The annual Life Skills celebration event took place on Wednesday 3 July. The event welcomed over 100 of our students with a learning disability and their parents/carers to celebrate their learning achievements. Special guest Brenda Wile, Deputy Director of Education was invited to give out the certificates. Courses focus on what students can do and not what they cannot and this year has been no different. This year students have taken part in lots of activities aimed at challenging them to become more independent; to make friends, to develop relationships, and to get to know their community. Good health and wellbeing are at the centre of all we do as we promote lifelong learning and the move toward employment or volunteering. • Courses focus on what students can do and not what they cannot and this year has been no different. • This year students have taken part in lots of activities aimed at challenging them to become more independent; to make friends, to develop relationships, and to...
Life Skills Digital Students welcomed a guest speaker, Richard Jones, to their classes last week. Richard has been working in IT for the past 30 years, including 12 years with Microsoft.Students engaged really well with the lesson, raising important points and asking questions about using IT both inside and outside of college. They also asked Richard about his experiences of working in IT over the years, who he had worked for and collaborated with, and the different countries he had travelled to with work.Students enjoyed learning more about the following Digital Skills:• Staying Safe Online and Cybersecurity• Social Media and tips on how to create strong passwords / passphrases• Social Engineering (or Social 'Sneaking', as one of our students rather aptly renamed it!)• Searching the Internet – Using Copilot (AI) and writing a good prompt• Using AI to create poems and songs, based on topics of interest• Demonstration of using a HololensHere's what some of the students had to say ...
Life Skills student Hayley Gower tells her story about reaching her longstanding goal… My name is Hayley Gower. I am 40 years old and I have been living in Wolverhampton since 2005. I come originally from South Croydon. Twenty years ago, I embarked on my journey as a volunteer, starting with the Baby Blues Appeal charity, driven by a desire to contribute to charity initiatives. Helping out with charity research and giving resources to people in our community is really important to me. My dedication led me to the British Heart Foundation in 2007, where I gradually increased my involvement over the years. Heart problems are common in my family, so I'm committed to helping with this cause. Recently, an opportunity arose for a paid position as a sales assistant, a role I pursued with the encouragement of the assistant manager. After a successful interview, I secured the job, marking a significant milestone in my journey. Working sixteen hours per week, I find myself on the shop floor...
My name is Nathan Preen; I am Autistic. Prior to attending classes at Adult Education Wolverhampton (AEW), I had attended Kingston Centre a school that was dedicated to children with Special educational needs. Having been introduced to art at Kington this is where my passion for the subject began. Being autistic I have always struggled with change and interacting with new people but wanting to pursue my passion my mum recommended I try art classes at Adult Education Wolverhampton, a place where she too had attended classes that had helped her to upskill and progress. I enrolled at AEW and started my creative Journey working from Level 1 to Level 2. It was hard at first and I struggled with my confidence, I felt shy but this was soon dispelled and my journey began. The teachers were amazing and I learnt so much about styles and techniques and different perspectives. I made friends in class and we shared ideas and encouraged each other's creativity. My art opens up a new world, a place w...
During April, students and staff at Adult Education Wolverhampton are proud to be supporting World Book Night 2024, run by The Reading Agency, which focuses on boosting the reading skills, confidence and engagement of adult learners. English classes at all levels will be focused on reading with targeted discussions and offering a range of activities, including reviewing reading habits, to encourage greater participation and raise awareness of the benefits of reading. Across the centre, learners will explore a range of short stories, books and magazines to help capture their interest. The Reading Agency states that 1 in 3 people don't regularly read for pleasure. The benefits of reading include reducing the feeling of loneliness, decreasing stress and depression and results in greater life satisfaction. What are you going to read? The English Team would like to thank all the students who took the time and effort to participate in our competition to win a book in celebration of World Boo...
Life Skills students based at the Neil Dougherty Centre have been making great progress developing their digital skills each week. They completed research and internet browsing tasks based on Vaisakhi, Sikhism and India.The students found lots of interesting information about these topics, as well as the location of Amritsar using Google Earth, Vaisakhi recipes, online jigsaws and music and dancing videos. They also discovered that the weather for Vaisakhi was going to be much warmer in Amritsar than it was in Wolverhampton!Students entered their findings onto a Word document and took part in an online quiz with questions based on their research.Completing their weekly tasks has seen students become more confident with their digital and keyboard skills, using Chrome books to access Microsoft 365 applications such as Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word. They are also able to search on Google for information, videos and puzzles based on their own interests, such as music, football, quiz ...
