Around this time of year many of us will make a resolution to either loose weight, keep fit, keep in touch with family, save to go on holiday or even propose to someone special.  It’s the time when we like to look ahead and try to do something new or just do something a bit different.

And it’s with this in mind that I will be doing something to new to exercise the old grey matter.  This year I’m hoping to learn several new things.  I want to learn new skills and although money isn’t growing on trees (yet) I’ve decided to make an investment. 

So, good luck  if you’ve made your resolution and I’m hoping that I will stick to mine!

Nominations for the Adult Learners’ Week Awards 2013 are currently open for individuals and projects across England who have used learning to transform their lives. We want to hear the stories of people and projects that have inspired you.

The awards offer the ideal platform for you to celebrate outstanding achievements, they’re also a great way to showcase the impact that your provision has to offer and encourage other adults to get back into learning.

We’ve got a range of exciting new national award categories for you to nominate learners and projects for, including learning for work, family and community, art, craft skills and culture, technology, health, sport and life skills.

Read on to find out more about the awards and take inspiration from some of the previous awards winners’ films.

Nominations close at 5pm on Thursday 13 December 2012. Nominate now.

NIACE are running a short online survey of organisations that are in touch with learners and potential learners, to find out more about:

the relevance of learning and careers advice (sometimes called IAG, or information, advice and guidance) in your current work with adults;

current leveles of awareness about the National Careers Service and Lifelong Learning Accounts;

the relevance of learning and careers advice (sometimes called IAG, or information, advice and guidance) in your current work with adults;

potential opportunities to integrate support for adults to engage with the National Careers Service and Lifelong Learning Accounts into your work;

additional support and resources that would help you better to support adults to engage with the National Careers Service and Lifelong Learning Accounts.

You can access the survey here.

The deadline for completion of the survey is Friday 5^th October 2012.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact John Harris, TSNLA Manager on 01943 510657 .

Why this work is important

The National Careers Service and Lifelong Learning Accounts were launched in April 2012.  The service is available to all adults in England aged 19+ online, by telephone and face to face.  It aims to provide high quality information, and independent, professional advice and guidance for those who need it most.  This includes information and advice on funding and paying for learning. Careers advice can play a vital role in helping adults to understand how learning can help them to achieve their aims in life, to recognise and value their existing skills, and to find learning opportunities that are right for them. 

The service needs to be accessible to adults everywhere, in ways that are relevant to them.  The National Careers Service is are keen to explore how it can better engage with adults where they are, in local communities and through organisations, networks and initiatives that they know and trust. 

By responding to the survey, you will be contributing to the development of a new policy to improve the way that the National Careers Service works with organisations that are directly in touch with learners and potential learners.  In turn, this will help the adults who you support to engage with and make the most of the new service.

An online course directory has been modernised and updated to meet the needs of the nation’s training providers.

Training Journal, the country’s leading learning and development magazine, has written about the recent re-launch of voluntaryskills.com on their website.

The new voluntaryskills.com, managed by Newcastle-upon-Tyne based social enterprise the PNE Group, provides a single and comprehensive listing of training and qualifications for the sector.

Read the full Training Journal article here

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

After months of planning, research and development we can at last unveil the new voluntaryskills website – designed to provide a fast and effective tool to support people across the sector to source the right training for themselves or their staff and volunteers quickly and easily.

The team has worked hard to ensure that the new site builds on the strengths of the old voluntaryskills site and maximises the use of new technology to support providers and subscribers alike.

Please take a tour of the site and let us have your thoughts.  We have huge plans to launch the site across the UK in the coming months so any suggestions or comments you have on how we can make this site the best possible training database out there would be very welcome.

As a thanks to the providers who join us in this beta testing stage we are offering a year’s free silver membership – so if you have any training on offer through your organisation that you would like to promote through voluntaryskills then don’t miss out on this offer.  Sign up now through the Provider login on the front screen.

Best wishes

The voluntaryskills Team