Newsletter 2016

Community

David Vint: Assistant Director Community, Schools’ Partnership & External Funding

Welcome to our 5th annual Community Newsletter.

The Newsletter aims to update you on the successes of the last 12 months, keep you informed of the wide ranging work the College undertakes with our community partners and provide details of what is happening in your area in the coming months. Our Community Development Officers deliver a range of services to support existing and new community groups in the region. I hope our Newsletter will give you a good insight into the work we undertake to support community education and development in your area.

Southern Regional College is a community college and we take our role within our local communities seriously. We work with

over 100 partners covering over 1,500 square miles to ensure that everyone has access to the very best quality education.

Our Community Development Officers work in partnership with schools, children’s centres, libraries, community and voluntary sector organisations as well as our local councils to deliver adult education to meet local needs. In 2015/16 we delivered a total of 454 community training courses to 2,718 participants in 90 community venues throughout the region.

This year also saw changes to our team as two of our longest serving Community Development Officers, Doreen Lappin and Patsy Doyle retired from the College. On behalf of the team I would like to wish them well in their future.

If you manage or work for a community group within the region and you think it could benefit from engagement with SRC, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. A member of our team will be delighted to meet with you to discuss how your community could benefit from engagement with SRC.

Welcome to SRC Community News

Southern Regional College has secured £50,000 funding from the Prince’s Countryside Fund for a the ASSET (Agriculture Sustaining Start-up Enterprise Training) programme, a new project focusing on farm business diversification.

The aim of the project is to provide accredited training to members of farming families, equipping them with the skills required to diversify and create a supplementary income to their current farming business, improving farm sustainability and encouraging farmers of the future to remain within the industry. The project is targeting young farmers within the SRC catchment area, particularly those who live in border and isolated areas and those who for various reasons are unable to attend agricultural college.

The project will provide locally based

accredited training for 15 young farmers. Support will also be given through business and equipment incentives, sharing models of best practice and ongoing business support.

The ASSET Programme will cover topics relating to business planning, marketing, identifying sources of funding, developing business plans, understanding business legislation and how to keep financial and other records. The vocational training provided will be specific to meet individual business needs and relate directly to their planned area of diversification.

If you are a young farmer or a member of a farm family and you would like to find out more about the project contact: Heather Kavanagh M: 077 3633 6152 E: kavanaghh@src.ac.uk

The ASSET Programme £50,000 funding from the Prince’s Countryside Fund

Newsletter 2016

STEPs ArmaghThe Support Training and Employment Programme (STEP) 2015 funded by the Department for Communities (DfC) experienced another year of success with 118 NR residents applying to the programme. 87 residents achieved qualifications and 11 residents gained employment. Residents completed a wide variety of training including courses in; First Aid, Forklift (Counterbalance), Forklift (Telescopic), Fashion Skills, Joinery, CSR, Door Supervision, CCTV Training, Lorry Driving, Beauty and Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Residents who achieved a qualification were also offered the opportunity to partake in driving lessons and achieve their driving test.

The STEPs programme was created to offer training across the Armagh community equipping residents with recognised training qualifications, confidence and practical life skills all of which are crucial in enabling local people to find employment or to facilitate everyday life at work or in education.

The GROW ProjectThe GROW project delivered accredited qualifications for residents of NRAs in Brownlow, Lurgan and Portadown. The project is funded by DfC as part of its Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy. This year, 24 students completed their BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticultural Skills and also had the opportunity to complete their Essential Skills Literacy, Numeracy and IT.

The highlight of the programme was a horticultural workshop attended by residents from the Taghnevan Allotments Group in the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin. The workshop included advice on how to grow your own vegetables and maintain recycling processes in the garden/and in allotments.

GROW Project students at the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin

MP visited SRC BanbridgeLord Morrow and David Simpson MP visited SRC Banbridge Campus. They met with David Vint Assistant Director in relation to community learning. They toured the campus and discussed ongoing engagement in the local area.

