New qualifications for adults with learning disabilities

The Lady Verdin Trust has become the first independent provider in Cheshire to launch the City and Guilds Entry Level 1 qualification in Personal Progress for adults with learning disabilities.
 
Delivered by the Trust, an independent provider of support and care for adults with learning disabilities in Crewe and Nantwich, the qualification covers areas such as communication, independent living skills, reading and writing, mathematics, developing skills for the workplace and engaging with their world.
 
The qualification, currently undertaken by 18 of the Trust's clients, aims to enable them to participate as fully as possible within their community, and increase the number of clients in paid employment or working as volunteers within local organisations. Through Personal Development Planning the Lady Verdin Trust has always actively encouraged clients to consider and plan for their futures.
 
Director of Training and Development, Dorothy Chennell, said: "As a training centre approved by City and Guilds, we provide both in house Lady Verdin Trust training and Health and Social Care qualifications for our staff. When we heard about the qualification in Personal Progress, we jumped at the chance to offer the same opportunities to our clients.
 
"We have specifically designed our own workbooks to meet the needs and capabilities of our clients and the assessments, completed to City and Guilds standards, will be carried out through observation by our trained staff and contributions from others involved in the clients' everyday life."
 
The workbooks, in which the client is supported to plan their own learning and record their progress, have been developed to recognise achievement at each stage in order to maintain motivation and confidence. Clients can evaluate the outcome of their achievements and receive feedback from others they have worked with whilst using their own preferred methods of communication.
 
Dorothy adds: "At the Trust we are constantly striving to further our philosophy of equality. Identifying achievements and providing opportunities to participate in community life creates a deeper sense of belonging as strengths and abilities are recognised. Clients will then be better placed to overcome barriers to inclusion and find ways in which to contribute to their local economies. This principle is firmly embedded in our philosophy and practice, and to be the first provider of this qualification in Cheshire is a real honour."
 
Clients who are studying the qualification are currently working towards Entry Level 1 Award in Personal Progress, but after that will have the chance to further their studies with a Level 1 Certificate or a Level 1 Diploma.
 

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