Employability Skills (ACE)

This course is aimed at adults who have been unemployed for a long period of time and as a result may be experiencing anxiety or nervousness or adults who may have mild to moderate learning difficulties and/or disabilities.  This course is designed to help you develop the skills you need to begin the process in accessing paid employment or voluntary work.  If employment is not your main goal it may simply be that belonging to a fun and engaging group is a great way to give you the confidence and social interaction that you need.

It is a great stepping stone back into employment and/or further education opportunities and give you the tools and the opportunity to develop and demonstrate skills required for employment and your own personal development.

Sessions are relaxed and stress free and has been created to help and assist with confidence, employability skills and to improve social interaction within the community and the workplace. Alongside the employability elements of the course there will be opportunities to engage in relaxing activities that encourage you to try new activities, research new interests and make new friendship groups.

As a group you will undertake trips both in and outside of Warrington to explore and visit new places to participate in new experiences. 

You will undertake an Entry 3 or Level 1 accredited qualification in employment, training and personal development and throughout the programme Maths and English are embedded along with essential IT skills to help support college work, gaining employment and being able to communicate and be part of the digital world. You will learn valuable and practical skills in teamwork, effective communication, skills for the workplace, arts and crafts, exploring occupational sectors, healthy living and aspects of citizenship.

As part of the course you will be invited to join in an element of work experience which will take place at The Novel Bite Café in Winsford which is run by Warrington and Vale Royal College.  It is a safe and friendly environment designed to gently introduce you to the world of work. Additional catering and customer service units will be taught to provide valuable work experience to enhance your CV.

Warrington students will be transported to Winsford by college mini bus. There are no costs involved.

You can progress on to a higher level having completed Entry 3 or Level 1 and there are opportunities to gain further skills on the Adult Community Learning programme.

We have guest speakers from industry throughout the year and will take part in work place visits to a variety of employers and working environments.

You will be allocated a Progress Coach in addition we can offer the following if applicable;

• 1:1 in class support
• Lunchtime and breaktime supervision
• Meet & greet on entering and leaving the college
• Mobility support
• Exam access arrangements
• Orientation Modification of learning materials
• Specialist resources

We also have a welfare team that are on hand to offer guidance, support and help when needed. Additionally, eligible students can access a wide range of finance and funding support to help you during their time at college.

Click here for learning support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/learning-support

Click here for finance support: https://wvr.ac.uk/college-life/financial-support

All our tutors have a wealth of teaching experience and are passionate about their subjects and they want to share this with you so that you can reach your full potential. Our intent for you as a learner this year is to enjoy, experience and engage. We aim to provide a stimulating learning environment here at Warrington and Vale Royal College.

You do not need any formal qualifications but you need to be in receipt of Universal Credit, Employment Support Allowance (WRAG) and / or Job Seekers Allowance.

For learners claiming UC, ESA (WRAG) and/or JSA there will be plenty of opportunity on the course to conduct job searches, complete application forms and prepare for interviews in order to satisfy your welfare obligations if this is what is required.

You will access a range of trips throughout the year that supplement your classroom learning, there may be a cost attached to some of these trips and you will be informed of this at the beginning of the year, however, we always do our best to keep costs to a minimum.