Previous projects

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Previous projects

European Social Fund
via the Skills Funding Agency:

Regional Maths Centre

The project ran between August 2008 and March 2011. It was managed by ACER through a network of six sub regional leads and associated providers delivering professional development qualifications in teaching and supporting mathematics/numeracy to over 500 practitioners and recruiting over 400 new learners to numeracy courses at Entry 3, Level 1 and 2.

The project, which aimed to build the capacity and capability of the region’s learning providers to provide high quality mathematics/numeracy programmes and support them to deliver innovative and engaging courses, was very successful with achievement rates that were far higher than expected. The project significantly increased the number of qualified and experienced practitioners from across the learning and skills sector who have the capability and confidence to teach, support and embed effective numeracy learning.

Download the synopsis or the independent, external evaluation report to find out more about the project’s aims and outcomes and its impact on participants, their organisations and provision in the region.

Skills for Life Professional Development

The project ran between August 2008 and March 2011. It was funded by the European Social Fund via the Skills Funding Agency and was managed by ACER through a network of six sub regional leads and associated providers delivering professional development qualifications to over 800 practitioners in the East of England.

The project, which aimed to build the capacity and capability of Skills for Life workforce in the region, was very successful with an overall achievement rate that far exceeded expectations. A significant number of the region’s practitioners from across the breadth of the learning and skills sector are now qualified and better equipped to be more effective in teaching, supporting and embedding literacy, language and numeracy learning.

Stepping-stones

The project ran between September 2008 and March 2011. It was funded by the European Social Fund via the Skills Funding Agency and was managed by ACER through a network of ten hubs and 45 providers delivering literacy, language and numeracy courses to more than 3,300 individuals.

The project was a resounding success – the start target was exceeded and the achievement rate was far higher than forecast. More than 800 employers were engaged in the project and reported that the training has really made a difference to their bottom line.

Download the synopsis or the independent evaluation report to find out more about the project’s aims and outcomes and to see how our delivery model really made an impact in the East of England region.

Stepping-stones Resources

Understanding ESOL support: A3 version - A4 version

East-links: Leading the Field (ELF)

The project ran between April 2009 and March 2011. It was funded by the European Social Fund via the Skills Funding Agency and was managed by ACER in association with County Sport Partnerships and FE Colleges in the East of England. ELF offered fully funded training courses for individuals involved in the sport and active leisure sector. A variety of different courses were funded: coaching; officiating; coach tutor; health and fitness; leisure facilities/operations and community sports qualifications such as mentoring. Delivery was through National Governing Bodies of Sport and providers across the region.

The project was a resounding success: all learner targets were exceeded; high levels of satisfaction were reported by the learners who participated and strong links were made between the organisations involved.

Download the synopsis or the independent, external evaluation report to find out more about the project’s aims and outcomes and to see how the collaboration between ACER, SkillsActive, the County Sports Partnerships, Sport England, Sportscoach UK, National Governing Bodies of Sport and further education providers brought impressive results and led to over 1,600 individuals gaining a qualification in the sports and active leisure sector.

LSIS funding:

LSIS Regional Response Fund

ACER project managed four RRF projects between March and October 2011.

The programme aimed to support training providers to deal collectively with the operational, funding and planning implications of the changes to funding mechanisms. In addition, the fund aimed to help providers respond rapidly to the challenges of reduced funding and new priorities; and promoted collaborative, sector-led activities that allowed providers to enhance quality improvement in straitened times.

Otley College

An online toolkit for Tutorials in FE Rural Based - meeting new funding needs

The project developed an approach to the delivery of tutorials that minimised the risk to the learner experience threatened by funding reductions. For further information contact Jed Bultitude jed.bultitude@otleycollege.ac.uk Tel 01473 784107

Adult Community Learning Essex

A Toolkit for foreign language tutors in ACL to create blended learning online resources to complement face -to-face teaching

Tookit developed which supports increased independent study to minimise costs to learners where public funding has been reduced or removed. For further information contact Nola Marshall nola.marshall@essex.gov.uk Tel 01279 436230

Peterborough Regional College

Peterborough Regional College Employment Agency

The project promoted employers’ Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) to create new employment opportunities for individuals out of work, those in the process of being made redundant as well as full time students seeking employment. The project also raised the awareness and benefits of apprentices for employers. For further information contact Jon Wyllie jon.wyllie@peterborough.ac.uk Tel 01733 427292

KEITS

East of England Provider Interchange- Provider Network Development

The project re-energised provider networks, individually and regionally across the East of England, to come together in a structured support programme to collectively address quality improvement needs by sharing and developing ideas through a programme of activities including 7 workshops and 4 webinars for both apprenticeship and foundation learning providers. For further information contact Anna Morrison anna@amcsuk.com Tel 07969 023642

For information about ACER’s management of the Regional Response Fund contact Jenny Rodgers jenny.rodgers@acer.ac.uk Tel 01480 409302.

Skills and Employer Responsiveness Programme

This programme was delivered in the East of England, East Midlands and West Midlands in partnership with the 157 Group of Colleges, Association of Employment and Learning Providers, Association of Colleges and ACER.

The SER programme aims were to improve the service offered to employers by equipping providers with the skills and expertise to tailor learning to employers’ current needs. At the same time it encouraged providers to support each other and make a long-lasting and sustainable impact in the area of employer responsiveness. This enhanced the government’s continuing objective to improve the skills of the nation’s workforce. To find out more about this programme click here.

LSIS Support for Literacy Language and Numeracy Programme

This programme helped providers implement a whole organisation approach to literacy, language and numeracy; the aim being to enable more learners to have access to high quality teaching and learning in order to develop their skills and to help them progress in life and work. The target audience was providers new to delivering literacy, language and numeracy programmes, offender learning institutions, providers with employer-facing activity and those with significant numbers of learners.

The broad aim was to improve the quality of LLN provision, with priority given to numeracy, across the sector, so that more learners achieve their qualifications and so progress in life and at work. For more information about the programme click here.

LSIS Functional Skills Support Programme

The aim of the programme was to improve the quality of teaching and learning in functional skills amongst providers in the region.

Key outcomes were:

The provision of trainers to guide practitioners on what Functional Skills are and how best to deliver for the 14-19 and Adult Learning sector
The development of training resources to support the above
The establishment of a website for communities of interest
The generation of demand for training

Other funding:

Diversonopoly

The project developed a fantastic new tool to help education practitioners increase intercultural education and reduce xenophobia and racism. Click here for more information and to download the tool.

QUAVETS

Partners in the QUAVETS developed a project whose aim was to support improvements in quality in vocational education and training and build bridges between providers of education. The main objectives of the partnership, in accordance with the EU policies for EQF and NQFs, were to investigate and compare competencies and qualification required, as well as the concept of quality of education and training in four programmes: in Construction, Tourism, Health & Social Care and Food & Hospitality.

The partnership aimed to find out and describe differences in the educational and learning systems between the six partner countries; to compare National Qualification Frameworks, the content of current national qualifications, the requisite learning outcomes and quality indicators in four study programmes of each partner country. The partnership also strived to develop a platform further to build bridges between training institutions and other providers of education in VET programmes, to establish the level of school-based and work-based education in each country, to compare and lead the way to integrate good examples into the process.