Projects

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The Inside Knowledge project trains long-term unemployed homeless people and/or ex-offenders across London. Learners are primarily recruited through referral agencies and are provided with intensive, tailored support leading to the achievement of a City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Supporting the Development Needs of Homeless and Vulnerable People.

The project offers a chance for people who have ‘inside knowledge’ of homelessness and offending to work as support workers thanks to a structured programme of classroom training and supervised work placements. By enabling people to build on their experience and to convert it into a work asset, Inside Knowledge aims to equip people to overcome the barriers they face because of discrimination and lack of work experience or qualification. At the same time it provides voluntary and community organisations working with vulnerable groups with job-ready, qualified starters and volunteers.

Most of the learners targeted have been out of the labour market for some time and the project takes this into account, by providing, for instance, training in a safe and supportive environment. Flexible support includes travel costs to the programme and work placements and food vouchers, as well as close tracking of learner progress within the team. Specialist, tailored intervention to meet the needs of all learners has included collaboration with the Centre for the Deaf to enable a deaf participant to benefit from the opportunities available through the project. Additional study skills classes and dyslexia support are also available to students to provide further support on programme.

After the first year of training delivery, the lead partner City Lit will, in 2006, offer training solely from its centrally located centre following positive feedback from beneficiaries. The latter have benefited from travelling away from their normal environments to become ‘students’ at the City Lit centre near Covent Garden where they have access to the learning centre and advice and guidance workers.

Further to the course, learners undertake work placements which enable them to get re-adjusted to the world of work, often after a long break. Organisations that offer placements to students are paid for supporting and supervising Inside Knowledge students. Provision also entails advice and guidance as well as job brokerage allowing progression onto further training, employment and voluntary work. A number of learners, for instance, have chosen to continue their learning path at City Lit by enrolling onto further courses.

City Lit leads the Inside Knowledge project and is an adult education college based in Covent Garden which offers a wide range of full-time and part-time courses and works with a range of diverse groups to bring learning to as wide an audience as possible. Inside Knowledge is delivered through a partnership between expert organisations who work daily with excluded homeless people or ex-offenders, including London Probation Service, Novas Overture, Look Ahead, Turning Point, St Mungo’s, NACRO and Thames Reach Bondway. The project also entails a small financial incentive for organisations that refer suitable beneficiaries, including homeless agencies and probation services, as a way to recognise the work done by these in capturing hard-to-reach target groups.

Project delivery

The project will be delivered between January 2005 and December 2006 and its planned outputs/outcomes include:

• 365 beneficiaries supported
• 207 beneficiaries gaining a full Level 2 qualification
• 328 beneficiaries gaining units towards a Level 2 qualifications
• 100 progressions to further learning
• 100 progressions to paid/voluntary employment

ESF Matters: Making a difference to people’s lives

The project’s beneficiaries

174 students have completed classroom training within the Inside Knowledge project so far and a number of them have already gone on to paid employment, work placements or volunteering. Some of them have been trained to deliver presentations and workshops about Inside Knowledge; the project is often promoted to others by the learners who have benefited from it. Following their good effort on the project, City Lit has put forward 5 learners for the NIACE’s Adult Learner Awards 2006, one of whom has been shortlisted for an individual award, and is organising an Award ceremony to celebrate beneficiaries’ achievements in April 2006.

Beneficiaries’ stories

It is Paul’s last day on the seven-week course offered by Inside Knowledge. He wants to work as a support worker but needs the relevant qualification. He is homeless and a former substance misuser and wants to help people who are going through the same experiences. He is particularly grateful to the course and the support of the group in which he has been learning. He feels that “the people are one of the best things about the course.” He is particularly happy with the tutors who proved “very positive, their support made it easy for us”.

Lana is also finishing the course today and has an interview the following day for a job as a support worker dealing with sexual health issues. She has three young children and has found out about this opportunity through word-of-mouth but “could not have come to the course without the support offered with childcare.” She feels that “the course has made me very confident” and optimistic about finding work and progressing further towards her ultimate goal of becoming a social worker.

These photos show Paul and other learners from the group on their last day of the course. The day was focused on an exercise which enabled them to practice their skills of organising and hosting workshops and events.

Funding

The project has been granted £768,599 of European Social Funding under Objective 3 (Specification 2.2g).

The funding has come through the Pan-London co-financing round which is managed by ECOTEC Research & Consulting on behalf of the five Learning and Skills Councils in London.

Further information

For further information about European Social Funding and the LSC Pan-London ESF Objective 3 Programme, please visit:

• www.esf.gov.uk
• www.lsc.gov.uk

To find out more about the LSC Pan-London ESF O3 Programme, please contact the LONDON O3 Team within ECOTEC (020 7089 1976;

To contact Liz Harris at City Lit please phone 0207 4922 521 or e-mail . Further information about City Lit is available on the City Lit Web site.

Learning and Skills Council

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year-olds in England (excluding higher education). For any media enquiries about the LSC please contact Vicky Taylor on 020 7904 0789 or .