Increasing male participation in adult learning

1. Increasing male participation in adult learning An LSIS project in the Birmingham Adult Education Service

2. The three main aims of the project as it developed • Increasing male participation (overall 23%) on targeted courses • Facilitating progression to employment & further learning • Improving the quality of course delivery & sharing good practice

3. The three main strands in the project • The Bournville College Partnership • Creative Catering for Employment • Identified good/best practice on other courses

4. Strand 1:Bournville Partnership • New Adult Ed. starter courses leading to FE courses • Sharing staff expertise & quality facilities • Improving the quality of course delivery • Increasing male participation

5. Bournville Partnership – outcomes overall • 27 Courses ran & 379 new learners completed • 35% of learners were male (12% higher than norm) • 43% of learners came from some of the most disadvantaged wards in Birmingham • Two Guitar groups - Beginners and Beginners Plus recruited 90% male learners

6. Bournville Partnership – Sustainability • The partnership is continuing during the year 2013-14 • Another partnership with the largest FE college in the city is starting in September • Lessons learnt will impact across the Service

7. Strand 2: Creative Catering for Employment (CCE) • A skills-based course run in partnership with Job Centre Plus • Targeting adults in receipt of work-based benefits • Helping them get back to work by attending catering courses at a local venue • Including a Food Safety qualification to further improve their chances of finding work in a commercial kitchen

8. CCE course set-up • Learners were recruited by stands at the local Tesco and Job Centre Plus (JCP) • A presentation was given to staff at a local JCP and there was liaison with another JCP • Sixteen?? local restaurants were visited & placements agreed with no?? • Anything else?

9. CCE course structure • In total 6 cohorts totalling 32 learners were recruited • Each course was designed to run for approximately 54 guided learning hours • Work placements were arranged for learners who completed and wanted them

10. CCE course content 3 Units in total Unit 01 • Explore available resources to develop basic cookery skills (Identify a range of suitable tools & equipment for cookery) Unit 02 • Explore and develop cookery ideas creatively (Practical food preparation; record the creative development) Unit 03 • Create, present and review final cookery items (Produce the cookery items showing a basic level of skill; complete portfolio of evidence)

11. Learner Voices ‘Today I was taken aside by the head chef and he offered me a job based on how well I did. As long as I prove to be a hard worker and do well I can have the job’ ‘I have learnt a lot of self-confidence and also it has made me go out and look for different things’ ‘This course has progressed into me getting a job in a bakery’

12. Employer Voices ‘This lad shows a flair for working in the food industry’ ‘Great level of motivation and enthusiasm’ ‘Nothing was too much trouble for him. He was eager to show his skills’

13. CCE Sustainability • Presently it is not planned to run the course again this coming term • However, lessons learnt from the course will inform other cookery and workskills courses

14. What has worked well in the Bournville Project? • New courses to attract male learners • Opportunities for progression • A mutually beneficial partnership • Good quality accommodation • Shared expertise

15. Whathas worked well in the JCP partnership? • A course leading to work • Learners eager to up-skill themselves • Skilled tutors and project manager • Dedicated staff • Good quality resources and accommodation

16. Strand 3: Good/best practice elsewhere • ‘Quality Audit’ piloted by curriculum leaders • This tests key aspects of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion • Good/best practice were explored in two curriculum areas • We have some exemplar materials with us today