Discovering Success - The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Learning Partnership


Although the Royal Borough is relatively affluent, this disguises pockets of deprivation where local people, for whatever reason, suffer social disadvantage that can be a barrier to learning.

Case Studies Helping teenagers "on the fringe" Young people on the fringe of education - who don't attend mainstream schools for a variety of reasons - were involved in an innovative partnership programme to enhance their education experiences and help them cope with the life decisions that lie ahead. A youth worker and a careers advisor joined forces to devise the 10 week programme for 16 year olds. Tackling issues like confidence-building, self respect, respect for others and dealing with conflict, the programme also provided a week of team building activities. There were opportunities too for visits to college and employers, and for a week of valuable work experience.

Training - a step forward not a route out Quickdata, a small Maidenhead-based computer and office stationery business, has just ten employees and a zero training budget - but Managing Director Mark Harris recognises staff training as a vital part of the company's overall development and success. Training offered can be either general or specific. The general includes courses to brush up telesales skills or getting the best out of Microsoft Word. The specific can focus on an industry-specific suite of software or detailed product training by the big names, for example Hewlett Packard - a key brand sold by Quickdata.

From reluctant students to budding artists A pilot scheme to develop family literacy in a local primary school may have had a slow start but it turned into a learning winner. Targeted in an area where there is little history of participation in learning, the scheme was a partnership between the local authority, the school and a further education college. The 6 week course, aimed at encouraging adults to develop their artistic skills by creating decorative display materials, met an initial degree of reluctance from parents - but this was short lived. The students soon developed into keen learners and the course had to be extended by popular demand.

Links and business challenges for schools Sixth form students swapped the classroom for the cut and thrust of the modern business world when they took part in two Challenge Days, organised by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Education Business Partnership (EBP). The first event saw business studies students in Windsor's impressive Guildhall where they worked in small teams to tackle real business challenges devised by local companies, who also provided business advisors and judges for the final presentations made by the young people.