PRESS RELEASE
1st November 2011
DIGITAL LEARNING PROJECT WINS FUNDING TO CREATE NEW FUTURES FOR
SCUNTHORPE
Communitas EU Ltd. has beaten off thousands of rival bids to secure funding of £38,000
from the Skills Funding Agency, as part of the new Adult and Community Learning Fund.
The Fund will enable Communitas, the learning and skills arm of trade union Community, to
provide free IT drop-in sessions and workshops for hundreds of Scunthorpe residents who
have little or no experience of using a computer or the internet. The project will also support
local workers who are facing redundancy, helping them to find alternative employment.
Richard England, Project Manager, said; “The Fund enables us to take a new mobile
learning facility into workplaces, libraries and other local community venues. Our friendly IT
tutor will be on hand to get people started and to offer advice on what they can do next to
gain more experience and confidence with computers, even if they have never switched one
on before. People will also be able to learn practical new skills such as using the internet and
e-mail, and how to look for a job ‘online’. The sessions are very informal, fun and free.”
Geoff Russell, Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency, said; “Each project that has
secured funding from the Adult and Community Learning Fund will make a tremendous
difference to the lives of individuals and to the communities they are part of. Skills and
lifelong learning should be at the heart of every community and the Government is
committed to making that happen with its vision for the Big Society.”
Carol Taylor, Deputy Chief Executive of NIACE, added; “NIACE is proud to have the role of
supporting the Skills Funding Agency in managing the Adult and Community Learning Fund.
The response to this bid has been staggering - we received over 2,400 bids. Deciding which
of the projects should receive funding has been incredibly tough, however this means that
the very best projects will be transforming the lives of local people and local communities.”
Scunthorpe - New Futures with Digital Learning will be running until the end of March 2012.
For
further
information
about
this
project
please
contact
Richard
England
at
richardengland@communitas.org.uk, on 07740 176 905 or on 01562 749 172. More
information can also be found at; www.communitas.org.uk/scunthorpe.
- Ends Notes to editors:
1. Communitas EU Ltd. (‘Communitas’) is the learning and skills development arm of the trade
union Community and has provided help and re-training opportunities to over 22,000 people
across the UK. Communitas has a track record of working with its partners to develop,
manage and deliver successful learning projects, both for members of Community and for
local communities. Partner organisations who are involved in Scunthorpe - New Futures with
Digital Learning include North Lindsey College, North Lincolnshire Council, Voluntary Action
North Lincolnshire (VANL) and Tata Steel. More information about Communitas can be found
at www.communitas.org.uk.
2. For more information about the Adult and Community Learning Fund please visit
www.niace.org.uk/adultandcommunitylearningfund.
3. The following themes are important strands in Adult and Community Learning Fund activity;
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support for civic engagement and community decision making;
support of better mental or physical health;
support for enhancing financial capability;
involvement and enhancement of both volunteers and the engagement of voluntary
organisations;
widening access to digital and other important skills;
building stronger families;
connecting non-formal learning opportunities with formal learning; and
opportunities for individuals and communities to develop social and economic
independence.
4. Informal Adult and Community Learning (IACL) is an umbrella term describing a broad range
of learning that brings together adults, often of different ages and backgrounds, to pursue an
interest, address a need, acquire a new skill, become healthier or learn how to support their
children. This kind of learning, usually unaccredited, is an important part of the wider learning
continuum. It can be undertaken for its own sake or as a step towards other learning/training.
It covers structured adult education courses taught by professionally qualified teachers,
independent study on-line, and self-organised study groups.