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Award for adult literacies tutor assistants
26/06/2003
A new national training award for adult literacy and
numeracy trainers - approved by the Scottish Qualifications
Authority - has just been launched in Scotland.
The new awards are for tutor assistants - trained
volunteers who help teach literacy skills. Communities
Scotland, the Scottish Executive's housing and regeneration
agency award them.
At the first of a series of awareness-raising seminars
across the country this month, Lillias Noble, Head of
Learning Connections at Communities Scotland, announced the
Scottish Qualifications Authority Professional Development
Award (PDA) "Introduction to Adult Literacies
Learning".
Supporting the initiative, Deputy First Minister and
Minister for Lifelong Learning Jim Wallace said:
"Improving literacy and numeracy helps people lead
fulfilling lives, and also contribute to their community,
society and the economy.
"The Executive is investing £40 million, through
Community Learning Strategy Partnerships over the next
three years, to help 150,000 adults improve their literacy
and numeracy skills.
"This new award will be a valuable tool in improving
adult literacy and numeracy levels, helping people to get
the most out of life."
Lillias Noble told representatives from the community
learning and development sector, Further Education,
training providers and the voluntary sector, how the award
would provide a professional qualification for adult
literacies tutor assistants.
She said, "I am delighted to announce this first stage
of a national training framework of qualifications in Adult
Literacies. This is only one of a range of initiatives
which will bring tremendous benefits through learning to
people in our communities who might have previously lacked
access to these educational opportunities.
"Learning Connections is part of the Scottish Executive
agency, Communities Scotland, and as such we work with
others to help regenerate Scotland's disadvantaged
communities.
"It is the people themselves within these communities
who are helping create much broader opportunities in
education. We're there to help in that process. And I see
the accreditation of this award by the Scottish
Qualifications Authority as a great boost to literacies
work across the country."
The award was developed by Communities Scotland National
Training Project for Adult Literacies (now Learning
Connections). It has three units:
- Adult Literacies Learning in Scotland
- Working with Adult Literacies Learners
- Learning and Teaching in Adult Literacies
People who become qualified as tutor assistants will be
able, with supervision from experienced Adult Literacies
tutors, to teach individuals and groups in their own
communities.
Learning Connections has produced a training pack, which
supports the award and provides guidelines on how the
training course for tutor assistants could be
delivered.
Ms Noble concluded: "There are many case studies which
link poor literacy to health problems, fewer job
opportunities, low self esteem, understanding legal rights
etc. A qualification like this gives a huge boost to the
work we are trying to do to change this picture."
The publication "SQA Professional Development Award:
Introduction to Adult Literacies Learning" is available
from Learning Connections at
www.lc.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/regeneration. Tel: 0131
313 0044.
Learning Connections is the division of Communities
Scotland responsible for supporting the work of Adult
Literacies and Community Learning and Development across
Scotland.
The seminar at which Lillias Noble was the chair took
place in Glasgow on Friday 20 June. It is one of a series
of three seminars across the country aimed at promoting and
raising awareness of this new qualification.