An innovative Care Work summer school that transformed the lives of 13 young girls from the Caerphilly County Borough, who had become disenchanted with education, has led to valleys-based training firm Educ8 Ltd being presented with a prestigious skills award.
The firm achieved a 2010 National Training Award (NTA) which was announced at a special ceremony in the Swalec Stadium in Cardiff recently, marking the first day of skillscymru, Wales’ largest ever careers and skills event.
NTA’s are designed to celebrate organisations and individuals that demonstrate outstanding business and personal success through investment in training and to encourage others to follow their example.
Poor school attendance and negative attitudes among the girls, who were pupils at schools in Caerphilly, Merthyr and Gwent, set alarm bells ringing for Caerphilly County Borough Council’s 14-19 Education Unit, who realised they risked falling out of learning and into long-term unemployment.
Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC) approached Educ8 for help following the firm’s previous success with people of the same age.
Together, they designed a three-week summer school to re-engage the girls, achieve a minimum 90% attendance, encourage and facilitate team working, develop and improve their communication skills, boost self-esteem and motivation and enable the girls to gain nationally-recognised qualifications.
Above all, it introduced the girls to the Health and Social Care and Childcare sectors, explaining what employers need and giving them firsthand experience of the work.
The programme was highly practical, combining group discussions, learner presentations and work experience, as well as one-to-one coaching and mentoring from Learning Coaches within CCBC’s 14-19 Education Unit.
The qualifications on offer included CIEH Certificate of Health and Safety in the Workplace, CIEH Level One Certificate in Food Safety, and Certificates of Attendance for Risk Assessment Awareness and Effective Communication in Care.
All 13 learners successfully completed the three-week programme, many achieving 100% attendance, and gained nationally-recognised qualifications. A six-month post-course analysis conducted by the 14-19 Education Unit revealed that some of the girls had gone on to study Care at college and some were in paid employment or volunteering.
NTAs are organised in Wales by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) and are promoted and supported in partnership with UK Skills on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
