CETAD supports teaching assistants in Cumbria

Lancaster University’s Centre for Training and Development is helping to train classroom assistants in Cumbria.

The course called Skills 2 Employment in Teaching will be delivered to people in Cumbria through CETAD. The £183,000 project has been part funded by the European Community through a £82,000 grant from the European Social Fund.

The Skills 2 Employment course is free and will enable people in Cumbria to become qualified as a classroom or teaching assistant. Those who complete the course will gain an NVQ3 for Teaching Assistants plus a University Certificate in Teaching and Learning Support and is offered free of charge thanks to the ESF funding secured.

These courses ensure that students get the chance to work on a placement or part time in a school to put their learning into practice. Work-based learning of this type embeds the skills people will need to go on work professionally in the sector.

CETAD’s Director Jane O’Brien said: “We are really excited to be able to offer people in Cumbria the chance to develop their careers with an excellent qualification programme which is free.”

CETAD has delivered more than 30 ESF-funded projects since 2000 and the centre enables around 800 people per year to gain qualifications to assist their careers and job roles.

Business Development Manager for CETAD Andrew Bernard said: “These courses will really help those who are unemployed, working part-time or volunteering to dramatically improve their career prospects and therefore their lives.”

The Project Manager Jayne Lillington said: "The programmes are delivered by an established and experienced team. Candidates value both the quality of the qualification they achieve and also the skills and knowledge gained as a result. We are delighted that funding has been secured to enable this to continue in Cumbria."

Established in 1990, the Centre for Training and Development (CETAD) is a specialist centre within Lancaster University providing high quality work based learning programmes.

The courses start in March 2006 and will run for 12 months. For further information, contact CETAD on 01524 593318 or cetad@lancaster.ac.uk.