Centre News
Wrong Trousers Day
In June, the Taunton Centre of Acacia Training & Development took part in this year's Wrong Trousers Day.
To aid in the fundraising Taunton held a small bake sale in the Horizon Centre, with freshly baked cakes, made by various staff members.
There was also a raffle on sale during the week to win a £10 National Gardening Vouchers. The lucky winner of the raffle was Karen Reeves, from the care home Southlawns, in Street.
Then to end the week with a bang, staff present at the office on Friday 25th June, donned their pyjama bottoms in place of their work trousers, paying £1 towards the Wallace & Gromit Children's Foundation.
In total, Acacia Training & Development raised over £53 for sick children in hospitals and hospices throughout the UK.
New Accountancy Classes for September
Employers
Are you in the field of accountancy and looking to recruit ambitious and dedicated employees–are you planning for the future of your business that will need skilled, enthusiastic employees. Would an Apprentice enhance your business? Apprentices attend Acacia Training one day a week to gain a qualification in Accounting/Payroll and learn the theoretical aspects of payroll or accountancy. We have several young people looking for a chance to forge a career in Accounting and would love to get the chance to learn the practical aspects of Accounting. Government funding is available for eligible students and there are a variety of Government incentive schemes that offer financial rewards for companies that employ Apprentices.
For further details on Training/funding or recruitment contact Jim Black on 01752 670811
Learners
Are you good with numbers and are you looking to commence a career in Accounting/Payroll,? Acacia Training engage with employers who are looking for talented young Apprentices - if you would like to gain an NVQ2 in Accounting/Payroll, whilst working for a local employer then please contact Clare Dudley on 01752 670811.
Taunton Staff Member Participating in Race for Life
Jill Berry is once again taking part in Race for Life at Street on 24th July in support of Cancer Research UK.
Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading charity dedicated to beating cancer through research. Their groundbreaking work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has saved millions of lives. Survival rates have doubled in the last thirty years and Cancer Research UK have been at the heart of that progress. But one in three of us will still get cancer at some point and this vital work, funded entirely by the public, will help ensure that millions more people will survive.
Jill has a webpage set up to raise sponsorships, please go to http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/jillberry6 and make your donation now!
Heathfield Centre to deliver Barbering Qualifications
As a result of employer demand, the Heathfield Centre is now able to offer qualifications in Barbering.
This new qualification will satisfy the demand from many salon owners, that there is a shortage of qualified babers in Devon. As a result, the hair team based in Newton will now be able to deliver NVQ2 Barbering.
The Course will take between 6-12 months, depending on previous experience. The qualification will be delivered either in the workplace or at a local hair salon.
Some funding may be available (subjest to eligibility criteria).
Anyone interested in the new qualification should either e-mail us via the website, call 01626 835485 and ask for Sue Lynn or e-mail Sue direct on sue.lynn@acacia.ac.uk.
April 2010
Following the success of last years hairshow, Plymouth's second hairshow will be held on the 7th June 2010 at The Novotel Hotel, Marsh Mills, Plymouth. Tickets cost £5 per person, with all proceeds going to St Luke's Hospice. This years theme is 'Celebrations', where approximately 30 learners will compete in the three categories, Sweet Sixteen, Love on the Rocks and Inspirations. The show will commence at 7.15pm. Please contact Marie Davis on 01752 670811 to purchase a ticket or for further information.
Feb 2010
Acacia Times Library
You can browse our library of internal publications below:
Acacia Times Issue 18 - Dec 2009
Acacia Times Issue 17 - Aug 2009
Acacia Times Issue 16 - April 2009
January 2010
Acacia Training & Development Send A Cow
Every year Acacia Training & Development Ltd’s Centre in Taunton raises money to help the less fortunate in Africa. By collecting for the ‘Send a Cow’ initiative rather than sending Christmas Cards to their colleagues in 2009, the staff raised £45 that will be used to provide a small group of chickens for a family who does not have the space to grow crops or rear livestock. With this gift, the family will have a good supply of eggs as well as a source of protein for their family, and will also be able to sell the extra stock at their local market.
December 2009
Acacia Training & Development student to receive national award
Carol Murray, a student from Acacia Training & Development is to receive national recognition for her outstanding achievement in her work with children and young people.
