• We believe that decent employment is the best anti-poverty strategy. Supporting disadvantaged adults wishing to go into employment (or improved employment) is therefore an important part of our social purpose as the WEA
• ‘Employment’ includes self-employment and involvement in co-operatives, social enterprises etc.
• As a Specialist Designated Institution (SDI), we offer complementary alternatives to Further Education Colleges and training providers. SDIs have traditionally played an important part in ‘employability’ most notably through pioneering work with ‘women returners’ and involvement in the second chance, return to learn and Access to HE movements. These initiatives enabled many thousand unemployed, unwaged and low-paid adults to progress into professional employment.
• For us ‘employability’ has a wide remit and includes provision that directly prepares for employment; develops skills or knowledge that improve the student’s labour market position or supports the student re-engaging with society and may in the longer term lead to employment
• Our community education provision usually has a range of outcomes for students, depending on their needs and ambitions; these may well change and broaden as part of the course experience. Outcomes include personal development, community involvement, employment and health improvement
• WEA courses invariably develop a range of underpinning skills including communications, problem solving, team working, critical thinking and analysis, research and project management. WEA has always argued that these ‘soft skills’ have a great vocational value, a point with which many employers, academics and trade unions such as UNISON agree
• We work in many partnerships from hyper-local to national so that we can meet people where they are and can signpost relevant progression opportunities.
• We focus on developing the potential of people who have been out of work for sustained periods and often face complex issues including mental health, homelessness and drug and alcohol dependence. We work to build their resilience and confidence and support their progress back into the community including volunteering and paid employment roles
• We deliver specialised courses such as ‘Helping in Schools’ and ‘Community Interpreting’ that often enable participants to enter paid employment
• We offer Functional Skills (FS) courses within people’s local communities in friendly accessible venues. FS are nationally recognised qualifications in English, Maths and IT. They demonstrate that the student is able to apply these skills and understanding in a variety of situations and are particularly useful to those seeking employment
• We deliver Health education which improves physical and mental health and helps people gain work and perform well at work
• As the UK’s largest voluntary sector provider of adult education, we offer a range of volunteering opportunities that can give people skills which we know employers value. People act as Community Learning Champions, Branch Volunteers and Voluntary Education Advisers or can undertake supervised voluntary work placements.