Countdown to opening

September 2009 Newsletter

Progress to Date

I’m pleased to report that the building work is now fully underway and all going to plan. I have attached some photos and although it still looks very much like a building site I am assured that good progress is being made! We have been informed that we should be able to open at the end of November which is very good news.

Learning Shop Tours

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to arrange any further tours at present due to health and safety requirements. I will make sure that photos are posted on the blog regularly though so that you can see how the work is progressing.

First Aid Courses

When the shop opens, it is essential that we have a qualified first aider on site at all times. We really need to get as many of us trained up as possible. Please can you contact me if you’d like to attend a certificated first aid course – there is some funding available for this.

Transformation Fund Bid

I’m pleased to report that Ray Wilkinson’s bid was successful and we now have funding to run a number of Saturday taster sessions at the Learning Shop. The first two have been arranged and are:

A talk on the history of the local area (including the Post Office) followed by a minibus tour – Saturday 21st November

A Christmas arts and crafts event – Saturday 12th December

We need your help in running at least another 5 such events. Possible ideas include the following:-

· Session on business start up
· Healthy living promotion
· Environmental project
· Visit to the RSPB
· I.T Sessions
· Introduction to foreign languages – possibly parents and children
· Concourse event for car enthusiasts

The purpose of these sessions is to engage the community and get participants interested in learning so they can be fun and enjoyable. We need your help in planning and running these. Please contact me if you have anything you’d like to run or wish to discuss further.

Staffing

We now know that we will be opening between mid and end of November. Some of you have already indicated your availability but please can you confirm the regular days/times you will be able to work in the Learning Shop so that I can begin drafting a rota of cover.

Opening times are:-

Wednesday – 9.30 am to 5.00 pm
Thursday – 9,30 am t0 7.00 pm
Friday – 9.30 am to 5.00 pm

Due to health and safety, it is essential that we maintain a minimum amount of staff at all times, so if you could let me know your availability that would be very helpful.

Common Procedures

As the opening of the shop approaches, I think it will be very important to develop common procedures so that we all work in similar ways. Examples of this include the following:-

- how we record clients who come into the shop
- how we refer clients who come into the shop
- how we deal with any complaints

Any ideas on this would be appreciated as it is beneficial to share good practise. I am going to work on a number of these and arrange a meeting nearer the opening of the shop so that we can review and agree together. Again, if you have any ideas before then, please contact me or post to the blog.

Action Required

Please contact me with the following at d.brisco@uel.ac.uk

· The completed grid showing the days/times that you or any member of your organisation is available to work at the Learning Shop.
· If you would like to complete a first aid at work qualification.
· Any ideas of good practise in developing common procedures.

August 2009 Newsletter

Progress to Date

Update from Paul Kitson – Delivery Manager, Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation

“The month of August has been dominated by the works to remove asbestos from the building, this work is complete and the building has now been given the all clear. These additional works, all essential to ensure the safety of occupants, have done nothing to help in getting the Learning Shop up and running as the refurbishment contractors have been unable to gain access to the building. Basildon based contractors, Haynes and Smith, will begin work on the refurbishment in early September, their work will take around 10 weeks to complete resulting in the shop being open for business in mid November. Keep visiting the blog for updates and pictures of the works underway and for details of visits and events”.


Layout of Learning Shop

The plans for the layout of the shop have been fully approved after consulation with partners and can now be viewed on this blog.

Learning Shop Tours

Many of you have now had the opportunity to take a look around the Learning Shop and have seen how much work needs to be done! Unfortunately the tours planned for the 8th and 22nd September have had to be cancelled and at this stage of the building works it is impossible to predict when we can safely gain access. However, I will let you know as soon as possible and hopefully we can rearrange within the next few weeks.


First Aid Courses

When the shop opens, it is essential that we have a qualified first-aider on site at all times, so we really need to get as many of us trained up as possible. There is a course running at UEL’s Docklands Campus on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th September. Further details on what the course covers can be found in the July Newsletter.

Please contact me if you would like to attend this, or any other course available locally.


Cross Training Days

The first cross training day was held on Tuesday 4th August at UEL’s Dockland’s campus and was well attended by the partner organisations. It was an opportunity to find out more about UEL, The Creative Way and Next Steps. We’re hoping that this will be the first of a number of these sessions as it’s important for those of us who will be working in the shop to have an idea of what each others organisations do. So we’re looking for volunteers to host the next session, possibly in September. Ideally it would be good for us to visit another organisation and possibly cover a number of places during one session as we did on the 4th August.. Please let me know if you’d like to host a cross training event or present at the next session.


Transformation Fund Bid

Ray Wilkinson has recently submitted a transformation fund bid to fund a number of exciting activities to take place on Saturdays at the shop. Further information can be found on a separate entry on the blog. We have not received any information as to whether this has been successful yet, but will let you know as soon as we hear.


Opening Hours

It has been agreed that initially our opening hours will be:

Wednesday – 9.30 am to 5.00 pm
Thursday – 9.30 am to 7.00 pm
Friday – 9.30 to 5.00 pm

Some of you have already indicated your availability but please can you confirm the regular days/times you will be able to work so that I begin working on a rota of cover. Due to health and safety, it is essential that we maintain a minimum amount of staff at all times so if you could let me know your availability that would be very helpful.


Common Procedures

As the opening of the shop approaches, I think it will be very important to develop common procedures so that we all work in similar ways. Examples of this include the following:-

- how we record clients who come into the shop
- how we refer clients who come into the shop
- how we deal with any complaints

Any ideas on this would be appreciated as it is helpful to share good practise. I am going to work on a number of these and possibly arrange a meeting nearer the opening of the shop so that we can review these together. Again, if you have any ideas before then, please contact me or post to the blog.


