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...
We are so delighted to welcome our wonderful students back to AEW, and we wish to greet our new students. It's fantastic to see our corridors and classrooms full of smiling faces! New to AEW… why I've chosen to learn something new… Digital Skills "I'm here to improve myself and learn about digital skills." Linda Boakya "I had been out of education for over 20 years. I was at a complete loss and had no idea how to start my learning journey. I sought advice from a student service advisor at Adult Education Wolverhampton and after being guided through my options and possible career outcomes I enrolled on maths and Essential Digital Skills". Kesha Walker Shelton Life Skills Digital "I'm here to build my confidence and learn in an environment with people like myself." Megan Lewis "Attending classes if helping me to gain skills and build my confidence." Melanie Martin "I'm here to gain skills that will help me to achieve my goal to work in game design." Christiano Acces...
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Welcome to our blog aimed at providing you with up-to-date information on progress at the new City Learning Quarter. The new campus forms part of the City's ambitious plans to transform the Old Hall Street site and surrounding area into a 'one stop shop' for learning in the city centre. The site will include updated facilities for Adult Education Wolverhampton (AEW), the Library and Wolverhampton College. Offering first class facilities for people of Wolverhampton and beyond, thousands of students are set to walk through its doors and gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their chosen career. Delivering learning on this site since the late 1970's, Adult Education Wolverhampton is established in the city centre as the leading provider of adult education and looks forward to welcoming the new facilities to make a vibrant learning space in the centre of the city. The exciting proposals for the City Learning Quarter have been supported by an initial £6.2 million investment ...
Our Life Skills courses give students the opportunity to the learn skills and the opportunity to practice those skills to become more independent. Activities help students to find out how to keep themselves safe, about the importance of healthy eating, how to plan a journey, to improve their time management, what it means to be part of a team, how to be part of your community and work ready skills and much much more. Read on to find out what students have been doing so far this year… A trip to Go Ape... Life Skills students at Adult Education Wolverhampton want to say a big thank you to the staff at Go Ape Cannock Chase earlier this term for a fantastic day. Students were able to take part in one of their most challenging activities yet on the high ropes and zip lines. They demonstrated great resilience and team spirit – important work related skills - as they supported each other in completing the course. At the end of the day students said that it made them feel excited, brave and ha...
It has been an eventful start to the year for our Life Skills Supported Internship students. Students have been taking part in activities to build and develop their employability skills. Skills include how to write a CV, job searching and the importance of attendance and punctuality when in work. We also believe in developing students wider skills. Managing and organising the student pop-up café has helped students to put into practise the transferable skills they are learning. Weekly stocktaking, shopping to renew stock, pricing items, working to a budget and serving customers is helping students to develop their confidence, improve their communication and team working skills and independent travelling. Students have taken part in enrichment activities including a visit to Cannon Raceway where they tried go karting. Students planned their journey and travelled by bus and walking, they had to follow strict health and safety protocols and instructions from staff at the venue. This...
During this term, some of my English learners have demonstrated their creative skills and produced some lovely poems about their mothers. The focus of their English session was to use adjectives to aid description, identify syllables to aid spelling and improve their range of vocabulary used in writing. They were also encouraged to include examples of literary devices to enhance their work.Learners were introduced to Haiku poetry, acrostic poetry and the concept of rhyme and repetition.Using poetry to reinforce these areas allowed them to express their feelings and thoughts while applying these skills in a creative way. Some of the comments in their learning diary stated that they: We discussed literary devices, emotive language and vocabulary, and how to create emotion when writing. Putting these things together, and thinking about it whilst writing, has given me the tools to write a more complex and emotive piece in my exams. English Learners A small selection of work is attach...
This term Students attending the Life Skills 'Move on and Keep Learning' class have been researching the history of World War 1. On Tuesday 6th November the group visited the Imperial War Museum in Manchester.During the day students got to see all the exhibits related to the First World War, this included the exhibitions 'Lest we forget' and 'Poppies: Wave'. They recorded their visit through photographs and had the opportunity to speak to veterans who volunteer at the museum. Some students had been looking into their family history and were able to share their personal stories.Students also got the chance to look at wartime artefacts which helped them to relate to the experience of the time and to bring what they had been learning in class to life. After the visit students shared what they learnt through discussion. Dawn Ohm (AEW Staff) went along on the trip to support the students and felt very privileged to see the fantastic rapport between the students, tutors, support workers and ...
At Adult Education Wolverhampton we acknowledge the power of taking part in the arts and in group activities to improve health and well-being. "Like Minds" classes are ideal for anyone recovering from stress, anxiety or mild depression. Students need a referral from their GP, Nurse or Healthcare Professional. In the sessions students learn new skills, focus, build renewed self-esteem and interact in a safe environment…a place for them to gain the confidence to move on. Like Minds Art and Crafts The Like minds Art and Craft group have worked on many different projects since the beginning of term including paper bead bracelets, weaving coaster mats and the latest one is to create a fabric memorial poppy. During the session students have learnt many new creative techniques.With the support of the teacher the students themselves discuss, share ideas and decide on the projects that they do each week. Since attending these sessions students have gained the confidence to expand their in...
On Thursday 15th November Life Skills teacher Hannah Boyd took her group on a visit to Birmingham's Ort Gallery to see Saranjit Birdi's 'Mapping Bones' exhibition. During the visit the group were invited to interact with the exhibition and were encouraged to draw on a long piece of paper on the wall with pencils taped to parts of the body (a process which the artist himself uses). During the visit students learnt about and discussed the bones in the body, a topic that they will continue to research in coming weeks.The aim of our life skills classes are to promote independence and encourage our students to participate in different daily activities.This week's visit has incorporated travelling by bus and train. During the day students also visited the Bull at the Bullring (a popular tourist attraction) and also visited Birmingham's annual German Christmas market.Photos include the Student group, Support Worker Lindsey Searby, PGCE student Kate Hall and Teacher Hannah Boyd and the student...
During their latest session Life Skills 'Keep Moving' students were accompanied by teacher Hannah Boyd on a visit to the BP British Portrait Award at Wolverhampton Art Gallery. BP British Portrait Awards The exhibition is an annual celebration of contemporary painted portraiture by artists of all ages from across the world. The competition is one of the most important platforms for portrait painters and one of the largest global arts competitions. This year, 2667 entries were received from artists in 88 countries. Each was judged anonymously by a panel of judges (the artists' name, nationality, gender and age were withheld) and the list was gradually reduced to just 48 exceptional portraits for the exhibition. Source: Wolverhampton Art Gallery 'Life Skills' students get involved Whilst at the gallery students discussed the work in the exhibition, they chose their favourite portrait and explained why. They used mobile devices to take pictures of each other in front of the paintings, not...