THE Lenadoon Community Forum Training for Employment Project – a hive of activity with nine accredited courses per week being delivered in the Glen Community Complex – is facing an uncertain future due to a lack of funding.
On an annual basis over 300 local people were receiving their certificates at the 'Morning of Achievement' with many of these individuals securing employment as a result of the qualifications they achieved.
Courses delivered ranged from numeracy, literacy and basic IT, right through to Level 3 qualifications such as the International Computer Driving License (ICDL). All of the courses delivered were accredited with an awarding body and geared towards employability.
The project recently managed to secure some funding from DFC for a small Programme of Accredited Courses. Twenty-two students recently completed Computerised Payroll and International Computer Driving Licence.
Sharon McCullough, the training co-ordinator said: “We knew we needed to support and equip these individuals with the skills and qualifications to compete equally within today’s labour market.
"Participants' needs were paramount in the design and delivery of our courses, taking into account individual needs and removing the barriers such as childcare, distance to travel, cost and such, facing participants in their return to education.
"The start of the pandemic saw a big increase in the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits. The impact was felt most by the vulnerable, women and low-skilled workers who are disproportionately represented in the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic.
"A lot of these individuals were seeking to upskill and re-train for jobs in the clerical/IT sector and with thanks to funding from the Department for Communities we were able to make this possible."
Sharon has been working on a number of funding applications to try and secure enough funding and resources to meet the demands of an increasing waiting list for these Accredited Courses. For participants, some of the benefits of the course taking place in the Glenparent Complex include its easy accessibility and the onsite childcare facilities.
Sharon added: “In spite of the lack of funding to fund this vital community education Pprogramme, we are not prepared to sit back and give up on this much-needed community service.
"We will continue to lobby for funding for our participants to give them the opportunity to increase their employability skills. Our aim is to ensure that all our participants are afforded the opportunity to participate fully in economic, social and cultural life and work toward entering employment or further education.”
