MCA COMMUNITY COLLEGE (MAES ‘offer’ & NLDC Enrichment Programme)
Sep 2013-June 2014 Background & Context Manchester Communication Academy (MCA) is situated in Harpurhey, North Manchester and is statistically in the top 1% most deprived wards in England and Wales. The area suffers from the 2nd highest level of unemployment in England, with 49% of the working population in the M40 (Collyhurst) community having no recognised skills or qualifications whatsoever.
The Challenge It was clear from the context above that an accessible and tailored adult education programme was required locally. Despite the successful partnership since 2011 with MAES, whereby over 400 local people had accessed accredited learning, there was eveidence to suggest that for some people, the prospect of entering straight into structured learning from their current ‘life’ postion was too daunting and too distant. In addition, for those accessing courses for the first time, there was a lack of inter-personal skills that would ready them for future employment. Therefore the challenge was to offer a bespoke programme that would enable people to develop these skills and the confidence to progress onto accredited learning and potentially volunteering/ employment in the not too distant future. To deliver this programme successfully would require funding, but more importantly engaging people with empathy and a commitment to supporting positive change in their lives.
The Solution The purpose of the NLDC fund is to: ‘support local voluntary and community sector organisations to develop their capacity to deliver learning opportunities for residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods’. We applied for this fund for those members of the community where education, training and employment are a distant aspiration and not an imminent possibility or reality. Specifically these are people over 19 years old in M8/M9/M40 who are in receipt of any out of work benefits, and particularly, though not exclusively, those without qualifications. Following a successful funding application, £25,000 was granted to MCA which enabled us to offer the following courses: Creative cookery courses ran for six weeks with the aim of improving people’s knowledge and skills in preparing nutritionally balanced meals, whilst also developing confidence and interpersonal skills. The course proved to be extremely popular with another day being added in order to accommodate the demand. Of the 33 learners completing the course, 10% went on to volunteering opportunities, 12% moved on to employment and 36% went on to further training.
Ten learners enrolled on a Drama Programme with MaD Theatre Group. The group meets weekly throughout the year and is working towards putting on a performance at MCA in September. Learners on the drama programme aim to improve their confidence levels develop public speaking skills and improve their teamworking and interpersonal skills. The majority of the group admitted low confidence to begin with, but have now developed in confidence to perform in front of others. One member has gone on to gain employment with MCA and of the ten learners a further 30% have taken up volunteering opportunities and 50% have enrolled in further training. Health and Fitness proved to be very popular, with 38 learners enrolling on the course. The course aims to help learners improve their overall cardiovascular health, develop resilience and motivation, improve self confidence and improve their eating habits. Some people may feel intimidated by going to a traditional gym and be uncomfortable in that environment, however the health and fitness courses offered via MCA can engage people in a more familiar and comfortable setting, capturing those who say they would never have joined a regular gym. Throughout the course, individuals had their own personal goals and as they began to achieve these, they were motivated to set further targets and continue pushing themselves. Silchester Drive | Harpurhey | Manchester | M40 8NT manchestercommunicationacademy.com admin@mca.manchester.sch.uk | 0161 202 0161
Individual Success Stories One female, aged 60 couldn’t remember the last time she baked anything and came with very little confidence. She completed the six week creative cookery course, went on to become a volunteer at MCA and regularly brings in home made cakes and biscuits. One female who enrolled on the health and fitness course found she lowered her BMI and changed her eating habits to a low fat, 5 a day diet which also impacted on the health of her children as their diet improved. She developed in confidence and this has encouraged her to begin applying for jobs that in the past she would have felt to be beyond her reach.
One female, new to the area who attended the MCA WORKshop had been finding it difficult to settle but has gone on to gain employment in a care home and now feels the area holds a future for her and her family. WATCH OUR CASE STUDY VIDEO
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3% of learners from the health and fitness course gained employment, 3% moved into volunteering and 21% accessed further training following the course.
course with 18% going on to complete further training, 16% taking up volunteering roles and 13% moving on to paid employment.
MCA Workshop Surgery is an IT course aimed at those with little or no experience of computers and open to all ages. The aim of the course is to improve IT skills, give learners the skills to search and gain knowledge from the internet as well as being able to search and apply for jobs online. A number of learners saw their confidence levels increase to a point where they asked if they culd be provided with a certificate to evidence the learning. It was decided to put on a BCS Entry Level Award in Computer and Online Basics which finished with a 100% pass rate. For one particular learner this provided a real boost to his confidence after having been unemployed for 30 years. 37 people completed this course with 11% moving on to paid employment, 16% gaining voluntary placements and 43% continuing on to further learning opportunities.
MAES ‘accredited offer’ Alongside our enrichment programme our MAES ‘core offer’ of accredited learning courses continued. The courses on offer for 2013-14 included GCSE Maths, Literacy and Numeracy, Teaching Assistant (Levels 1 & 2), and Mentoring Skills. These took place on Tuesday & Wednesday morning, afternoon and evenings.
MCA WORKshops is a course designed to optimize learners’ chances of gaining interviews and employment by improving their CV writing skills and interview techniques as well as helping students to optimise online job searches and completing application forms. Each session is geared around a different aspect of applying for a job from online searches to writing a CV and covering letter to attending the interview. The interview session covered everything from preparation to dress code and also included a mock interview which everyone passed. A total of 38 people attended the
IMPACT This academic year (2013-14) 250 learners enrolled onto adult education courses taking place at MCA (an increase of 27% on enrolments for 2012/13). A total of 156 people have completed courses at MCA through the NLDC project. Of those, 31% of learners have progressed onto accredited courses. In an area where almost 1 in 2 local people are without any recognised qualifications, the project has proved to be a significant vehicle to improve that statistic. 12% of people went on to take up volunteering positions, providing a first step towards employment and gaining valuable experience. 13% went on to find employment locally directly on completion of a course; which proves that there are opportunities and progression routes for local people.