Adult Education
About Us
Cumbria Adult Education Service
Cumbria Adult Education Service (CAES) sees its role as one of strengthening and sustaining the people and communities of Cumbria through the power of learning.
Our Key Objectives in 2008/09
CAES will contribute to the achievement of the County Council's Corporate Plan, and the broad strategic objectives of the County Council's Children Services Directorate, through the following key objectives:
1) Continue to increase the volumes of Full Level 2s and 3s within our Adult Responsive funded provision.
2) Increase the number of learners achieving recognised Skills for Life qualifications, with a greater emphasis on numeracy provision, and Entry level provision.
3) Expand our employer engagement work though an increase in our Train to Gain activity, and the delivery of skills for life qualifications and NVQs to employees, with a particular focus on the public sector, and through developing links with the voluntary and community sector.
4) Develop the first units of the new Foundation Learning Tier as part of our First Steps engagement work with pre-Level 2 learners.
5) Maintain the volume of our adapted learning programme, but with an increasing emphasis on developing a curriculum based around progression towards independent living and employability.
6) Ensure that our Family Language, Literacy and Numeracy curriculum enables learners to achieve and progress onto recognised skills for life qualifications.
7) Work with our partners in the Personal and Community Development Learning Partnership (PCDL) to plan and deliver PCDL provision that is mapped to needs and contributes to the outcomes of Cumbria’s Local Area Agreement.
8) Promote learner engagement in the shaping the delivery of the Service as a core part of the Service’s commitment to equality and diversity.
9) Ensuring that the achievement of learners improves and that the quality of teaching and learning is good across all curriculum areas.
10) Maximise the Service’s ability to hit its income targets across all funding streams, while ensuring value for money in the delivery of provision.
For further information, you can read the Service Plan for 2008/09:
What we deliver
CAES, through its adult education and community development centres and partner organisations, delivers a wide range of learning opportunities in all parts of the county. There are courses for people at all levels and interests, both qualification bearing and non-accredited, in a wide range of subjects:
- ICT
- Sports and Leisure
- Arts and Crafts
- Languages
- Humanities
- Skills for Life (including English for Speakers of Other Languages)
- Vocational NVQs
- Family Learning
How we are organised
We organise and deliver the majority of our provision through our sub-contracted Adult Education/Community Development centres, plus some independent providers. Between them they have around 150 outreach locations, so there should always be a course close at hand. We deliver directly our Skills for Life (literacy, numeracy, English for Speakers of Other Languages), vocational, and family learning, again in outreach venues throughout Cumbria.