Vital Link training

The Reading Agency offers a range of training opportunities linked to The Vital Link. Please contact:

liz.dubber@readingagency.org.uk

Online guidance
The Vital Link online toolkit offers guidance and case studies on all aspects of the Vital Link improvement framework.

Some aspects of this new online resource draw on the original printed Vital Link toolkit published in 2002, Making the Vital Link: A toolkit for building successful partnerships between libraries and basic skills providers. Hard copies of this are still available, now reduced to £10.00 plus postage & packing. Please contact resources@readingagency.org.uk.

Literacy awareness training
It is crucial that all library staff have an awareness of the issues around adult literacy and the way in which they can best meet the needs of basic skills students and potential learners. Ideally such training should become integrated into induction and customer care programmes and should reach all staff who work with the public. It should also include raising staff awareness about appropriate library resources for the target audience.

Most library authorities have accessed some kind of awareness training for their staff but the nature of this ranges from a short introductory session in some places to others where staff have undertaken Unit 1 of the Level 2 Certificate in Adult Learner Support. Where training is delivered by local providers this can be a useful first step in establishing partnership working. For more information about the Level 2 Certificate in Adult Learner support, visit the City and Guilds website. It also provides an opportunity for mutual awareness training and a chance for tutors to learn about the wide range of library facilities on offer.

In a few areas training has been funded by the Learning and Skills Council through the Skills for Life Quality Initiative or through other sources, eg London Development Agency. Regional agencies for museums, libraries and archives have also been involved in tailoring awareness training for the cultural sector. Some authorities (eg Bristol, Newham) have been able to access training through the DfES Frontline Workers Programme run during 2004/05 which has also piloted referral mechanisms for staff likely to have contact with potential learners.

Other opportunities are available through national programmes and agencies, eg:

Move On - a Skills for Life programme focusing on adults with skills at Levels 1 and 2, this uses a positive approach to encourage adults to take the National Tests in Adult Literacy and Numeracy. Not 'have you got a problem?' but 'would you like to try a qualification?' Move On has been working with libraries in some areas of the country, eg Lichfield, Bromley, and is keen to build on this partnership. Move On regional advisers in all nine regions can arrange for recruiter training for frontline staff which can then be cascaded through a 'champion' in the authority. See www.move-on.org.uk for contact details and other details about the programme including a new independent learner route leading to the National Tests.

Step into Learning is a training and development programme aimed principally at staff working in Sure Start local programmes and children's centres, which helps staff to identify parents and carers who have literacy, numeracy or language needs . Many of the programmes and resources are equally applicable to the library environment. The programme supports staff with ways to build up partnerships with local colleges, course providers and advice services so that they can sign-post parents and carers on to the appropriate course, service, or learning opportunity to improve their skills. Check out the resources at www.surestart.gov.uk/stepintolearning/

Read On - Write Away! offers training contextualised to library staff, Derbyshire Libraries and ROWA! (Read on - Write Away!) have developed Basic Skills Awareness Raising Training and Basic Skills Stock training. Initially developed for the staff of Derbyshire Libraries, the training is now being offered to other library authorities and may be delivered in individual branch libraries or in a central location, depending upon local circumstances. For more details of the training, click here or contact ROWA on 01629 585603 or info@rowa.org.uk

Developing your own training

What to include in training sessions

• Ensure the training is interactive
• Raise awareness of the current issues around basic skills and libraries
• Structure the session to include breaks and time for informal skills sharing
• Provide handouts and relevant information leaflets
• Include some kind of evaluation - what you have in place can always be improved upon
• Make the session enjoyable, lively and above all, inspirational
  

Who should attend

The involvement of senior management teams is crucial. Ideally, departmental, line or senior managers as well as team leaders should be included in part of the first tranche of training. This will allow the training to be cascaded down within the organisation.

Resources

Many agencies working with adults with skills gaps have resources which can be adapted to library use when developing your own training, e.g. The Basic Skills Agency (www.basic-skills.co.uk) has published a low-cost Basic Skills Awareness Raising pack which may be adapted to a range of audiences and provides a session plan and set of materials to help raise awareness of Basic Skills needs and the national Skills for Life strategy. Information about useful training resources or courses from other related agencies may be accessed by following the links below.

Links
Learning and Skills Network www.lsneducation.org.uk
NIACE www.niace.org.uk
Campaign for Learning www.campaign-for-learning.org.uk
LLU+ www.lsbu.ac.uk/lluplus/