The University of Derby and five FE Colleges in the area have launched a project aimed at bringing technologies in training to 60 local small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The 'Can-Do' Project will link up with the University for Industry to promote the availability of work-based learning in SMEs through information and communication technologies in the area.
The project will give SMEs the chance to benefit from new training technologies and also provide external advice on identifying employee training needs and the design of training programmes.
All training and learning opportunities which are created for the SMEs will be accredited jointly through the local Open College Network and the University of Derby's credit-based awards framework, which allows credits for learning at work to be built up towards University and FE College qualifications.
The Credit Accumulation and Delivery system will award credit to people who have learned new skills, acquired new understanding and/or new knowledge. One Credit is awarded for the successful learning achievements that would normally take on average about 30 hours learning time to achieve, and each is awarded at a number of levels, structured to denote the complexity of learning. The levels of achievement cover all stages of learning from basic education through to post-graduate study.
Because Credits can be awarded for relatively small amounts of achievement it provides an ideal system to enable learners to accumulate Credits over time to achieve a required number for a specific purpose. For example the University of Derby’s entry requirement for undergraduate degree programmes is 24 Credits, with a minimum of 16 Credits at Level Three.
The 'Can-Do' project is part of the ADAPT Programme, one of a number of employment-related initiatives funded by the European Social Fund. The programme has been set up to help to increase the competitiveness of industry, services and commerce, to help prevent unemployment by increasing the qualifications of the workforce for changes in industry and to help to accelerate the development of the development of new jobs.
