A skilled Romney Marsh
NDA contributed funding to this project that targeted disadvantaged young adults in the Romney Marsh communities to help boost their job prospects and social skills.
Adrian, now a social media apprentice, with his apprentice of the year award for the South East
Project summary
| Nearest NDA site | Duration | Total investment | Magnox contribution | Partners | Delivered by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dungeness | Approx. 1 year | £75,030.50 | £38,260 | Romney Resource Centre, Information, Advice and Guidance services (IAG) and Department of Work and Pensions | Romney Resource Centre (RRC) |
Outcomes:
- 49 (92%) beneficiaries have received information, advice and guidance
- 56 (84%) enrolments to date:
- 25 x IT modules, Word, Spreadsheet, Databases
- 15 x English (Entry Level to Level 2)
- 16 x Maths (Entry Level to Level 2)
- 39 (62%) qualifications achieved to date
- 18 (29%) continuing training to gain their qualifications
- 26 Progressions
- 20 (125%) gained employment
- 17 gained employment
- 3 gained apprenticeships
- 3 progressed within workplace (added value)
- 3 (100%) volunteering
- 3 (100%) jobs safeguarded (FTEs)
Why was this project important to the community?
The remote, low-lying marsh, covering around 100 square miles of wetland, is sparsely populated, criss-crossed by a network of narrow winding roads with an economy that, apart from the decommissioning nuclear site, is largely based on agriculture and tourism.
Romney Resource Centre, a community organisation run by local people, was set up 20 years ago to tackle unemployment through training and support start-up businesses. The project targeted disadvantaged young adults in the Romney Marsh communities to help boost their job prospects and social skills. For local businesses, the project also provided a more flexible workforce with transferable skills.
Aim
To support adult education for those aged 19+ who wish to gain the necessary qualifications (English, Maths and ICT) and competences to improve their job prospects and social skills in their community.
What was involved?
Tutors and Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) advisors provided intensive mentoring, giving recipients every opportunity to achieve their career goals, and a platform for further training. The project has achieved remarkable success, surpassing its original targets and is continuing past its one-year timeframe.
The government’s IAG service, a key part of its skills strategy, is an initiative to help individuals overcome barriers to learning and support them in gaining qualifications from Entry level to Level 2.
What worked well?
Staff at the RRC embarked on a marketing and engagement exercise to reach potential learners, then worked closely with them to support commitment to the programme. According to RRC Chief Executive Edna Delaney, the offer of bite-sized modular courses tailored to the individual was an important factor in the high success rates.
Twenty students are already in jobs, more than our target. This is a result of the positive energy and hard work of RRC staff, who supported individuals, with additional contributions from IAG, Employment Support, for example, interview techniques and labour market know-how.
Adrian, who has Asperger’s Syndrome and autism, successfully completed his ECDL Level 2 course and has progressed to become a Social Media Apprentice.
Adrian said:
When I first came to Romney Resource Centre, I had been out of education for around a year-and-a-half, I had no motivation and I suffered greatly due to my anxiety and didn’t think I was capable due to my learning difficulties.
I had already started to think that I could never get the grades to be an apprentice and had no idea how to upskill myself and look for work in the real world.
Looking back, the best choice I ever made was coming to Romney Resource Centre.
Quote from Magnox Ltd:
We’re proud to have supported this project. This is one of the many examples of what student on this programme have achieved. It is our intention to ensure that our socio-economic support continues to achieve the greatest possible impact in the communities in which we operate.
Next steps
RRC will continue to identify and develop educational and skills training opportunities for the Marsh, to support those who find themselves disadvantaged by their lack of qualifications and personal circumstances.
Funding streams for future programmes are being sought so plans can be developed for a sustainable future of targeted educational delivery.
What could be improved?
Certainty of funding through the Adult Education Budget, would enable long-term plans to be implemented, would be welcome as changes in management and distribution of these budgets affected our original bid.