic Literacy,
Information Technology, Communication, Application of numbers,
Working with Others, Problem Solving and Understanding Customer
Needs. These skills are transferable thus contributing to business
competitiveness and are increasingly required across all sectors of
industry. The project helped long-term unemployed people make
informed choices about their employment and training needs by
providing them with vocational training and professional
guidance.
Advanced Technology Skills for SME's
This project started in April 2001 with the help of £109,000
received from Objective One funds and set out to train
beneficiaries in the skills needed to keep in-line with the ongoing
changes to industry in the South Wales region (where work is moving
from heavy industry and mining to high technology industries).
The aim was to deliver training at HNC level and above to
small groups in the high technology areas of electronics,
communications and building services management. This included
innovative high level skills training targeted to meet the needs of
growth companies. This in turn increased the skills base across
the area and developed the capacity of the region to deliver
technological advances.
The project was sympathetic to SME's who found it difficult
to release students to attend HE courses on a day release basis. It
supported small size groups in the short term until such time as
more high technology companies established themselves in the area
and demand for training increased. The project directly supported
these SME's so they could obtain the necessary qualifications to
allow them to comply with current legislation.
Management Training for
Women
This 3 year project which started in January 2002 received an
£89,000 Objective 1 grant to provide a personalised training scheme
in management and supervisory skills. The training met gaps
identified in local skills analyses and labour market evidence,
with particular focus given to the issue of encouraging females
into management roles.
The project was designed to target women seeking to elevate
their position in the labour market through management training,
higher level skills training etc.
Business
Practice Company
A £57,472 Objective One grant allowed
this project to start in January 2002. The college set up a trading
company which was run by full-time students aged 16-19 as an
integral part of their Advanced Certificate of Education in
Business qualification. This projects gave students first-hand
relevance to their training, and encourages enterprise and
entrepreneurship. Previous projects had worked successfully in the
past but changes in the system would not have allowed it to be
viable in 2002.
The project allowed students to attend and compete at trade
fairs, developing entrepreneurial and business initiative skills,
resulting in multi-skilled beneficiaries with enhanced employment
and self-employment opportunities.
Workbased Training for Technology
In January 2002 the College was awarded £164, 825 to run a
project which provided additional and complementary training and
raised awareness of current industrial practice to full-time
technology students. This was done through co-ordinated workplace
training and experience of the workplace, visits to companies,
exhibitions and seminars. Students were are also provided with
access to specific flexible learning materials relating to
workplace practices.
Finance &
Business Admin Skills
In response to the Governments White Paper "Building the
Knowledge Driven Economy" the College developed this project with
the help of £173,161 Objective One funding. The project which
started in September 2001 sought to promote an entrepreneurial ,
competitive and innovative environment to emulate the workplace in
order that trainees develop the relevant skills and the flexibility
to compete in a fast-changing labour market.
In line with other business training at the College this project
delivered training that promoted up-to-date knowledge and skills
needed in the local economy to improve administration and financial
record keeping and management.
Childcare Facilities at
Neath Port Talbot College
£188,975 of Objective One money had been allocated to this
capital project. The College used the funds to remove the
present nursery area on the Neath Campus and build a new nursery to
accommodate 45 toddlers and 18 babies. This new space allowed an
increase of minding provision for 15 babies and 27 toddlers. 12
more staff were recruited to manage the increase.
Electronic Learning Centre for
Technology & Humanities
Another capital project that was approved in Sept 2002 was for
the construction of a Centre of Excellence on the brownfield site
at the Neath Campus for the teaching of Technology and Humanities.
The £2,860,000 grant allowed for an increased capacity and volume
of training, as well as increased quality in terms of resources and
facilities for training in key areas needed for the improvement of
the economic profile of Neath Port Talbot. The project met the
needs of local industry which had a strong engineering base in
Neath Port Talbot as large numbers of current and prospective
students were those employed by local private companies,
including those on part-time and day release courses.
Business Admin HiTech Returners II
This project delivered training in key skills to adult returners
placing them in a business context in order to raise the skills
levels, motivation and confidence of long-term unemployed people.
The project provided training in clerical and secretarial skills,
including book-keeping and secretarial procedures as well as
generic key skills such as basic literacy, information technology,
communication, application of number, working with others, problem
solving and understanding customer needs.
It helped long-term unemployed people to make informed choices
about their employment and training needs. The skills they acquired
were transferable which contribute to business competitiveness and
were increasingly required across all occupations and in all
sectors of industry.
These projects were funded under the Objective 1
programme and are now complete.
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Last Updated: 23.07.2012 at 09:58