Adult and Community Education is one of several sub-sectors
within the Learning and Skills Sector. Each sub-sector and indeed
each organisation will have specific requirements relating to
sustainable development depending on their particular context. For
example, Adult and Community Education organisations may be small
and rely on voluntary staff creating a very different context to a
large college. They may deliver learning in shared community venues
over which they have little management control. However, many of
the principles associated with addressing sustainable development
are common to all organisations. These include:
The strong community links
in this sub-sector are a real strength in developing community
involvement and partnerships, which are a key element of
sustainable development.
You may be working in one of the growing number of communities that
are Transition Towns
which are developing community responses to a low carbon
lifestyle.
Examples of good practice
Derbyshire Adult and Community Education Service (DACES)
Approach: DACES deliver a range of heritage building skills
taster and full accredited courses through their College of the
Peak (CotP). Courses include “Walls for the Future” on
which Entry to Employment ( E2E) learners take part in dry stone
walling projects delivered in conjunction with the National Stone
Centre and the Dry Stone Walling Association. Other courses include
Lime Rendering, Straw Bale Building and Timber Frame building. Also
at DACES adults with learning difficulties access courses such as
Grow Great Grub, an accredited course, which enables learners to
look at the best ways of growing plants, including composting and
recycling.
Outcome: A wide range of practical courses and approaches enable
students to see and engage in sustainability in action.
Bedford College
Approach: Bedford offers an extensive range of short courses for
industry in solar water heating, solar electricity, heat pumps,
rainwater harvesting and under-floor heating. Environmental
Awareness and Sustainability courses are offered as compulsory
additional courses to learners on full time programmes in a range
of curriculum areas across the college. A recent collaboration with
a local company, Dimplex, has led to the installation of air source
heat pumps at the Plumbing Centre, with ground source heat pumps to
follow. These will be used to develop and deliver short
courses.
Outcome: Through successful partnerships, regional sustainability
priorities are identified and addressed by developing and
delivering relevant training to build industry’s capacity to
respond. For example, if the UK is to meet its energy targets,
there will be a need to train 40,000 renewable energy systems
installers within the Eastern Region alone. Also, many households
in East Anglia lack access to mainline gas so alternative
technologies are needed to meet their energy needs.
Somerset College
Approach: Through its ground breaking Genesis Centre, Somerset
College has been delivering sustainable construction, Continuous
Professional Development short courses to the industry and wider
community since September 2005. In order to ensure that the course
content remains current and of relevance to clients and
practitioners alike, guest speakers from the industry provide case
studies from the new generation ground breaking builds on each of
its programmes. In addition to the College’s (Higher
Education provision, the Genesis Project has also pioneered short
duration, accredited, training for micro small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) working in the renovation and refurbishment
sector. Courses have been run, nationally, for a variety of
organisations including the Federation of Master Builders,
ConstructionSkills and Exmoor National Park Authority.
Outcome: Having designed and built the first dedicated
sustainable construction education and training centre of its kind
in the country, the Genesis team has been able to draw on the
experiences, both good and bad, of attempting to meet the
sustainable construction agenda and use these experiences to help
inform its short course programme.
Case Studies
The Memento Project is an example of an
international community based project.
Community
Training Services - Sheffield Partnership Tackles Crime and
Training
This case study provides a very useful example of how working in a
local partnership can achieve a great deal for young people, and
for the community as a whole.
The Yard Project
This case study provides an excellent example of how training
projects can deliver sustainability and community engagement.
Continue the journey
More information about adult and community education can be
found in the Community and
Business section.