Skills Launchpad Plymouth is showcasing how learning throughout life can transform people’s lives during Lifelong Learning Week (7 to 11 November), starting with a day of free taster activities.
Local residents are invited to drop into Skills Launchpad Plymouth, hosted on the first floor of Barclays Bank in the city centre between 10am and 4pm on Monday 7 November to try free sessions in a range of opportunities including budgeting, creative writing, cyber security, graffiti art and health related activities.
Working in collaboration with providers including On Course South West, Barclays, Bluescreen IT, Shekinah and Plymouth’s Health and Care Skills Partnership to deliver these taster activities, the Skills Launchpad Plymouth team will be on hand to provide 1 to 1 information, advice and guidance.
Since opening in September 2021, the Skills Launchpad Plymouth’s Adult Hub has connected over 300 adults with opportunities for skills, training, education, careers and jobs, with 53 adults progressing into training and education, and a further 94 successfully gaining employment.
Leanne, 42, accessed support through Skills Launchpad Plymouth’s Adult Hub which resulted in her enrolling on an online Business Administration course with On Course South West, achieving a Level 2 certificate in Business Administration as well as completing a basic IT course. These courses provided Leanne with the new skills she needed to move forward with applying for jobs and she was also supported by the National Careers Service who helped to update her CV.
Leanne said: “The Skills Launchpad Plymouth team pointed me in the right direction of courses that have been available, particularly the free courses which are perfect when you are not always in the position to pay. I have been able to get impartial careers advice and guidance, and feel more confident knowing that the team are on hand to offer advice at any time if and when I need it in the future.”
Plymouth City Council’s adult education provider On Course South West supports more than 1,000 new adult learners like Leanne each year. The offer ranges from vital English, maths and digital skills courses, to creative skills, business, health care, mental health and well-being, and foreign languages.
Councillor Charlotte Carlyle, Cabinet Minister for Education, Skills and Children and Young People said: “Lifelong Learning Week gives us a brilliant opportunity to celebrate and highlight the fantastic range of adult education provision available across the city, along with the free support on offer through Skills Launchpad Plymouth’s Adult Hub. Investment in lifelong learning gives everyone access to additional education as well as developing further skills both personally and professionally which provides us with more and better opportunities, improving the quality of lives. There are so many opportunities for our residents to develop new skills and progress in career pathways. Personal enjoyment, a feeling of achievement and a demand to reduce social isolation are all great benefits for adults wanting to engage in lifelong learning.”
“The Skills 4 Plymouth plan emphasises the importance of adult skills and the commitment to lifelong learning which are viewed as vital to the meet the skills and workforce needs of the future. With the future of the workplace looking to change dramatically with automation, AI, big data and the growth of entirely new industries, retraining and skill development will be critical to ensure skills needs are met.”
To find out more about the lifelong learning opportunities available for adult learners in Plymouth and to sign-up for 1 to 1 free support visit www.skillslaunchpadplym.co.uk.
Drop-in events being held at Barclays in the city centre (Armada Way) during Lifelong Learning Week include:
- Monday 7 November, 10am to 4pm: Lifelong Learning Taster sessions
- Tuesday 8 November, 10am to 4pm: Military Tuesday drop-in for veterans, those serving in HM Armed Forces and their families
- Tuesday 8 November, 12noon to 2pm: Construction pop-up Job Shop
- Thursday 10 November, 12noon to 2pm: Health and Care pop-up Job Shop