Armagh Neighbourhood Renewal residents from the Men’s Shed participating in completing joinery through STEPs.

Capturing Craigavon

Capturing Craigavon is a community-based project that explores and documents the history of Craigavon, charting the events, stories and implications of its founding, from its conception in the 1960s, through the decline of the 1980s and 90s and on to the renewal of the 2000s up to the present day. This is done through events and developing resources.

The project was conceived by the community and developed with the support of Armagh City, Banbridge, Craigavon Borough Council (ABC Council). As a partner in the project Southern Regional College provided a Research training programme which aimed to train local people from the Brownlow area in researching, documenting, archiving and developing new ways to share the story.

Newsletter 2016

The Oceans Project had a very successful second year with 21 residents from Neighbourhood Renewal Areas in Armagh, Craigavon and Newry completing a range of qualifications and gaining licences to enable them to apply for employment in the offshore industry.

This years participants completed their training with Effective Offshore in Donegal and The National Maritime College in Cork. The Oceans project offers the OPITO Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET) licence to residents. This 3 day offshore course is designed to provide a basic knowledge of safety and emergency response procedures for working in offshore environments.

The residents also gained qualifications and licences in Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST), Compressed Air Emergency Breathing System (CA-EBS) and had access to Essential Skills courses.

Oceans is funded by the DfC and is open to residents of Neighbourhood Renewal Areas in Armagh, Craigavon and Newry.

For more information on this years project contact: Jim Cunningham: M: 07711 981732E: cunninghamj@src.ac.uk

Oceans Project Students in Donegal

Oceans Students prepared for their BOSIET training

Southern Regional College’s Community Staff were involved in Community Planning Workshops for the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council as well as the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

The new community plans will help shape the long term strategic direction for the new council areas and enhance the delivery of public services to ensure the councils are improving the well-being of residents.

Those who took part were encouraged to identify the skills deficit, lack of partnerships and links to employers. The workshops were designed to highlight those issues that need prioritised and would benefit from a collaborative approach to community planning.

The College in partnership with the Councils aims to ensure that all residents of the area have access to a quality education and that their needs are met in any future planning, making learning central to the Council’s plans.

SRC Community Development Officers Take Part in Community Planning Workshops

Newsletter 2016

Southern Regional College’s International affairs team recently welcomed a Dutch delegation to the College. The theme for the day was ‘Learning and Organisational Development.’

The Dutch Delegation comprised of ten senior managers from HAN University of Applied Sciences; Technical University Delft;

Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam; Markiezaat College; ROC van Twente and Noorderpoort College. They spent one day at the College in October exploring the potential for new and innovative projects and sharing ideas and developments. The Dutch delegation met with a number of key staff and students and were also given a tour of the College’s new STEM hub.

Dutch Delegation Visit SRC

The Prince’s Countryside Fund

Pictured at the PCF Celebration Event in March 2016 from left to right: David Vint; Noel Lavery (Permanent Secretary of DARD NI); young farmers, Mr. Brian Doran (Chief Executive SRC) and Ian Marshall (President of the Ulster Farmers Union)

This year, we completed the highly successful Protect Your Sons and Daughters programme through funding from the Prince’s Countryside Fund programme (PCF). The aims were to improve the viability of farming in Northern Ireland and raise awareness of the many dangers involved in working on farms and the hazards faced by farmers on a daily basis. We provided training opportunities for farmers and their families in several areas such as farm safety, first aid, tractor skills and towing trailers.

Farming is a vital part of the Northern Ireland economy, providing employment to 47,000 people across 24,500 farms. Unfortunately the safety record of farming in Northern Ireland is very poor and continues to account for a disproportionate number of deaths in comparison with the other main business sectors.

Our programme was aimed at farmers and members of the farming family or those working in the agriculture industry are participants included: • People from the border areas of Northern Ireland; • Small to part time farmers in isolated areas and • Farmers who had no formal agriculture training.

