Offender Learning
ASDAN has a range of programmes and qualifications, suitable for both youth and adult offenders in custodial and non-custodial settings, that meet the requirements the government has set out for offender learning:
"We plan to place a much greater emphasis on developing the vocational and employability skills that offenders need to find and keep jobs and Apprenticeships... We will also continue to meet the functional needs of offenders through more engaging and motivational provision."
Making Prisons Work: Skills for Rehabilitation - Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 2011 (page 7)
Qualifications
Employability Qualifications
ASDAN Employability Qualifications offer small steps of accreditation from Entry 2 to Level 3 via a wide range of units. The qualifications are available as Awards or Certificates, and individual units can also be accredited. Visit the Employability page for further information.
Personal and Social Development Qualifications
The Personal and Social Development Qualifications enable offenders to become more confident individuals who will make a positive contribution to society. Visit the Personal and Social Development page for further information.
Community Volunteering Qualifications
Available at Levels 1 to 3 as an Award or Certificate, the Community Volunteering Qualifications provide a means to recognise and accredit the voluntary and community activities undertaken by offenders. There is also a single unit qualification available at Entry 3 to Level 2 in Volunteering at an Event. Visit the Volunteering Qualifications page for further information.
Unit Accreditation
Unit accreditation ia available for all qualifications and provides opportunities to develop a personal learning programme. It is possible to combine individual units from each of the qualifications to create a bespoke programme of learning suited to differing timescales (depending on the offender learning setting).
Some units from the qualifications above are eligible for unit funding through the Skills Funding Agency, as part of the skills training offer for 2011/12. Download the list of eligible ASDAN QCF units.
Programmes
ASDAN also offers a wider range of programmes and awards, where a qualification is not the desired outcome. These include the Experience of Work, RoadWise and Football Short Courses. Visit the Short Courses page for further information.
Foundation Learning Provision
ASDAN programmes and qualifications at Entry 1 to Level 1 are ideally suited to Foundation Learning provision for offenders of all ages. Visit the Foundation Learning page for further information.
Maths and English
ASDAN has produced a series of resources to support the teaching and learning of Maths and English. ASDAN short courses in Maths and English Language and Function Junction provide accreditation opportunities for learners to develop their skills around numeracy and literacy.
Offender Learning Partnership Arrangements
ASDAN has customised partnership arrangements with organisations whose work is linked to aspects of offender learning education and rehabilitation schemes. This work can be accredited through ASDAN programmes and qualifications.
Click on the logos for further information about these organisations:
ASDAN and AELP
ASDAN has recently become part of the Association of Employers and Learning Providers special interest group for offender learning and looks forward to working with providers involved in this area.
Further Information
If you would like to find out more about how ASDAN programmes and qualifications can support offender learning, please contact Dean O'Donoghue or Jon Duckham.