On Monday night a group of our ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) learners, along with their tutors, took to the dance floor for a truly Scottish night. Attendees were accompanied by an accordionist, and learnt a selection of traditional Scottish ceilidh dances in order to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day (30th of November).
Three ESOL classes joined in the merriment, with a mixture of dancing, clapping, and spectating taking place. It was a fantastic night, with fun had by all!
If you’re interested in our ESOL programme, please contact East Lothian Works on:
Today’s Staff Spotlight is a little different; we are speaking to Emma Lacey, Business Support and Communications Officer for the Regional Developing the Young Workforce Team. ‘East Lothian Works’ work closely with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW), and therefore our Staff Spotlight series seemed like a great way to highlight all the hard work they do.
This week’s Staff Spotlight focuses on Stephanie Kennedy, Work Experience Co-ordinator here at East Lothian Works. She very kindly sat down to answer my questions so we could find out more about her job role and what she gets up to on a typical day.
Today we are speaking to Emma, a Scientific Technologies Foundation Apprenticeship student, in order to learn about her experiences on the programme. This is part of a series on this blog in which we meet with Foundation Apprenticeship students on all five of the frameworks on offer in East Lothian to find out more about this opportunity.
Today we are speaking to two students, Sarah and Lewis, who are currently undertaking the Foundation Apprenticeship in Business Skills, in order to learn about their experiences on the programme. This is part of a series on this blog in which we meet with Foundation Apprenticeship students on all five of the frameworks on offer in East Lothian to find out more about the opportunity.
I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to spend some time at East Lothian Works’ Cookery Courses. These classes run as part of the Pre-Vocational programme, giving secondary school students the opportunity to learn new skills and perhaps find a passion for a certain career. Students undertaking the cookery course get the opportunity to practice their cooking and baking skills, learn about health and safety in the workplace, and learn about where food comes from and how it can be used from professionals in the field.
The first class I visited consisted of students from Musselburgh Grammar, Ross High School, and Preston Lodge. They were at Edinburgh College on this occasion, attending a seminar on food health and safety. The class themselves were an incredible bunch; really lively and interested in what they were learning about. The students were from different schools, but they had all formed strong relationships as a result of this course.
Students learning about food health and safety.
The second group I visited were spending the day at Musselburgh Grammar in the kitchens learning how to cook multiple courses at once; it smelt incredible! This class consisted of students from Preston Lodge, Knox Academy, and North Berwick High School. Once again, this class were fantastic, getting stuck in and producing some amazing results. I was incredibly impressed with the work being done.
A student in the Cookery class making soup.
The cookery course offers students the chance to learn new skills that will be useful in a career in the culinary arts, and also in their daily lives. I would like to thank the teachers and students for allowing me into their class. I would also like to extend a thank you to Edinburgh College, Musselburgh Grammar School, and Knox Academy for providing us with use of their kitchens for this course.
I sat down with some of East Lothian Works’ Mentors to gain insight into their experiences on the programme. The Mentoring Programme allows young people between S2 and S6 to gain insight and guidance from a professional working in a field of work that interests the pupil. The scheme allows students in East Lothian to gain knowledge and experience of a certain industry, as well as gain support and advice on personal and emotional issues.
Today’s post focuses on Matthew, one of the young people we work with at East Lothian Works. He has recently completed his Activity Agreement with the Transitions Team, and has since successfully moved on to a Positive Destination.
Matthew has engaged in several activities and courses, and as a result he has learnt many valuable skills, such as good time keeping, reliability, team working, and confidence. The final activity Matthew participated in with his Employment Support Worker Steve Nelson, was to spend an afternoon learning to Stand Up Paddle, which involved reliability, confidence, trust, and listening to and following instructions. But it also involved a great deal of fun!
We wish Matthew all the best for the future as he moves on to a college course (Professional Cookery). Watch this space for the next celebrity chef!
For this week’s Staff Spotlight, I sat down with Fiona Morris, one of East Lothian Work’s Adult Literacy and Numeracy tutors, to ask her a couple of questions about her job role.
For this week’s Staff Spotlight, I sat down with Anne Mercer, a Volunteer Tutor with East Lothian’s Adult Literacy team, as well as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). I also met with Liliana, a learner who is working with Anne to improve her English. The Staff Spotlight series aims to promote the hard work that the Adult Services team in East Lothian Works do, and to show the impact they have on the community.
