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Life Skills Celebration

Monday, 08 July 2024

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.

b2ap3_large_Blog_LifeSkills-Celebration3July2024_2-03 Life Skills Celebration - EasyBlog - Adult Education Wolverhampton

• 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.
• The wide range of activities is linked to the over-arching themes of preparing for adulthood and the concept of all our students being able to lead their best lives.

'Life Skills' courses help students to develop their independence and to prepare for life outside of the classroom.
During the year, students have learned essential skills including:
• working in a team
• how to solve problems
• to think creatively
• how to deal with stress
• about communicating better
• how to make choices

To practice these skills, students have taken part in real-life activities in and out of the classroom. These activities have allowed them to try out all the valuable life skills they have been learning. Activities have included planning and taking part in a pop-up café providing refreshments for staff and students at the Maltings and at the City Learning Quarter. These have included supporting open days and service-wide events. Excursions have included: the Black Country Museum, Eastside City Park in Birmingham, Wildside Activity Centre, and Shrewsbury Castle to name but a few. All of these activities have allowed students the chance to practice independent travel, to find out about our history, and to learn more about being a citizen in 2024.

Congratulations were given to those who have taken part in our Supported Employment programmes which include a Supported Internship, aimed at moving students closer to gaining paid employment. Alongside classes, students have attended a work placement in organisations including, The Arena Theatre, Compton Care shop and café, Purple Stars Nursery, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Wulfrun Rose Care Home, YMCA Retail shop, and many more. AEW would like to thank those organisations for their help in providing our students with work placements and thanks go to the staff at Fox Solutions Ltd and the City Council's Supported Employment Team for sourcing the placements and supporting the students to complete and progress.

This celebration event has become a staple in our yearly calendar and we thank all who helped to make this joyous event take place.