Achievements• 10 participants achieved Level 2 or Level 3 qualifications in First Aid • 10 special needs students living on farms were instructed on first aid skills• 15 participants achieved their Lantra Tractor Driving qualification• 9 participants achieved their Lantra Quad / Sit- Astride ATV qualification• 40 participants achieved their DVA training for Category B7E Trailer Towing • 18 people achieved their Level 2 Safe Working in Agriculture• 255 participants attended health and safety on the farm• 1 Farm safety dvd produced for children and disseminated through local schools

Caption: Young farmers attending the tractor driving training

Newsletter 2016

Enterprise Firm SRC’s Enterprise Firm Project delivers bespoke entrepreneurial and self-employed business management training to economically inactive individuals across Neighbourhood Renewal Areas.

Residents are supported to develop their entrepreneurial skills and learn how to manage a small business and use those skills to further employment. They complete a BTEC Level 2 Award in Enterprise Skills.

This year, the programme was delivered in Brownlow Business Park, Craigavon and in Greenshoots in Newry.

• 22 participants successfully achieved the BTEC Level 2 Award in Enterprise Skills through the Enterprise Firm project.• 18 participants achieved the World Host Principles of Customer Service• 22 participants received training on how to produce a tailored Business Plan• 22 participants received career and guidance talks • 22 participants took part in a team building residential • 7 participants have set up their own business • 2 participants have found employment

This programme provides people with access to vocational training and personal development, leading to recognised qualifications and experience. Participants are given the opportunity to improve their knowledge base in entrepreneurship and learn to develop their business idea within the project.

Student Success Stories

If you are interested in joining this years Enterprise Firm contact: Lesley Hamilton (Newry): M: 078 4110 2846 or Jim Cunningham (Craigavon): M: 077 1198 1732

Residents participating in Enterprise Firm

WALD Centre, Cullyhanna The SRC community team continues to work closely with the WALD centre Cullyhanna providing a range of accredited training courses in a local community setting. A wide variety of classes are available such as Introduction to Autism Spectrum, Sage Bookkeeping and Payroll, ICT / Computers, Literacy and Numeracy. To find out more about classes commencing this term contact: Heather Kavanagh: T: 077 3633 6152

Elaine McConville from Lurgan joined the Enterprise Firm to enhance her business start up skills. As a result she is now engaged in setting up a cosmetics and beauty product business.

Roisin O’Neill from Armagh also participated in the Enterprise Firm. On completion Roisin decided to set up her own part time business and now works from home as a seamstress.

Stormont Executive Economy Committee

Staff in the Community and External Funding and International Affairs Team recently met MLAs from the Stormont Executive’s Economy Committee in Newry Campus. The team discussed the extent of our various programmes in the community and highlighted the impact our opportunities have had across the region including in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas, with farm and rural families and people on low incomes. We also outlined our work with transnational partners across Europe and how over one hundred staff and students travel to other Colleges each year to share learning experiences and good practice and gain an understanding of working in another country.

Newsletter 2016

TOPS CraigavonThe Training and Employment Opportunities Programme (TOPS) continues in the Lurgan, Brownlow and Portadown Neighbourhood Renewal Areas and this year over 80 residents who were unemployed or on low incomes completed training. The project is funded by DfC as part of its Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy. A range of courses are offered to meet the specified interests and needs of employers. For example, work focused training in Counter Balance forklift driving, Category C Driving, Door Security and CCTV Operations. A major element of the project is to help residents overcome personal barriers to finding employment.