During the last day of the spring term Adult Education Wolverhampton hosted a health and wellbeing day for its staff. Staff had the opportunity to take part in activities to inspire mind, body and soul. Activities included: Orienteering, cycling, henna art, drumming, yoga, Easter decoration and self-guided walks of local trails. Staff had the opportunity to take a break from their normal activities and had an amazing day.
We are so delighted to welcome our wonderful students back to AEW. We hope you had a good break. We would like to wish you all a fantastic summer term.
Transformational city centre learning campus is on the way! Please bear with us while the building works take place. Adult Education Wolverhampton is in the centre of the new City Learning Quarter. The £61 million City of Wolverhampton Council development – supported by Government funding - will establish new educational facilities for Adult Education Wolverhampton, City of Wolverhampton College and Central Library, benefitting skills and employment outcomes for residents across the city and wider region. Contractor McLaughlin & Harvey are set to deliver the vision in time for the start of the 2025-26 academic year. Please be assured that you will continue to receive the same high quality learning experience you have come to expect from Adult Education Wolverhampton, we continue to be serious about your success. For more information, please contact Deputy Head of Service Anna Place by email
In the lead up to Valentine's Day, ESOL for Work students have been working together to discuss what they love about studying at Adult Education Wolverhampton. Students on the Care pathway worked together to create posters to display all the things that they collectively love about their course and AEW. They all came up with lots of things and enjoyed practising their English skills whilst sharing them with their teacher. Enter your text here ... Enter your text here ...
Gurdeep Kaur – Family Learning English and Maths I first came to the UK in 2020 with very limited English. This made communicating, making friends, and finding employment very difficult. In 2022 I joined ESOL classes, worked through the courses, and improved my communication skills. This year Adult Education started to offer Community English and maths classes at my children's school. I have been attending since September and feel like I am making good progress. The skills I have learned have helped with my confidence and my English language skills have improved a great deal. Since attending I have gained the confidence to apply for jobs and am now working as a Lunchtime Supervisor and a cleaner in a school. Learning is helping to change my life for the better and I plan to continue gaining skills and qualifications to enable me to work as a teaching assistant. I want to work towards gaining Functional Skills in English and Maths and progress onto a Teaching Assistant course, enabling ...
It's always great to catch up with our students and find out how learning has helped them to progress. Read Mark's story and find out how gaining confidence has enabled him to thrive. Mark Corbett – Like Minds Yoga "I have suffered with my health for many years and more recently suffered 2 strokes which severely affected my mobility, to the point that I was completely immobile for 6 months, which meant that I had to give up work. During my rehabilitation, it was suggested that I engage in an activity that would benefit my physical and mental health so I registered for Like Minds Yoga. Classes are designed for people like myself who are recovering from a major life change that has affected their physical and or mental health. I have been attending classes for a year now and I can honestly say that it has made an incredible difference to my life. My mobility has improved and so has my mental health. My dogs are my lifeline and I can now walk short distances with them which for me is incr...
Full construction works are underway on a transformational city centre campus that is the jewel in the crown of Wolverhampton's City Learning Quarter masterplan. The £61 million City of Wolverhampton Council development – supported by Government funding - will establish new educational facilities for City of Wolverhampton College, Adult Education Wolverhampton and Central Library, benefitting skills and employment outcomes for residents across the city and wider region. It is a major milestone for what is phase two of the masterplan, with contractor McLaughlin & Harvey set to deliver the council and college's vision in time for the start of the 2025/26 academic year. The City Learning Quarter city centre facility will be situated around the Old Hall Street and St George's Parade area, incorporating a site on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street, where the former Faces nightclub building once stood, and utilising the college's existing Metro One site. Photo:(L-R): Breakin...
Adult Education Wolverhampton students have been working with Wolverhampton Council's Supported Employment Team. The students and their parents or carers took part in our first information session hosted by Emma Carless and her team who are skilled in finding paid work for residents with a disability. The students have all previously taken part in a Supported Internship or Supported Employment programme at Adult Education Wolverhampton which helps students gain the employability skills and confidence to take part in a work placement and now these students need that extra support to gain their perfect job. The students took the opportunity to sign up with the Supported Employment Team where they will benefit from expert support with job searching, completing CVs, someone who will attend the job interview with them and who will support them in work for the first 6 months. We would like to thank Emma and the Supported Employment Team for their time and look forward to hosting many more si...
