Government Grant Helps Bridge the Learning Gap (Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats)

Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats <info@mk-libdems.co.uk>

Government Grant Helps Bridge the Learning Gap

October 20, 2009 8:18 PM

More than 1,000 people could be helped under a community and learning project, thanks to a £147,000 government grant.

The project, called a Festival of Learning, will provide a focus for a number of learning and community schemes run by Milton Keynes Council's Adult Continuing Education (ACE) service.

ACE successfully bid for £147,000 from the Transformation Fund, launched by the Government to offer funding for innovative informal adult learning projects in England.

In Milton Keynes the money will be used to help 1,245 adults identified by the Personal and Community Development Learning Partnership that brings together community and learning organisations.

The grant will help:

• 165 learners who are suffering from clinical depression

• 70 learners who are homeless and/or live in deprived communities to learn cookery, creative art and to set up a football team

• 590 learners who have recently settled in Milton Keynes and who are socially disadvantaged by their lack of computer skills

• 30 older learners who are not currently involved in local community activities, who will celebrate their lives and place in the community through recording their memories

• 15 learners who have a learning difficulty to learn how to use multi-media resources

• 100 learners who are receiving housing-related support to participate in courses on topics such as 'understanding forms' and 'budgeting'

• 75 learners who are disadvantaged to take part in confidence building, creative and citizenship building learning

• 200 women, who may be lone parents, who have few or no qualifications and are in low paid/low skill jobs.

Liberal Democrat councillor Vanessa McPake, Milton Keynes Council's cabinet member responsible for ACE, said: "The Festival of Learning includes a wide range of projects and in particular it targets adults who need to develop their skills in the use of the internet and ICT skills."