Back to top
Evaluation is Key!
Please get your Consent Form Cheques returned ASAP Don't forget your learners can win £200! The introduction of our free prize draw has been designed to attract learners to your Taking Control events and to enhance the information compiled as part of our essential evaluation process. We have printed a consent form which includes all the usual questions we ask learners in order to gather the information we require to assess the effectiveness of our campaigns. To encourage your learners to fill in the consent form, we give them the chance to win £200!   A cheque that doubles up as a consent form
Every form also includes a 'cheque' for £200. Simply encourage your learners to fill in the 'cheque' with their name and address, with the rest of the form, and bring it with them when they attend your event. Once you have collated all the completed forms, send them to us as soon as possible. Every completed form and cheque will go into the hat for the chance to win a real cheque for £200. Steve from Newport wins £200 in our first consent cheque draw As we reported in a previous eZine, the winner of our £200 Consent Form prize for the September Sign Up Season campaign was Steve Griffiths from Newport, who attended the Usk Show. This time it could be one of your learners! There could be £1,000 in it for you, as well. The provider who returns the most Consent Form Cheques can win a £1,000 Learning Promotion Grant, to be used during Adult Learners' Week in May. The Consent Form Cheque was promoted in the nationwide newspaper supplement campaign we orchestrated as part of the Taking Control marketing, but not every learner will either see the promotion or remember to bring it along to the event. So download the Consent Form Cheque or contact Steve Johnson on 029 2037 0900 to order printed copies. Then please make sure that you distribute them to learners at your events. Get your forms to us by 17 February 2006 and you could be awarded a £1,000 Learning Promotion Grant Please have the Consent Form Cheques available at your events and return as many as possible to us by 17 February 2006. We will then commission a telephone survey to find out who went along to the events during the Taking Control campaign and what they did as a result! The learning provider returning the most completed Consent Form Cheques will be eligible for a £1,000 Learning Promotion Grant to be used during the Adult Learners' Week campaign in May 2006. £1,000 to the Vale Learning Network
Their reward for sending in the most Consent Form Cheques The Vale Learning Network was our champion "Consent form returner" for the Sign Up Season. They sent back no less than 335 forms and earned themselves a £1,000 Learning Promotion Grant for the Taking Control campaign! Now it's your turn to get £1,000 for Adult Learners' Week in May.
Get those consent forms back to us. A great way to evaluate the campaign's effectiveness. As always the evaluation process will be absolutely essential. We need to assess the effectiveness of all our campaigns to ensure that the money and resources we invest in marketing and project management are well spent. Please help us by making sure that all the Consent Form Cheques are sent back to us, and don't forget to put your own evaluation procedures in place. Our funding for future campaigns depends on how well we monitor the results of our marketing efforts, so please play your part by sending us the vital data we need. Please make time to evaluate Please, please don't forget to set up a system for evaluating the outcomes! A simple system for recording how many people come through the door or pick up information is needed. Your event should provide a fresh database of contacts to follow up with more information about courses or bite-size tasters. Please use the evaluation forms It is vital that we know how your events went! We have two evaluation forms - one is for your feedback on your event, the second is the Consent Form Cheque for the participants at your event. Download both forms now. Back to top
Taking Control campaign debated on Radio
Nicola Heywood Thomas discusses learning on BBC Wales  We were delighted to be invited by Nicola Heywood Thomas to come into her studio and contribute to a live radio debate on New Year resolutions. Essex Havard, our Regional Development Officer, appeared on Nicola's show to discuss how learning something new can be a great way keep the promises we make to ourselves at this time of year. Learning has been proved to improve your sense of health and well-being and make you feel generally more happy about your life and the Taking Control TV campaign was timed to go on air just after Christmas, just as we all contemplated our New Year Resolutions. So the opportunity to appear live on Radio Wales was an added bonus. Thank you Nicola, for your support!
You can listen to Essex's discussion online. Another chance to listen to our veteran learner Davey on the radio:  One of the learners featured in our Taking Control TV commercials, Davey Jones, must being getting used to being a media star. Davey, now aged 99, also appeared on a Radio Wales programme back in May 2004 called 'Mousemat' to talk about his IT learning experiences as a 'silver surfer'.
We have retrieved the programme from the archives and you can listen to Davey's interview online. Back to top
 Inspire Awards 2006
Celebrate YOUR Adult Learners!
We want you to nominate your adult learners for the 2006 Inspire Awards. The deadline for nominations is 8 March 2006. If you know of learners who have overcome significant barriers to achieve their learning goals, or learners whose lives have been transformed through learning, then nominate them for an award. There are special categories of awards to recognise learning in community settings, further education, in the workplace, basic skills, sport, family learning and in European Social Fund projects. There is also a special award for a group who have been involved in Community Action and an award for older learners. Every person nominated receives a certificate of achievement, giving YOU the opportunity to organise a local award ceremony or prize giving. Why not involve your local press, elected representatives and showcase your adult learning opportunities.  Award Winners will be presented at a National Award Ceremony to launch Adult Learners' Week 2006 on 18 May in Cardiff.
Those of you who have attended an Adult Learners' Awards Ceremony can testify to the power of winners' stories and the huge pleasure gained by winners and their families. Celebrating learners achievements Application forms are available online at www.alweek.org or from the NIACE Dysgu Cymru office on 029 2037 0900. Back to top
 Learning Promotion Grant
What is the Learning Promotion Grant?
NIACE Dysgu Cymru, in partnership with ELWa, the European Social Fund and the Arts Council of Wales, has launched its Learning Promotion Grant Scheme. The Fund is intended to stimulate an interesting and varied programme of Learning events across Wales. Funds are available to support promotional or marketing activities or to deliver short bite size taster sessions. A limited number of grants of up to £1,000 are available. If you are successful, your grant will be paid in two parts - 50% in advance and 50% upon completion of a final report. Please note - The scheme cannot fund: - Research projects
- The delivery of courses apart from bite size tasters
- The production of course materials
- Already established courses
 How to apply
Complete the application form, and return it to us by 22 February 2006. Please type or write clearly in black ink as your application will be photocopied. The assessment criteria Your application will be assessed against other applications, which are in competition for funds. The following factors will be taken into account when assessing applications. - Where appropriate the demonstration of a partnership approach to working
- You should be able to demonstrate match funding - which can be staff time, other in-kind resources
- The need to ensure that individuals who are currently not accessing adult learning opportunities are being targeted
- Innovative and creative proposals - which may reach new audiences
- The involvement of learning reps or learner champions in the delivery of the project or in the decision making processes
- The demonstration of appropriate methods to support the participation of the target group
The Selection Panel will be drawn from ELWa, the Arts Council of Wales and the NIACE Dysgu Cymru advisory group. Application forms are available online at www.alweek.org or from the NIACE Dysgu Cymru office on 029 2037 0900. Back to top
Interested Colleague?
Send us their email address and we’ll get a copy sent to them.
Please let us know if you wish to be removed from this emailing list. Some email servers and email software don’t support imagery, so if you are having difficulties viewing this eZine, it can be viewed online at http://www.capellcreative.co.uk/clients/niace/ezine/ 
Adult Learners’ Week, Sign Up Season and Taking Control are funded by The European Social Fund and ELWa, and co-ordinated by NIACE Dysgu Cymru.
NIACE Dysgu Cymru is a membership organisation, run by an elected management group, representing all sectors bonded by a common focus on adult learners. A wide range of work is undertaken; advocacy, research and development, influencing policy, conferences, publications and staff development. For further information, visit our website. |