NORTH West Regional College (NWRC) is the joint lead partner of a European Union programme to accredit learning and skills development within the voluntary sector.
Worth €400,890 (£330,000) and funded with the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme for the European Union, the Grundtvig ‘ValidVol’ programme is a partnership project involving organisations from Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria, with NWRC acting as the United Kingdom partner.
It is aimed at senior volunteers aged over 50 who are involved in voluntary services and wish to reinforce their employability, either because they are pensioners, under employed or unemployed. It will also recognise their learning potential.
The project will examine the significant experiences across Europe of non-formal and informal learning through volunteering, and to motivate senior volunteers to be involved in further adult learning activities and facilitate or improve their employability.
It will run for two years during which time each of the partners will share best practice to examine the industry sectors, cultural events and community issues which they believe are most suitable for vocational collaboration, resulting in opportunities likely to be offered in areas such as event management, customer care and service, advisory support, first aid and health and safety.
The project recently held its first meeting at NWRC’s Strand Road Campus in Londonderry where representatives from the partners attended to discuss a project framework.
Calum Morrison, director of curriculum at North West Regional College, described the partnership as a significant coup for the college.
“We believe our role in the ValidVol project is an acknowledgement not only of the standing we have within the local voluntary and community sector, but also in terms of developing our strategy to grow partnerships and links with vocational organisations across Europe,” he said.
“It is testimony to our curriculum capability and follows on the heels of the recent achievements we had with the local voluntary sector through the provision of training and mentoring to those groups and individuals involved in supporting the successful events of the 2013 UK City of Culture.”
Meanwhile, coinciding with the news that Schrader Electronics are to create 241 high quality new jobs the company has been awarded a prestigious ‘Gold’ Investors in People Award.
The gold award requires organisations to go beyond meeting the core Investors in People award, and Schrader is one of 35 Northern Ireland organisations who have achieved this to date.
Speaking at the firm’s Antrim premises, the minister Stephen Farry said that the award was testament to the company’s commitment to staff development.
He commented: “The accreditation highlights that if you invest in your employees and improve your employee engagement, success will ultimately follow,” he said.