Story by Rob Smith
The Burngreave Community Learning Campaign (BCLC) began in April 2003. It aims to employ local people to encourage other local people into education. The pilot phase is nearly complete, but it’s had it’s problems.
Some learning assistants have moved on to bigger and better things while the Learning Campaign continues with 20 new learning assistants.
Freda Cotterell, Head of the BlackCARD is the accountable manager for the New Deal funded learning campaign. She says:
“As a pilot this was a large-scale project employing a core team of five, and eighteen Burngreave residents, previously unemployed and with limited education qualifications, as Learning Assistants. Their work entailed both increasing their own education, personal development and employment prospects and, most importantly, promoting adult education within Burngreave with targets for the numbers taking up courses.”
“The majority made excellent contributions, with commitment to the community and real determination to succeed in their studies. They promoted learning initiatives by door knocking and talking to people in community venues. We exceeded the targets and created a good foundation for achieving the vision of a future with a well educated community, committed to lifelong learning for all.
We also produce the Burngreave Learner magazine, distributed by the staff to all households. It provides information on courses for all, whatever your education or learning needs, cultural and language difference and general interests.”
Immanuel Heywood, who now works for At Work employment agency, was one of the first round of learning assistants and I was eager to hear about his experience. He says:
“I joined from the start. I believe it’s a great idea and concept for local people to engage with other residents to help them understand the need to educate themselves. Overall, the job helped us gain a lot of experience in community work and essential qualifications but there were problems that they did not foresee. 18 of us with different needs, forcing us all onto the same education programme left some playing catch up.”
Zahara Jamal, also working in the employment agency, agreed saying;
“Only one tutor for 18 of us resulted in a lack of cohesion. It continued in a mess for two years. I believe none of us qualified in this department, although some gained other qualifications.”
Freda told us the management and steering group had recognised some of the Learning Assistants had difficulties fitting into the structure of an everyday work pattern and managing work and study. There were problems with the education strand, which attempted to deliver a single ‘Access to Higher Education programme’, in Community Skills. Freda added:
“An evaluation highlighted some aspects needing review. These included changing to offer Learning Assistants a tailored education programme to meet their individual needs and career aspirations, whilst also providing the skills to back up their community work.“
BCLC steering group member and New Deal Community Rep. Aisha Special K said:
“As a pilot BCLC was bound to encounter teething problems with lessons to be learnt. I was aware of problems in the whole programme and some in the strand that was designed to educate and assist learners into employment. Anyone, at any level, contributing to this program should have a positive and productive input or none at all! On a more positive tip there have been 20 new BCLC assistants recruited. The Campaign has a new enthusiastic and strong staff team raring to go.”
I later spoke to first round course tutor Lynda Kenyon and asked her what she felt about the BCLC programme:
“There are Rob, and have been, issues of concern about that first round. The problems were inherent to the beginning of the campaign. I was asked to deliver the Access programme, but learners weren’t recruited specifically to that program and were apparently unaware what level, content or form it would take. From my interview I expressed my concerns about the suitability of an undifferentiated programme. I was not involved in recruiting learning assistants. When I learnt they hadn’t been specifically recruited for the access program I argued with all management that what was on offer would not meet their needs. This made my job very difficult from the outset.”
Freda Cotterell is confident that the necessary lessons have been learnt:
“The success of the pilot year provided us with the chance to re-structure the programme and ensure that it would meet the adult education needs of the community, supporting and encouraging learners. We now have 20 new learning assistants including two workers for Firshill and Firvale."
The Learning Campaign is a major part of New Deal’s strategy to help Burngreave residents improve their qualifications and employability. Using local people to do it is a principle everyone supported, but it’s proved a hard thing to do. The learner assistants were all at very different levels – some already had degrees, while others didn’t have Maths or English GCSEs.
BlackCARD say they’ve learnt the lessons from the pilot. As the new campaigners take to the streets they’ll be hoping to match the success of the first round in getting local people onto courses and to get a better deal for their own education than the first round did.
