the learning place
We are part of Portsmouth City Councils Employment, Learning and Skills service.
We are fully externally funded with the main source of funding being the
contribution which comes through our contract with the Education and Skills
Funding Agency (ESFA) which we seek to supplement though other sources, such as
The Good Things Foundations UK Online Centres. This means that we are able to
provide certain courses free of charge, others at heavily subsidised rates and
offer reduced fees for those on means tested benefits – see our Curriculum
Strategy and Fees Policy for more information. We operate from our purpose built
centre; The Learning Place, 6 Derby Road, North End, in Nelson ward and you are
welcome to drop-in and see us to find out more. The centre core opening times
are 9.00 – 16.30 Monday to Thursday, and to 15.45 Fridays. Our aim is to provide
high quality learning experiences for adults living and working in and around
Portsmouth. All teaching staff are trained to teach adults, with appropriate
additional subject specialism qualifications and are required to complete annual
training / professional development. We understand that for some, learning
supports leisure and for others it builds capacity and skills, enabling them to
get back to work, take a greater role in their community or better support their
childrens learning. We therefore try to provide a responsive programme which
maximises access to community learning for adults, bringing new opportunities
and improving lives, whatever people’s circumstances, such as: Qualification
based courses supporting readiness to work / employability including: Functional
Skills English, maths and ICT from entry levels up to level 2 Food Safety in
Catering Apprenticeships for those aged 16+ New accredited courses are being run
regularly. See the accredited courses tab for more information Community
Learning programmes including: Computers and internet Family Learning and
Parenting, including English and maths Community / non-accredited ESOL
Introduction to Functional Skills English and maths Arts and Crafts Cookery
Health and Wellbeing (e.g. confidence building, relaxation and stress busting)
Improve Your Skills (e.g. CV Writing, Employability Support) If you are not able
to find a course you are looking for on our website do please get in touch with
us. The programme is subject to change and some courses with certain eligibility
requirements are not always advertised on our website. We only have a limited
budget but we do look to prioritise its use to meet identified demand, so tell
us what you would like to learn and why! Many of our programmes can also be
delivered in a range of venues, so if you represent a community or organisation
and are interested in hosting some courses, let us know that too! In addition to
the courses we deliver, a small proportion of our funding is allocated to enable
quality contracted providers to be engaged, through a robust procurement
process, resulting in a broader community reach. In 2021/22 our current key
areas for development are: Work readiness, pre-employment skills including
increased business / employer links internally and externally, to particularly
support the ongoing development of Apprenticeship programmes. Digital inclusion:
continuing to offer IT provision and seeking to use innovative solutions to
support those who remain digitally excluded to engage with computers and the
internet Health and Wellbeing: further developing the increasingly well
documented links between learning, health and wellbeing. Confident and Resilient
Learners: To support learners to achieve, progress and identify their next
steps.
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