EQUAL 2 PROJECT

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EQUAL 2 PROJECT

• GWLAD

GAINING WORK, LEARNING AND ADVICE IN RURAL AREAS
(2004-2007)
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Presenters

• Breched Piette and Trish Reid
• College of Education and Lifelong Learning
• BANGOR UNIVERSITY
• WALES
• UK

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EQUAL is designed to

• Test and promote NEW means of combating all forms
  of discrimination and inequalities in the labour
  market and promoting social inclusion

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Context of our work North Wales

• Characteristics of area include
• Dispersed rural population
• Employment, mainly SMEs and public sector
• Objective 1 area relatively low incomes
• Bilingual Welsh/English (60 of pop.)

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EQUAL Theme E Adaptability

• Promoting lifelong learning and inclusive work
  practices - focusing on those experiencing
  discrimination and exclusion from labour market
• Our focus is on Lifelong Learning, to include
  formal, non-formal and informal learning

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Key Elements of EQUAL I

• Development Partnerships
• Innovation
• Equal Opportunities

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Key Elements of EQUAL II

• Empowerment
• Transnational Working
• Mainstreaming at regional, national and European
  level

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Different stages of project

• ACTION 1 Oct. 2004 July 2005
• Creating the partnership
• ACTION 2 August 2005 Dec. 2007
• Carrying out research and activities
• ACTION 3 June 2007 Dec. 2007
• Mainstreaming and dissemination

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GWLAD partnership

• Range of large and small organisations from
  educational and voluntary sector
• College of Education and Lifelong Learning,
  Bangor University (lead)
• Deliver lifelong learning programmes, through the
  medium of English and Welsh, in communities
  across North Wales.

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Other GWLAD partners

• CAIS
• Drug and Alcohol Agency working with
  substance/alcohol misusers
• Black Environment Network
• BEN is established to promote equality of
  opportunity with respect to ethnic communities in
  the preservation protection and development of
  the environment

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Other GWLAD partners

• Welsh Language Board
• main function is to promote and facilitate the
  use of the Welsh language.
• Medrwn Môn
• Umbrella organization for voluntary agencies on
  the isle of Anglesey

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Other GWLAD partners

• The Open University, Wales The United Kingdom's
  only university dedicated to distance learning.
• Chwarae Teg (FairPlay) established to develop
  women in the Welsh economy.
• Stonewall Cymru organization which campaigns for
  equality and justice for lesbians, gay men and
  bisexuals

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GWLAD objectives I

• Undertake research into barriers in accessing
  training/education opportunities in rural areas
  of North Wales
• develop innovative and empowering approaches to
  the delivery of training/lifelong learning
  opportunities both working in rural communities
  and using distance and blended learning

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GWLAD objectives 2

• Recognise the bilingual nature of the area and
  incorporate a Welsh medium dimension to all the
  project's activities, ensuring that Welsh medium
  resources reflect the cultural identity of the
  area.

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Target groups

• Cross section of bilingual rural community facing
  multiple barriers ranging from geographical to
  psychological
• People who have had negative experiences of
  learning
• Includes
• Incomers and recent migrants
• BEM communities
• Men and women in farming communities
• Substance misusers
• Non-traditional students in higher education

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Examples of GWLADs work

• Research and development work
• Development of short courses for Groups in rural
  areas
• Informal Learning Opportunities
• Innovative Forms of Delivery

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Research and development work

• Research into barriers to learning in rural
  areas, and into experiences of learners in rural
  areas
• Information about learning opportunities in
  environmental sector in N. Wales
• Research into progression opportunities for
  vocational learners
• Development of motivational learning programme
  for substance/alcohol users (CAIS)
• Study of links between volunteering and
  employment
• Comparative study of AP(E)L among European
  partners
• Comparative study of motivation to learning among
  European partners

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Development of short courses for Groups in rural
Areas

• ICT, business studies and Welsh for women in
  isolated communities
• Confidence building for substance misusers
• Video/film-making for young people
• Employment related training for recent migrants
• Health course for women with mental health
  problems

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Informal Learning Opportunities

• Programme of activities for older farmers group
• Activities around environmental issues for BEM
  groups
• Sessions offering guidance/information for those
  wishing to enter HE (UWB/OU)
• Welcome to Wales sessions for incomers to rural
  areas
• Informational visits for volunteers

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Innovative Forms of Delivery

• Development of blended learning course
• Development of podcasts for use off-campus
• Use of VLE with community based group

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Key Messages

• Value of empowerment
• Importance of informal learning in combating
  social exclusion
• Outcomes are often soft - capacity building
  rather than employment
• Learning needs to be fun
• Value of partnership working
• Importance of sustainability

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Diolch yn fawr!
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