Help the Hospices is supporting a pilot project to develop a national hospice consortium for education and training.
A key activity of this work has been to facilitate partnerships between further education organisations that wish to work on a regional basis with hospice education centres. To date, the consortium consists of fifty hospices and nineteen further education colleges or private training providers covering all parts of England from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Plymouth.
As was reinforced at a series of consultation events earlier this year, many hospices are already centres of excellence for education and deliver a range of accredited and non-accredited programmes at many levels, to learners aged from 16 to over 60. Also, a number of hospices are successfully delivering QCF programmes, some of which are funded through collaborative arrangements with SfA-funded partners.
The aim of the consortium is therefore to expand and develop this provision, provide QCF qualifications, maximise learning opportunities and workforce development for the health and social care sector for those who deal with life-limiting conditions.
Free engagement events and training programmes
Because of funding from Skills for Care, Help the Hospices is able to offer the following events and training programmes free of charge to staff in adult hospices in England.
One-day engagement events
30 September and 1 October 2014
These are for educationalists and other senior managers – including chief executives and HR or business development directors – to raise awareness of developments in vocational education and qualifications, and of funding to support workforce development strategies for staff delivering care.
Emma Hodges, Deputy Chief Executive of St Giles Hospice and a member of the consortium’s advisory group, will be speaking at the engagement events. She says that “many hospices aren’t benefiting from government funding towards internal and external education; these briefings will explain the opportunities and how hospices can embed them in their workforce and income-generation strategies.”
Level 3 Award in ‘Understanding the Principles and Practices of Assessment’
October to November 2014
Two-day training programme, followed by assessment activities and assignments. This is a recognised and accredited assessor qualification to gain the necessary knowledge behind QCF assessment, and is a springboard for those wishing to become practising QCF assessors. (These are for staff whose organisations are members of the national hospice consortium for education and training.)
If you have queries on any of the above, please contact either Sally Garbett (s.garbett@helpthehospices.org.uk) or Jean Hindmarch (j.hindmarch@helpthehospices.org.uk)
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