The overall aim of the TOPS project is to help participants secure employment and many do just that. Last year Janis Cimermanis lost his job when his company closed. Janis signed up to the TOPS project and achieved his RITTB forklift licence. Shortly afterwards he was able to secure employment with Evron Foods in Craigavon. Janis is delighted that he has found work. He says of the TOPs project:

‘In visiting the local jobcentre I was told about the TOPS project and could not believe that such an opportunity was available. as soon as I got the information I arranged to meet with SRC Community Development Officer. I was able to get on to the forklift training course. Once I achieved the licence I applied for jobs and almost immediately got work’

Gregory Kidd from Mourneview in Lurgan has just completed his forklift training and is currently applying for jobs in the local area:‘It is a great opportunity, after just one week I was more employable.

SRC arranged for transport to take me to the training everyday and after five days I was fully qualified to drive the forklift. I would definitely recommend it’.

The project also provides mentoring support for young people engaged in the SRC School Partnership Programme (SPP) and additional targeted mentoring to young people who progress from SPP to SRC on a full-time basis. In 2015/16 there were 778 young people involved in Occupational Studies and 210 of them live in NRAs.

For further information contact: Jim Cunningham: M: 077 1198 1732

TOPS participant Janis Cimermanis who has secured employed with Evron Foods in Craigavon Gregory Kidd from Lurgan pictured in training at Safetylife in Belfast

SRC hosted a delegation of twenty Austrian teachers to showcase the work of the International Affairs team and the College’s comprehensive curriculum across all schools. It was an opportunity for curriculum managers to share international best practice and experience.

The delegation from various vocational colleges in Vienna were keen to discuss the Austrian dual apprenticeship system and compare it to the Northern Ireland education system. The visit helped to raise SRC’s profile in the international field and we are now planning to develop links with more Austrian colleges to potentially form partnerships for future work experience and study placements for both staff and students. This collaboration underlines the College’s key strategic aim of promoting an outward and forward looking

college through the development of international links supporting staff, students and knowledge exchange.

SRC are only one of two Colleges in the UK to hold both the ERASMUS + HE and VET Mobility Charters. These charters recognise the operational capacity of SRC to manage high quality EU projects and rewards its efforts to achieve greater internationalisation in education and training.

In 2016 SRC hosted 50 teaching staff from the Netherlands, Spain, Malta, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Austria and Finland. The College has recently secured funding through ERASMUS+ to enable 200 SRC students to undertake fully funded work placements within a European setting in 2017.

Austrian Delegation Visit SRC

Newsletter 2016

Spanish Internships at SRCSRC are currently hosting six Spanish Interns from Santander in Northern Spain as part of the Erasmus+ Programme. The students are studying Computer Network Systems Management in Decroly College in Spain and are very much enjoying their work placement within the IT Services section of SRC.

Erasmus+ was launched in 2014 to replace existing funding schemes for education, training, youth and sports. With an injection of over 14.7 billion Euro this framework program supports development, helps to prevent unemployment, and promotes education and healthy lifestyles. Funded by European Commission, Erasmus Plus enables our students to take part in student exchanges and work experience placements abroad, and it also allows SRC staff to attend training sessions and take part in study visits abroad.

Construction Work Placements In Germany A Great Success

SRC Construction students have just returned from Germany after carrying out a 2 week work placement funded through the ERASMUS+ Programme. The group consisted of Level 2 & 3 Construction students from a variety of courses. During their time in Germany the students were involved in working on a restoration project in the centre of Leipzig, this work was carried out to a very high standard and the site management team were extremely impressed. Four members of the Worldskills UK squad were part of this group of SRC students.

The students had the opportunity to travel to Berlin were they visited the memorial to the Holocaust, the Reichstag German Parliament Building and the Berlin Wall. They also visited the University in Leipzig where they were given a lesson on testing the strength of large reinforced concrete beams and were provided with information on the Construction Degrees available at the University.

Pictured in the photograph are the students with the SRC lecturers and project co-ordinator Paul Doran with Patrick Maguire, Ryan O’Gorman and Darren Little. Since 2007 SRC’s International Affairs team have secured over €2m in EU funding through the Lifelong Learning (LLP) & Erasmus + Programmes for 55 EU projects. These projects have enabled over 1000 students to secure work-placements and job shadowing abroad.

