Updating skills

Help into work

Expert computer training

Courses and open learning

Follow-up support

Capacity building

ECDL & beginners cerificates

Free advice and guidance

Jonnie Beverley

Julia Walker-Smith came into thenew post of Fundraiser/ProjectDevelopment at the start of theyear to support these initiatives,with matched funding fromKensington & ChelseaNeighbourhood Renewal andWestway Development Trust.

During the year NOVA has beencontinuing to develop its corecourses, funded through Kensington & Chelsea College,

and to develop progressionroutes for its students which this

year has included a JobReadyadditional component

through NOVA'spartnering with the

mma North KensingtonOpportunities

Centre andfunding from theCampden

|| Charities.

NOVA hascontinued toexpand itsOutreachcourses, taking

H ICT training outr into community

settings, throughpartnerships with

Stadium Housing,North Westminster

Community School and anumber of community

groups including the Catholic

Children's Society. With fundingfrom Golborne United SRB,NOVA has also been developingcapacity building programmeswith local voluntary andcommunity organisations withtailor-made training to helpthem to make an effective andefficient use of ICT in the areaswhich matter most to theirorganisations.

It has been a busy year and asever this has been sustained bythe NOVA 'family' of full-timestaff, part-time tutors,volunteers and studentsthemselves who provide supportand encouragement within theirown course groups.

NOVA management committeeJonnie Beverley - ChairMichael Walker-Smith - TreasurerAlicia GallegosAbdi Ibrahim

dina

ris Apablaza

2004/5 has seen uscontinuing this role toprovide accredited trainingto all in the community andto help make individual tofulfill their ambition ofgaining skills and findingwork. We have alsoexpanded our services tolocal community groups todevelop their efficient use ofIT. Our aims are beingfulfilled as we help moreand more to fulfill theirambition to gain skills andfind work.

Our success, as shown inthe tables, would not bepossible without funds andwe are grateful to ourfunders, partners andsupporters for theircommitted assistance.Without this support NOVAwould never have been ableto develop and grow as avoluntary organisation inthe InformationCommunication Technologytraining field. We lookforward to an exciting andchallenging year ahead.

Opportunities 2004/05

200

100n

235 i

..& ^Z^ZStudent Nos Into Jobs Fur. Tr/Ed Vol.Work

O)T3

150

100

50

125

Kensington Westminster Others

250200 |—15010050

0

235

4-63-

Completed Student Numbers

In-hoUSe COUrseS are offered atCanalside House throuqhout th

The ECDL is a comprehensivecourse covering the Microsoftoffice suite ('File Management',Word, PowerPoint, Access, Excel,Email and Internet). Each coursewas part-time - 15 hours study aweek, in order not to affect thoseon benefit. Part-time study alsohelped mothers to gain skillswhen returning to work. These14-week courses helped over 40%of those attending to find work bythe end of the year with thisinternationally recognised ICT(Information CommunicationTechnology) qualification.

is the year we added twothanks to the

Campden Charities. Theseinnovative courses were deliveredby the NKOC (North KensingtonOpportunity Centre) staff as a partof the ECDL courses. NKOCtrainers helped

students write effective CV's andgain important interview skills. Weadded an extra week to eachcourse to cover the CV writing,interview techniques and jobsearching. This proved popularwith students as they were able to

talk to careers advisors and JobReady trainers at NOVA and ithelped some students overcometheir nervousness of taking thatfirst step to applying for work aftera long break.

OCR - Oxford, Cambridge andwere incorporated

into classes ensuring a sound basiclevel of computer competencewhen students were not ready forthe more advanced ECDL. Thesepractical qualifications proved tobe perfect for those with shorttime gaps available for study, likemums of young

children and also for students onshort courses in communityvenues.

Studentsbenefited from feeling free todrop in and use the computersbetween classes and in the lateafternoon to study at their ownpace. Advisors from a number oforganisations are all regularlyinvited to address students atNOVA during their courses; e.g.Paddington First for job seeking,NKOC (North KensingtonOpportunities Centre) for careersadvice/help with CVs and CIS(Children's Information Service)for advice on nurseries, crechesand how to cope with familycommitments while working. Firsthand information is a greatingredient to success.

