Adapt Projects

 

 

 

ADAPT Projects

The Consortium was involved in two ADAPT
projects and applied to be the lead partner in
another two.

Click on heading below to be taken to a further detailed description

The Business Training Network - The Consortium's role has
been to work with partners in Blackpool to support the creation of a
company based Learning Centre.

The Learning Exchange - This project is led by Lauder College
and is based on developing a "toolkit" for small and medium
sized enterprises.

Learning Together - This project will develop an innovatory
model and support services/ICT network to test approaches
whereby the UfI (University for Industry) can enhance guidance,
training and information services for women.

Key Skills Network - This project targets those people in the
workforce who have low levels of Key and Basic Skills. The target
groups are highlighted by numerous government and agencies
reports as being difficult to attract into learning.

 

The Business Training Network

The Consortium's local role has been to work with partners in
Blackpool to support the creation of a company based Learning
Centre that originated from a partnership of management and
unions. The centre is proving a model for partnership working
and is meeting the needs of the company, the union members
(and their family and friends) and the local community.

The Business Training Network project is a large national
ADAPT project which has a number of innovative aspects
which are being tested by partners across the country
working with firms drawn from a range of sectors of the
economy. Further information about the whole project
can be obtained from
Ecotec
which is the site maintained by the National Programme
Support Agency ECOTEC or from Jim Gairn at Lauder
College who take the leading role in the project. The Lauder
website can be found at www.lauder.ac.uk and if you are
interested in the discussions around the BTN project you
can go to discussion forums on the site map and then use
guest access.

 

The Learning Exchange.

This project is, again, led by Lauder College and is based
on developing a "toolkit" for small and medium sized enterprises
which will enable them to undertake a range of actions
from developing a learning culture within the firm through
setting up company based learning facilities to establishing
effective knowledge mapping and knowledge management
within their firm. The education partners in the project are
Lauder College , the Lancashire Colleges Consortium
(working with Blackpool, Preston and Skelmersdale Colleges ),
New College Nottingham and Blackburn College . The project
has several private sector partners and in relation to the
Knowledge Management aspect of the project is working
with a group of small retail outlets.

The different parts of the project will, initially, develop separate
blueprints and toolkits that will be brought together into an
integrated whole. Further information about the project will be
posted as the project progresses. End date of project June 2001.

The Lancashire Colleges Consortium has applied to take over
two new ADAPT projects where the original project sponsors
have withdrawn. The process is not yet concluded but a positive
outcome is expected by May 2000

 

Learning Together

This project will develop an innovatory model and support
services/ICT network to test approaches whereby the UfI
(University for Industry) can enhance guidance, training and
information services for women.

It will particularly focus on three areas of under-representation:-

• women setting up in business
• women training for IT occupations
• women training for management-level occupations

Trainees can "sign up" in any one of three occupational areas
(new business, IT, management)

The national virtual support service will give them access to the
specialist services they require. The local networks will be
inter-disciplinary and this will be used to structure support
groups, bringing together inter-disciplinary groups for
peer-group support, mentoring and "project work". The local
networks will offer virtual and real services.

The final outputs will be:

• the design of a "membership scheme" for lifetime
  membership for learners with value added services
  via the local network
• the on-line "gender issues in labour market change"
  information service
• a national network of local client-focused partnerships
• guidance and learning materials
• a quality-assurance scheme

The project will recruit mentors who will work with the
beneficiaries to achieve the outcomes.

More information on the project will be posted on this site
as the project develops.

 

Key Skills Network

This project targets those people in the workforce who
have low levels of Key and Basic Skills. The target groups
are highlighted by numerous government and agencies
reports as being difficult to attract into learning. Often
such individuals have poor experiences in education
and are worried about exposing their lack of skills
because of fear of ridicule or being singled out as
different. However within an economy which is increasingly
"Knowledge based" the lack of skills has serious implications
both for the individual and for the organisations within
which they work.

This project is designed to test the use of workplace
intermediaries - champions for learning and within the
project the Consortium will be working with a variety of
partners including the North West Bargaining for Skills (TUC) unit.