Further information please email: internationalaffairs@src.ac.uk

Viva Espana for SRC StudentsTen students from the School of Hospitality, Business and Management were selected to undertake a 2 week work placement Sitges, Spain in June 2016. The work placements were fully funded by the ERASMUS+ and organised by the Institut Joan Ramon Benaprès Spain.

The Institut Joan Ramon Benaprès is based in Sitges, approximately 35 kilometres from Barcelona and is regarded as a centre of excellence for hospitality training in the region. The ten students undertook Spanish language and cultural awareness training in preparation for their placements. The sessions were delivered by staff from the Fundacion Docete in Spain.

Ten SRC students undertaking language and cultural awareness in preparation of their visit to Spain.

Newsletter 2016

Into Work Training The Into Work Training Support (IWTS) initiative is funded by the Department of Employment and Learning. Clients are referred by the Employment Service Jobs and Benefits Office to Southern Regional College and short accredited and tailored training programmes are delivered to help the clients seek and secure employment.

The IWTS Programme provided Jobs & Benefit Clients with a number of valuable work-oriented qualifications across a number industry sectors.

As of the 1st August 2016 IWTS has assisted 674 Clients from the Jobs + Benefit Centre across the Southern Region with training courses to secure employment.

We have successfully delivered training in the following areas: • Lorry Training 24 Clients• CCTV + Door Security Licences 17 Clients• Digger Training 1 Client• 17th Edition Training 1 Client• Cherry Picking Training 1 Client• CSR Training 164 Clients• First Aid Training 11 Clients• Flammable Liquids Training 1 Client• Food Safety 17 Clients• Forklift Training 53 Clients• Sage Training 8 Clients• Other Training 6 Clients

Funding UpdateThe External Funding & International Affairs Team (EFIAT) have secured €307,560 under ERASMUS+ VET funding to enable 150 students and 30 staff to undertake meaningful mobility placements across Europe. The team were also successful in securing ERASMUS+ HE funding for 14 staff and 7 HE students.

The EFIAT were also awarded €27,420 for an International Credit Mobility (ICM) Project. The ICM project is in partnership with Messiah University in Pennsylvania USA, the project will enable the College to send 3 staff and 2 students to the US for study, SRC will also host 2 students and 3 staff from Messiah College.

The funding secured by the EFIAT will enable SRC students to benefit from exciting learning experiences that will not only enable them to achieve relevant professional and technical qualifications but also avail of opportunities to grow personally and socially so they can survive and thrive in the new global society.

Pictured above are members of The University of the Third Age (U3A) at the Leaf Horticultural section of SRC’s Greenbank campus. Retired and semi-retired people come together and learn together, not for qualifications but for its own reward. Members share their skills and life experiences. The group are growing a variety of plants and vegetables.

Studies have shown a garden allotment will allow you to grow healthy fruits and vegetables for yourself. Tending an allotment can be a rewarding community experience as it gives you the opportunity to meet people with similar interests and is an excellent form of exercise for people of all ages and abilities. Community gardening often takes place on lots that have been abandoned or are ignored. If you are interested in such a pastime please contact one of our Community Development Officers.

University of the Third Age (U3A)

New Community LinksThe SRC community team continues to expand its outreach working with a number of new centres and organisations. Most recently links have been established with Middletown Parish Community Hall and Dromore Elim church.

Classes available from September 2016 include Essential Skills ICT / Computers and Paediatric First Aid. To find out more about these classes or enquire about your own community area contact a member of our community team:

Heather Kavanagh Armagh Area M: 077 3633 6152 E: kavanaghh@src.ac.uk

Lesley Hamilton Newry AreaM: 078 4110 2846 E: hamiltonl@src.ac.uk

Jim Cunningham Craigavon AreaM: 077 1198 1732E: cunninghamj@src.ac.uk