In the

"Outreach"ICT (Information Communication Technology) Training

Training off site is provided incommunity venues throughlinks with local groups andhousing associations. Laptops,scanner, digital camera andwebcam are brought on site.We have a flexible approach tostudy needs by varying timesand venues. A great effort ismade to reach a wide range ofcommunities and provide ICTtraining in venues close to themand where they feelcomfortable. 2004/5 has seenus working with some greatnew partners and communitygroups to deliver tailor madetraining.

Two ICT/iob Ready courses at

Stadium Housing asked us todeliver IT courses for newtenants, mostly refugees andasylum seekers. New Life forPaddington funded this projectwhich saw NOVA and NKOC(North KensingtonOpportunities Centre) offering acombined training package ofWord Processing and Internetskills complementing job searchassistance. The NKOC jobReady part of the course wasadded to combine our abilitiesto help students write a soundCV, select the right route towork and practice interviewingskills for prospective interviews.

All users were offered follow-upservices at NKOC for careers adviceand at NOVA for further ICT studies.

provedperfect for thecommunity to dropin for classes.Stadium Housingencouraged us toexpand the courses andthanks to more funding from NewLife for Paddington we againcombined job searching from theNKOC with our essential ICT skillstraining.

PIP (Pursuing Independent Paths) inW9 provides high quality vocationaland life skills development servicesto young adults with learningdisabilities. We successfully ran anEmail/Word pilot project for PIPclients in March 05, funded by NewLife for Paddington.

for 15/16 year old studentsnew to this country. Following lastyear's successful pilot project,funding was secured fromWestminster Education for anexpanded programme whichincluded a visit to Oxford, a trip toKew and Shakespeare at the Globe.

in setting up laptops with an Internet connection wasprovided to Kensington & Chelsea Volunteer Bureau

on Monday afternoons throughout 2004/5. Regular asclockwork, at 1 pm, there was a flurry of activity as laptops, cablesand plugs were sorted, matched to machines and connected over aten-minute setting-up period. The meeting room quicklytransformed every Monday to become a mini Internet cafe to enablethe New Deal clients to use the Internet for job search and applyingfor posts. This successful venture is continuing into next year.

In the morning the students weretaught ICT skills for a websitewhich the students produced withtheir own personal pages, usingpictures taken during the outings.

just beforeChristmas for mothers at theCatholic Children's Society proved

great fun with NOVA's tutor,Anna Zahorska, leading the

group. ArrangementsI were made for childrenPi to be in the creche.

Meanwhile individuallydesigned Christmascards were produced by

jF the mums. They enjoyedlearning all about inserting

images, using coloureffectively and drawing thosespecial borders to make trulyunique and beautiful cards fortheir friends and relatives.

•ebpage design course f•in an after-school

course at the Westway Traveller'ssite in W10 produced someinnovative and promising ideas.These youngsters were keen tolearn and try out new ideas,proving that activity rather thanTV is a great incentive toproductive thinking and skilldevelopment. We have beenasked to return next year for moreafter-school courses.

used Canalside Housefor their ESOL (English forSpeakers of Other Languages)courses in 2004/5. During thistime NOVA provided the use ofthe computer training room forInternet and Email. Anunexpected benefit proved to bethe end of year party wherecultures, food and laughter wereshared with certificates handedout to the successful participants.This venture has helped manyimprove their English with thebenefit of developing IT skills inthe friendly and welcomingatmosphere at NOVA.

NOVA continues to show the way forwardwith computer skills training and follow-up support for studentsand fellow organisations

Ongoing support to organisationswithin Canalside House whichhouses eighteen voluntaryorganisations continued. Examplesof such support included wirelessconnections for twelveorganisations and administrationsupport to some of the smallerorganisations.

training for small voluntaryorganisations in 2004/05 provedpopular with local groups. Like anygood specialist on call, wheneverassistance was requested, NOVAwould send out a trainer to deliverthe requested courses.

