Support for UkraineWe are Skills & Learning, the joint adult education provider for BCP and Dorset Councils.
For over 25 years, we have been providing adult education provision to Dorset. We are a customer focused organisation and are working with local communities, partner organisations and employers to provide opportunities to change people’s lives for the better through learning. Throughout the years, our team of organising staff and teaching & learning staff has grown to enable us to offer more subjects and courses to Dorset’s adults and young people.
Throughout our history we have diversified and evolved our service offer to meet the needs of Dorset’s adults and young people. We continue to do so today and look forward to our future and how we can continue to adapt to meet the skills needs of our residents.
1995
Local government reorganisation – The Dorset (Boroughs of Poole and Bournemouth)(Structural Change) Order. Dorset Adult Education split into 3: Poole Adult Education, Bournemouth Adult Education and Dorset Adult Education.
2010
Poole Adult Learning and Bournemouth Adult Learning merged to form Skills & Learning Bournemouth and Poole
2013
Skills & Learning Bournemouth and Poole merged with Dorset Adult Learning to form Skills & Learning – Bournemouth, Dorset & Poole
2019
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councils merged to form BCP Council, and so we became Skills & Learning Adult Community Education – the joint provider for BCP and Dorset Councils to work with adults across the whole County
Our Vision, Mission and Values
Our Vision: Strong, skilled and prosperous communities
Our Mission: Improving skills and well-being for you, your community, your business
Skills & Learning contributes to the two Councils’ agendas by improving the life chances for young people and adults in Dorset. Qualifications and participation in learning helps people into work, to adapt to new labour markets and improves health and well-being. Increasing the skills, confidence and independence of local people is the best investment the service can make for individuals, communities and businesses.
Our Values:
- Outstanding in teaching and learning
- Inclusive and ethical
- Excellence in customer service
- Inspiring ambition, supporting progress
Some of our achievements…
- We are an OFSTED ‘Good’ provider
- We are Matrix accredited for our impartial Information, Advice and Guidance
- We are adult and community learning provider of the year 2018 and 2019 finalists for the Times Educational Supplement FE Awards
- We have been awarded the Gold Centre IAB Award for our Bookkeeping and Accounting programmes
- Our #Keep Learning Keep Well campaign designed to support learners and staff through lockdown received national recognition and was shortlisted as a runner up at the Festival of Learning Awards
- 97% of learners would recommend us to their friends and family
- We are the largest adult and community learning provider in the County of Dorset with a relevant local offer for younger and older adults, including a mix of employability, qualifications, apprenticeships, leisure and well-being courses
- Our safe and supportive community-based learning programme is delivered in welcoming local learning centres across the County for individuals and communities to learn together to combat isolation and build new social networks
- We build strong partnerships to engage those with the most barriers to learning and work
- We deliver a programme of well-being and resilience learning opportunities to support people with mild to moderate mental health conditions e.g. anxiety, depression
- We deliver a diverse, low cost training programme for volunteers to help build capacity and professionalise the third sector
- We achieve high rates of positive outcomes, including progression to employment and further learning, and positive impacts on learners
- We are successful in recruiting higher proportions (than the local demographics), of unemployed, learning difficulties and disabilities and ethnic minority learners
