General Information
Aims
Life support aims to pilot and embed a programme for personal development,
training and support that will enable young adults to progress from
unemployment or unskilled work to skilled jobs in health care with
a particular focus on nursing.
Objectives
1. To identify and demonstrate the necessary components for a programme
to take a young person with low expectations from unemployment to
a qualified nurse or health worker.
2. To apply best practice in education, training and personal development
programmes to ensure that the learners achieve qualifications which
make a difference.
3. To work in partnership with the NHS in Wales, other healthcare
providers and training policymakers to develop an effective process
for them to recruit and train nursing staff from the communities
they serve.
Project Outline
The project targets young parents aged 18-30, including lone parents.
Recent policy developments focus on the need to address poverty
by bringing young parents into employment. However, young mothers
in particular continue to be effectively excluded from employment
and training. Young people are not going into nursing. Welsh hospitals
are recruiting from other countries, when what they want and need
is recruits from within their local community.
The Programme
Year 1 – the preparatory phase
2 teams of 8 learners, one from Blaenau Gwent and the other from
Rhondda Cynon Taff, will be recruited onto a health care introductory
programme. They will be paid expenses and all childcare costs. Each
team will have a team leader. The programme will be developed involving
the University of Glamorgan, the Workers’ Educational Association
and the People and Work Unit, jointly devising an accredited course.
At the end of this preparatory phase the learners will be supported
to follow one of the following options:
Route 1:Enrol on the Health Science Foundation course with
the University of Glamorgan, providing access to a degree in nursing
Route 2:Apply for a trainee nurse post with the local NHS
Trust. They will undertake workplace training to achieve NVQ qualifications
and could become, at NVQ Level 3, auxiliary nurses.
Route 3:Find work in the health care field. Learners will
be helped to find jobs that offer training, eg in residential care
or home care services.
Year 2 – further training
Although route 1 is the preferred option, for some learners, the
NVQ route will be the right one.
The team leaders will continue to support the learners, whatever
their next steps. Problems with money, childcare, health, dips
in confidence and motivation can, without the support of the team
leader, result in a learner leaving the programme. The team leaders’
role is to do everything they can to prevent this.
Whichever route they take, the learners will also continue to receive
help with childcare and transport.
The Partners
Life Support is a partnership project between the People and Work
Unit, the Workers Educational Association, the University of Glamorgan,
the Ebbw Vale and District Development Trust and the Bryncynon
Strategy.
These last two are the host organisations for the two teams of
learners and their team leaders. They will provide support and a
learning space. The Workers Educational Association will employ
two tutors to deliver the preparatory year courses. The University
of Glamorgan will ensure a smooth transition onto campus life and
deliver the foundation
and degree courses.
The People and Work Unit’s role is the overall management of the
project, supervision and employment of the team leaders and ongoing
evaluation. All the partners will be responsible for guiding the
development of the project over its four year life.
Other participants
The Community University of the Valleys is a partnership of 4 Universities
(Glamorgan, Swansea, Newport and the OU), 9 community partners including
Bryncynon Strategy, and the WEA. Life Support will run as a pilot
project for the CUV, testing the pre-access year and support systems
and if successful it can then be rolled out as a programme available
to all community partners and through all the Universities in the
partnership.
Healthcare professionals are also involved, including Gwent NHS
Trust, Blaenau Gwent Local Health Board, RCT Local Health Board,
St Joseph’s Private Hospital in Newport and the Royal Glamorgan
Hospital, who are working with us on the development of the healthcare
elements of the pre-foundation year.
Funders
- THE OAK FOUNDATION
- EUROPEAN SOCIAL FUND
For more information about the Life Support Project, please
contact:
The People and Work Unit
32, Monmouth Road
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire
NP7 5HL
Tel: 01873 850975 Fax: 01873 855190
Email: peoplework@btconnect.com
Website: www.peopleandworkunit.co.uk
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