Carol, a part time pre-school worker and teaching assistant recently completed her NVQ level3 in Children's Care, Learning & Development in just eleven months. Carol managed this in spite of significant demands on her free time from the many youth projects in which she is involved. Carol views the work of empowering young people with the utmost importance, and demonstrates this in both her enthusiasm to work and her commitment to training.
Her assessor at Acacia Training & Development Ltd, who facilitated her studies, nominated Carol for a City and Guilds Medal of Excellence. The judges were so impressed with the nomination put forward that she was also awarded the Tallow Chandler's Prize. This prize recognises outstanding achievements in the care sector, and has been awarded to only nine people throughout the country. Carol will be presented with her Award, which includes a medal, certificate, and a cheque for £500, at a ceremony in London on 11th February.
Trish Warwick, who nominated Carol for the Award said, "Carol has such a love for children and young people that she gives of herself, and of her time, again and again. She is an outstanding champion for the next generation and very worthy of this award."
This is the second year that a student form Acacia Training & Development has been awarded this prestigious prize, and in recognition of the high standard of teaching and training at the centre, City and Guilds will be presenting them with a certificate at a formal dinner in April.
Care Management - funding is now available.
Funding is now available for managers who wish to do a management award at level 4. Please contact the local Acacia Training Centre for more details.
Support Services in Health Care
If you are interested in this award, and would like to know more about funding opportunitie. Full apprenticeship funding is now available for you if you are under 19 years old.
Please contact the Acacia Training Centre near you for more details..
City & Guilds Smartscreen - Free to learners!
Smartscreen is a dedicated and unit specific suppot for Tutors, Assessors and learners of City & Guilds awards. It helps to support you through your City & Guilds qualification, enhances your learning and gets you motivated.
Health & Social Care support is now available FREE OF CHARGE to our learners at level 2 and level 3.
Contact your Training Manager to find out more.
South West Micro-Business Employer Scheme for 16 - 18 yr old Apprentices.
OneFile ePortfolio is an easy-to-use online assessment solution that can be used for your NVQ. Features include action planning, assessing against criteria, providing feedback, verifying, auditing, management reporting and much more. The system is endorsed by City & Guilds.
This E-Portfolio system boasts the following benefits:
- E-Portfolio accessible from multiple locations 24/7
- Easy cross referencing of evidence across standards
- Action Planning built in
- Built in security using user names and passwords
- No physical paper based portfolio that can be forgotten or lost
- No need to remove work from portfolio for assessing or verification
- Time saving – more time devoted to assessment, not paperwork.
Acacia Training are piloting this service in the Plymouth Centre with a view to expanding availability throughout the company by the end of 2009.
Other E-Learning techniques
The Acacia Training Taunton centre have been piloting the use of digital recording devices which can be used to record discussion with learners face-to-face or via the internet (using Skype). This allows the assessor to record assessment (eg oral questioning or professional discussions) over the phone and without the need to travel to the learner. This process allows additional assessment time for learners and reduces the amount of time that Assessors spend in travelling to and from the workplace. This evidence is used to complement the observations that are carried out on the visits made by the assessor to the learner at work.
Learners are encouraged to use the Skype communication system so that their discussions can also be recorded in MP3 format. Some assessors prefer to use MP3 recorders and transfer the recordings to CD Rom for use in the portfolio.
Virtual Learning Environment
Acacia Training has joined approximately 20 other providers in the SW region to access funding to create a Virtual Learning Environment for learners and staff to access and utilise.
This is still in the planning stage and will consist of a web based site that will have shared resources for learners from all of the providers in the group. There will also be a secure part of the site for each provider and this will be accessed by usernames and passwords. The VLE is still in the planning stage as at May 2008.
The future
Acacia Training is trying to meet the challenges of providing additional resources and forms of assessment to keep in touch with technology. The website is being developed in 2008 and will allow learners to apply on-line and the virtual learning environment will include facilities for skills testing such as vocational Skill Scans etc. There is a long way to go in the journey toward e-learning maturity but we are taking the first steps in 2008 and hope to bring in improvements on an ongoing basis in order to improve the choices for learners.
If you wish to learn more about our E-learning activities, please contact us for further information on what we are doing in your own vocational area.