Organisations benefited from thisindividual approach.

for5 small organisations in theGolborne United SRB area wasprovided by linking up computers,printers and equipment forefficiency. Voluntary organisationsbenefiting from this approach to anIT problem included SwinbrookNursery, Pimento and SpaceKC.

ran successfully forGolborne United SRB groups inSpring and Summer.

within partnership

group funded by

efe'*«g«y»«»t c«/«t»«*ai. This year MalcolmMoreno gained his Linux Red Hat Technician certificate. Julia Walker-$mitn, thanks to a CAF grant, started her certificate in FundraisingManagement. Mohamed Ban'uiga, Peter Kanssen and AgathaFidetis-Auma gained City & Guilds certificates at Kensington & ChelseaCollege while teaching at NOVA. Through the }GA Group, whospecialise ro career and management development, Anna Zahorska andNurul Al Asfi added to their City & Guilds Adult Teaching qualificationsWith' much valued NVQ3's in Advice and Guidance.

Golborne United, IDA and RBKCwas a great success with individualsand groups producing their ownwebsites while learning andnetworking along the way.

included attending many localopen days, events and tenant'smeetings to distribute leaflets andtalking to people in the communityabout what NOVA has to offer inthe way of computer training tosuit their particular needs.

Iris continued to help with theregular

inGolborne Road W10. This wasorganised by Sixty Plus to distributeleaflets and to talk to local peopleon a range of issues as diverse astraining, education, nurseries,health, food and financial help.The support of the Lisboa Patisserieand Delicatessen for storage ofleaflets and stall items emphasisedthe community nature of thissimple but effective project thatmarketed many of the Golbornegroup's services directly to peoplein the heart of this regenerationarea.

NOVA New Opportunitiesl«wSumAccounts Summary for year ending 31/03/2005

2004 2005

A Staff Reserve fund has beenestablished as part of theOrganisation's Reserves policyfor ensuring provision for staffcosts and providing scope forcover and development.

A Project Development Reservefund has been established aspart of the Organisation'sReserves policy to meet thecosts of project developmentinitiatives for the improvementof existing services and theidentification of users' needs notmet by NOVA's currentactivities.

An Administrative and GeneralReserve fund has beenestablished as part of theOrganisation's Reserves policy tocover both committedexpenditure, such as rentalagreements and unanticipatedexpenditure arising during theyear.

12,700

6,766

19,466

52,54614,500

6,5081,262

1 3,8006,000

94,616

5,599369

120,050

77,5801,5876,285

85,452

34,59830,77765,375

INCOMEGrants:Westway Development TrustNeighbourhood RenewalThe Campden CharitiesNorth Westminster Community SchoolRoyal Borough of Kensington & ChelseaOthers including CAP

Training Income:Kensington & Chelsea CollegeNew Life for PaddingtonRoyal Borough of Kensington & ChelseaKCCHGClikc OnlineOthers (Under £1,000)Golborne UnitedPaddington Development Trust

Other Income:Miscellaneous non training activitiesInvestment IncomeTOTAL INCOME

EXPENDITURECosts for furthering NOVA's ObjectsManagement & Administrative expensesCapital Expenditure

SURPLUS FOR THE YEARFund Balance Brought ForwardFund Balance Carried Forward

20,00020,00014,00011,9744,120

76070,854

72,1681 3,000

1,6705,7936,5081,518

100,657

7,1701,795

180,476

125,5001,3053,796

130,601

49,87565,375

115,250

: to fromall backgroi^ 'including local

ethnic minority communities,refugees and • refers and toprovide the training which willthem the skills to get both voluntary

Young people, who perhapsleft school discouraged, arereturning to study and gain

ICT certificates to get them onto the next step of the ladder in theirfuture. Whether for a job, or a placeat college, we have been impressedwith the drive and determination

they continually show in theirstudies at NOVA. We are proud

to be that first step to manycareer ladders.

re people are discoverh NOVA courses that thei,

for the mature student

"Thank you all for providing arelaxed and friendly atmosphere for

learning. Your patience andencouragement was much

appreciated, i hope NOVA goesfrom strength to strength."

hisworking at

MQTABILITY

NOVA NEW OPPORTUNITIES CANALSIDE HOUSE 383 LADBROKE GROVE LONDON W10 5AA

nova.new@btclick.com www.novanew.co.uk T 020 8960 2488 F 020 8960 3898