Get back into learning

Providing appropriate, accessible learning opportunities to engage the older community and those who are at risk from social isolation or exclusion due to limited resources in learning

Some background

The challenge we face is to engage the older community, who may not have attended any type of formal learning activity for some time and others who are at risk of social isolation or are excluded due to advances in technology and limited resources, in learning. In particular, the number of older learners accessing learning provision in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead has fallen over the last few years due to changes in the way adult and community learning is being funded.

This project will address this decline and, through the power of collaboration, build the capacity to seek and bid for sources of funding to sustain the provision.

The purpose of this project is to;

• Work in partnership to access the target groups, raise their awareness and engage them in learning opportunities
• Work in partnership to agree how to conduct a needs analyses to determine the types of course to be offered
• Source and publicise suitable courses and extend the range to attract older and hard to reach learners
• Identify progression opportunities for the local community
• Identify shared priorities and opportunities for new and existing partners to collaborate to draw down alternative sources of funding.
• Identify and bid for alternative sources of funding using the BNLC Network.

We are working in partnership with housing associations in Windsor and Maidenhead, Windsor and Maidenhead Voluntary Action, Age Concern, Windsor and the Army Welfare Service as they all successfully engage with hard to reach learners.

Current activities

Having completed the research we are offering various new opportunities to meet the needs of the targeted groups. These include:

• IT Skills for beginners
• Internet Skills
• E-mail
• Digital Photography
• Card making
• Yoga
• Watercolours