Welcome to this fortnight's edition of the Skills for Care London e-news.

Over the coming months we will be sending a regular bulletin listing all the latest news, views and updates. We hope that you find it useful and informative, and we welcome your contributions.

NEWS HEADLINES     

Delivering Diplomas awards open for entries

The Delivering Diplomas awards will celebrate innovation, best practice and achievement in 14-19 Diploma delivery. Nominations can be made in five categories - consortium of the year, teacher or lecturer of the year, student of the year, employer of the year, and exam officer of the year.

The awards ceremony will take place on Friday, March 26 2010. More information, including details of how to submit nominations, can be found at the Delivering Diplomas website.

                                                                                                                     Nominations for the 2010 Adult Learners' Week Awards are now open

If you know an inspiring individual, group, family or project whose remarkable learning achievements have transformed people's lives, nominate them for an Adult Learners' Week Award.

Closing date for nominations is 5pm on Friday, 29th January 2010. For more information, please go to the Adult Learners' Week Awards webpage. 

                                                                                                          Apprenticeships - Good for Business

The National Apprenticeship Service have created a fact sheet around the specific business benefits Apprenticeships bring to employers. To access the fact sheet, please click here.       

                                                                                                                        Review of the Dignity in Care Campaign

An independent review has been conducted on the impact of the Dignity in Care Campaign since its introduction in November 2006. The review covers many areas of the campaign, including dignity metrics in health and social care. The Campaign has helped to produce new tools to improve dignity.                                                            Link: www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Socialcarereform/Dignityincare/index.htm

                                                                                                                        Enterprise on Track Time Management and Goal Setting

As part of the London Development Agency funded Enterprise on Track project they are running a series of workshops, in conjunction with Skills for Health, to support women thinking about or in the process of setting up their own business. For more about the workshops please see the Enterprise on Track flyer. 

                                                                                                                           SCIE Workforce Development - Get Connected

The internet and IT are transforming the way we communicate, learn and work. The Department of Health has established capital funds to enable registered care providers to access digital technology more effectively. A 'Get Connected' fund has been established and will be administered by SCIE in partnership with a group of care providers. SCIE will distribute grants to eligible providers of adult social care services in England – with a strong focus on those who do not have good access to the internet.

The intention is to allow those who use, visit or work in adult social care services to benefit from the learning, knowledge and access that the internet can bring. For more information please visit the SCIE website.

                                                                                                                      Measuring training impact - Evaluation toolkit

In November 2007 the London Development Agency (LDA), Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and Education Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) funded a two year Leonardo da Vinci project, led by Skills for Work Ltd, to develop an online Training Impact Evaluation Toolkit.  This will assist HR and training departments and training providers set about checking and/or evidencing that the training being delivered is of the right quality and content, and is meeting its intended objectives.

An event providing information to employers and training providers on how the toolkit can be used will be held on Monday, 11th January 2010 (14:00-16:15) at Oriel College in Oxford.  To find out more information about the event, please click here.  For event registration, please complete the booking form.

                                                                                                                           FREE English Communication courses for employees working in health & social care

Do any of your staff need to improve their English speaking, reading or writing skills? If so, IHTS can help. London Development Agency funding has been received to run FREE courses in employers' workplaces.

The courses are tailor-made specifically for staff working in health & social care. They take place on employers' own premises at times that fit in with their work schedule. A minimum of five learners are needed to run a course. Staff in all job roles (Care Assistants, Cooks, Nurses, Cleaners, Caretakers, etc) are eligible.

All courses lead to City & Guilds qualifications in English Language, Literacy, Numeracy or the National Tests (GCSE level). For further information, please call Lesley or Michelle on (020) 8446 9778 or e-mail info@ihts.co.uk

EVENTS

National E:Learning tools for End of Life Care Event – 21^st January 2010

The National End of Life Care Programme are pleased to invite you to register for theNational Launch: E-learning in End of Life Care for All Event (e-ELCA) which is taking place at Novotel St Pancras, London on Thursday 21^st January 2010.

Delegates from a cross section of areas will be in attendance, thus ensuring a good mix of sectors. The tools being launched at this event will be an excellent resource in developing your workforce to provide effective end of life care. In addition, there will be an opportunity to explore the End of Life common core principles and competences that have been developed across health and social care to underpin the work.

To register for the event, please go to www.eventprouk.com, click on EVENT REGISTRATION; then input username: EP1006 and password: EL210110 (please note that all the 0's are zeros' and use capital letters). This event is FREE OF CHARGE to attend. For more information please see the flyer and agenda for the day.

                                                                                                                             The South London Lifelong Learning Network Conference – 29th January 2010

The South London Lifelong Learning network is pleased to extend an invitation to their one day conference being held on the 29th January 2010 at the University of Kingston.

The conference will address current topics in education and training, emerging qualifications and vocational progression. These will include coverage of social inclusion, apprenticeships, qualifications and credit and employability agendas. For more about the conference, please see the conference flyer. If you wish to attend, please return your completed booking form to sllp.events@prospects.co.uk                                                            

To amend your contact details, be added to our distribution list, or to provide us with your feedback, please e-mail sfc.london@skillsforcare.org.uk