McLaughlin & Harvey has secured the main contract for the £61m City Learning Quarter project in Wolverhampton city centre. The scheme will provide a new campus for the City of Wolverhampton College, as well as new facilities for Adult Education Wolverhampton and the city's Central Library. Work is expected to start by the end of this year with completion by September 2025. The City Learning Quarter main facility will be situated around the Old Hall Street and St George's Parade area of the city centre, incorporating a site on the corner of Garrick Street and Bilston Street, where the former Faces nightclub building once stood. The £61 million scheme remains a key priority and will establish transformational facilities for the City of Wolverhampton College, Adult Education Wolverhampton and Central Library, benefitting skills and employment outcomes for residents across the city and wider region. Find out more about the new development on the City of Wolverhampton Council's web...
Students have been busy in the life skills room this week. As a Christmas treat, they were busy making themselves a cooked breakfast. They learnt how to make scrambled eggs and cooked baked beans in the microwave, they made toast and hot drinks. After they had eaten, they washed up and cleaned the room. Despite this being a treat, it's important that our students are prepared for life outside the classroom and being able to make a simple meal and clear up after themselves is an essential skill for independent living. Embedded into this are discussions around hygiene, using kitchen equipment safely and about healthy eating.
Adult Education Wolverhampton's first Higher Education Fair proved to be a success with students and residents finding out more about how to get into university, course options and funding support. It was held at Adult Education Wolverhampton's Foyer Building, Old Hall Street, on Wednesday (15 November, 2023), with representatives from the University of Wolverhampton, Aston University, Staffordshire University and the University of Worcester on hand to speak to visitors. Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: "We know that sometimes people who have the ambition of going to university don't have all the information they need to turn their dreams into a reality – and so we were pleased to host this week's event to showcase how they can make it happen. Visitors were able to find out more about different university courses, entrance requirements and how to apply, and to get information on costs, grants, bursar...
Bradley Smith Bradley joined the supported internship programme in September 2022 with limited previous experience of the working world. He required support with confidence, employability skills and time management to help him with his next steps into employment. A placement was secured for Bradley in a dog grooming parlour where he has worked extremely hard to impress his employer and achieve the 200 hours needed for a successful work placement. Bradley has grown in confidence and has successfully worked on his customer service skills since the start of the programme. This means that Bradley can now confidently contact owners independently to arrange collection and interacts with customers with enthusiasm. Bradley also now has a greater understanding and ability to handle a variety of dogs with confidence. This has resulted in Bradley taking full ownership of washing and drying each dog, as required, independently. Bradleys newfound skills have enabled him to offer support to peers in...
Over the last few weeks Life Skills students on our everyday living skills classes have been exploring sustainable living and learning about how the everyday items we buy affect the environment we live in. This week a group of students attended a sustainability walk and talk with 'Forestry England' at Cannock Chase. Students learnt about how they manage the forest to create a sustainable source of wood for a number of industries including to make every day products such as furniture. Students took part in a walk amongst the trees, identifying species of trees providing an opportunity to discuss some of the issues faced by 'Forestry England' in managing the forests. These include the human impact, the impact of animals, disease and pests. After this, they enjoyed some time developing their communication, problem solving and teamwork skills while den building. The students would like to say a huge thank you to Jacqui from 'Forestry England' for delivering an enjoyable and informative ses...
Our Life Skills Everyday Living skills classes support students to gain the skills they require to lead a healthy life reducing their dependency on others and increasing their independence. Students build on their personal development: improving confidence, developing social interaction, improving communication skills, relationships and developing resilience. In response to students and parent/carers who have requested this type of delivery, the room is equipped with everyday items used within the home and are used to replicate everyday situations, giving students the opportunity to develop their domestic skills. These skills include making beds, cleaning, washing laundry, washing up and ironing. Students also have access to a microwave, toaster and kettle which can be used to make simple meals and snacks. Health and safety is a key aspect as students practice and repeat processes to learn how to perform tasks within the home in a safe environment. Support is gradually removed to incre...