Action Required

Please contact me with the following at d.brisco@uel.ac.uk

- If you would like to complete a first aid at work qualification.
- If you would be prepared to host, or take part in a cross training session.
- Any ideas of good practise in developing common procedures.

First Saturdays Transformation Fund

A bid to the Department of Business Innovation and Skills 'Thansformation Fund' has recently been submitted to take forward the work of the Learning Shop.

If successful our bid will help to fund a range of Saturday taster programmes to encourage, engage and enthuse adults in Thurrock to take up some form of learning.

The outcome of our bid will be known in August/September of this year.

For further information and details about the first Saturday bid contact Ray Wilkinson at UEL, r.wilkinson@uel.ac.uk

Tuesday 4th August - Cross Training/Partnership Meeting

Venue - UEL's Docklands Campus - Knowledge Dock, Room 2.22

10:00am - 1.00 pm Cross-training session concentrating on UEL, The Creative Way and Next Stops

Agenda

10.00 am - Arrival - Tea/Coffee

10.00 am - Introductions

10.10 am - Overview of UEL

10.20 am - Pre-entry IAG at UEL

10.35 am - IAG Case Studies

10.50 am - UEL's New Beginnings 2 Programme

11.05 am - Next Steps

11.15 am - Tea/Coffee

11.30 am - The Creative Way

12.00 am - Students View of UEL

12.10 pm - Campus Tour

12.40 pm - Questions and Answer

1. 00 pm - Sandwich lunch

2:00pm Partnership meeting

Please confirm your attendance by e-mailing d.brisco@uel.ac.uk.

Directions can be found here.

If you are travelling by car please can you e-mail me your car make, model and registration number so that parking permits can be arranged.

Newsletter

Progress to Date

Happy to report that Contractors have now been commissioned, and work will be commencing mid to late July. Unfortunately this has been delayed due to the finding of additional asbestos in the roof space. The estimated finishing date now looks to be some time in September. If all goes to plan, hopefully we should be able to open by October.


Learning Shop Tours

Many of us have now had the opportunity to take a look around and to see the “before” picture. Next visit is planned for 10.30 am on Friday 10th July. Please e-mail Debbie (d.brisco@uel.ac.uk) if you’d like to attend.

Once the initial strip out is completed (whereby the shop becomes an empty shell) we’re hoping to arrange some “mid-work” visits as it’s great to see how things are progressing. We’ll circulate some further dates towards the end of July. We'll also up-date with pictures along the way!


Proposed Opening Hours

Initially, we thought we would open three days per week, with a late evening on the Thursday. This would be reviewed after Christmas. Opening hours would be as follows:-

Wednesday - 9.30 to 5.00
Thursday - 9.30 to 7.00
Friday - 9.30 to 5.00


First Aid Courses

As you’re probably aware, it’s a health and safety requirement that we have a qualified first aider present in the shop at all times. UEL could run a custom made course at the date/venue of our choice if we can get a minimum group of 8 together. We hope to be able to offer this for free or less than cost to potential Learning Shop staff (by using part of our EEDA grant - but we need to check the rules) and ideally we’d like one person from each organisation to attend. There is also a course running at our Docklands Campus on the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th September. Please e-mail me if you or any of your staff would like to attend either of these courses.

All qualification courses are for four days and include the following:-

· Priorities of first aid
· Managing an Incident
· Roles/responsibilities of Employers & Employees for FAW
· Care of the unconscious casualty
· Cardio pulmonary resuscitation
· Disorders of the airway
· Dealing with bleeding and shock
· Causes of unconsciousness
· Burns and scalds
· Injuries to bones, muscles & joints
· Poisoning
· Recognition and management of major illnesses
· Recognition of minor illnesses and appropriate action
· Eye injuries
· Miscellaneous injuries
· Record keeping and accident reporting
· Infection control
· Communication and delegation in an Emergency
· Manage the transportation of a casualty



Cross Training Days

On meeting with Partners individually it was suggested that we run some cross training sessions whereby we each give information about our respective organisations. We'd like to hold the first one at UEL's Docklands Campus on either Tuesday 4th or Thursday 6th August. We can then add other locations as preferred. Thurrock and Basildon's Training Rooms at Lakeside may be a possibility and are quite central to all of us (but this does depend on availability). Please could you let me know if you'd like to host a session.


Next Partnership Meeting

Depending on Partner’s availability we thought it would be a good idea to hold the next Partnership meeting directly after the cross training session on Tuesday 4th or Thursday 6th August. We could start the cross training session at 10.00 am, break for a sandwich lunch at 1.00 pm and then lead into the meeting at 2.00 pm. Again, could you please confirm your availability and whether the 4th or 6th August is more convenient for you.


Opening Event

We’ll be having an official opening soon after we move in – please let us know if you have any ideas, suggestions for Speakers, etc. We’ll be in touch shortly asking for details of who you’d like to invite.


Required Action

Please could you let me know the following:-

- Whether you or anyone in your Organisation would like to attend a First Aid at Work qualification course.
- Your availability for the cross-training session/Partnership meeting and whether Tuesday 4th or Thursday 6th August is more convenient for you. I will circulate the chosen date ASAP, but please try to keep both dates clear in your diaries if possible.


In the meantime if there’s anything you’d like to discuss prior to the next meeting please free to contact Debbie Brisco on 020 8591 9882 (d.brisco@uel.ac.uk) or Ray Wilkinson on 020 8223 7023 (r.wilkinson@uel.ac.uk)

"Before" pictures