The ABLE project is funded by the Welsh Union Learning Fund
The ABLE (Addressing Basic Learning and Education) project is in
consultation with SSC’s identifying the learning needs of targeted workers and
to deliver a comprehensive key skills programme.
Communitas enter targeted workplaces and in conjunction with ULR’s disseminate
information on the project. We offer workers a learning programme designed to
test their key skills aptitude using either onsite IT computer equipment or
Communitas mobile laptops. The programme identifies literacy, numeracy and ICT
needs.
The ABLE project targets workers from steel manufacturing, textiles, knitwear,
footwear and apparel trades and food preparation industries throughout Wales,
typically non traditional learners and addresses their needs and potential
barriers. The project will include ULR’s to promote key skills attracting
colleagues otherwise reluctant due to educational inexperience.
With promotion of onsite learning centres and flexible tuition, increasing accessibility to workers operating various shift patterns, and providing learning during work hours benefits employees with outside commitments e.g. childcare. This project has led to a learning culture being developed within the wider workforce taking the benefits beyond the life of the project. Pictured right are some of the Community members at Corus packaging plus Trostre plant enrolling onto a Learndirect IT course with Gorseinon College Swansea.
Corus Trostre - Moving Forward
These are just a few of our members who have taken the opportunity to upskill and to re-engage with learning through the ABLE project funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, through the Wales Union Learning Fund and managed by our Communitas team in Wales. At present we have a number of members participating in courses, which range from basic IT courses to flower artistry, welding and horticulture, to name but a few.The recently opened Learning Centre at the Trostre site has been manned by our union learning reps over the last few weeks and visited by a large number of the workforce who have been able to take part in taster sessions for Learndirect and the Corus Intranet learning programme.
A joint partnership approach has enabled us to achieve this success at the Trostre site, through the Community trade union, the hard work of our dedicated Community learning reps and the full support of the local management team, who have recently signed up to the Welsh Assembly initiative “ The Employer Pledge “ to help tackle any basic skills issues within the workplace.
The total determination to see this project succeed plus the hard work and dedication of every one involved will hopefully show the rest of Corus UK the way forward. Pictured right are some of our new union learning reps attending a recent training course at the Power station in Cwmbran.
The course was a joint collaboration between Communitas, Wales TUC and the WEA. The course was run over 5 consecutive Tuesdays and was lead by Anthony Powell from Barry College.
The course was an overwhelming success with all the participants gaining an OCN accreditation.