Inspirational!

When all your colleagues pull out all the stops to wish you well in your retirement, you’ve got to be delighted

That’s the way I felt on Wednesday evening at my retiral ‘do’ in the Town Hall. I loved my presentation picture, loved my flowers, loved my gardening tokens, loved my afternoon tea treat at Turnberry. I guess you could say I was pretty pleased!!

It was great to see so many colleagues, partners, tutors and friends from my time with the Council. And I was so pleased to hear that my post of Literacies Manager will soon be advertised, and the future of The Learning Shop assured.

Literacies support changes people’s lives for the better. We have the evidence to prove it, and the enthusiasm of staff (paid and voluntary) to deliver it. I am proud to have established such as service in South Ayrshire, proud to have nurtured such a fine team of professionals, proud to continue alongside them as a volunteer ( I can’t really retire completely!).

We have the vision and the energy. That’s all we need to inspire another generation of Adult Literacies Learners. Let’s go for it!

Linda

Linda's Retirement

Linda Muir – Literacy Manager

I have worked with Linda for over fifteen years since, in the ‘old days’, we were known as Supervising Tutors.  Linda had the idea for a dedicated Adult Learning Centre, and after working from the old CERIC building on Whitletts Road, a small dingy room in the Wallace Tower, an office in Wellington Square and upstairs in the Carnegie Library, Linda’s dream became reality and the Learning Shop was opened 10 years ago. Adult Learning has come on leaps and bounds since then and from employing 4 workers with a total of less than 20 hours a week, we now have a team of ten. Things certainly have moved on!

As most of you will know Linda has announced that she is retiring.  Is it a coincidence that since Linda announced her retirement, the Learning Shop has been covered in scaffolding?!!

Linda will be very much missed as a member of the Community Learning and Development staff; she has become very involved in partnership working and has made great links with local organisations over the years. 

She has trained over 500 Volunteer Tutors, ensuring the service we offer is as professional as possible, and without these trained tutors we would not have been able to help 2300 learners!

Most of all she will be missed by the Learning Shop staff.  She has been a great manager, as well as a confidante, mentor, friend, organiser and expert at party games!  We all wish her a long and happy retirement.  As you can imagine she will not be sitting back waiting for things to happen!  She has exciting plans and I am sure she will treat this new phase of her life with great gusto!

We all wish you well Linda!

Julia Wooley

We are OPEN!

We are back to business as usual, see you soon!

Shop Closure

Due to building work, The Learning Shop will be closed from Monday 8th July until Thursday 11th July. We hope to re-open on Friday 12th, and will phone round our regular tutors and learners next week to let them know when they can return to the Shop.

2013 ESOL Tutor Training

Thursday + Friday 15^th/16^th August

The adult learning team  provide  English as a second (or other) language  (ESOL) classes in the community.      This intensive 2 day course offers literacy tutors an  opportunity  to expand their skills and work with ESOL  learners.   Over the two days you will    

·         be introduced to the ESOL teaching methodology

·         gain awareness of how it feels to be an ESOL learner

·         learn  how to plan and deliver a programme. 

·         gain awareness of   working with learners from pre-beginner to intermediate level

·         be better equipped to work on a 1:1 basis or assist in larger groups.  

 ‘An Introduction to Working with ESOL Learners’ is SCQF accredited at level 6.    Tutors who are interested in receiving accreditation for their work will be offered an opportunity to do so.

The course may  be repeated later in the year.  Contact the Learning Shop to register your interest and for more information

 

Here are some more pictures of our recent ESOL family evening that might give you some inspiration!

 

Susan Wilson