Elthorne Learning Centre

Elthorne Learning Centre

The Elthorne Learning Centre (ELC) provides a community-based, accessible service to socially excluded groups in order to meet their socio-economic, cultural, health and training needs. The ELC offers customised initiatives such as English, Literacy and Numeracy, Leisure and Tourism, Health and Social Care, and ICT courses.

ELC assists people without jobs to prepare for, and find, employment and gives support to children and families.  ELC empowers communities to access health information and health services, and supports communities to set up self-help groups through capacity building initiatives.

EASI works with ELC:

Four Community Development and Health Courses have been offered by ELC. These courses introduce health care and the health system in the UK. The learner's health, career and their community benefit as a result. The course is a qualification, a social exercise and a preparation for working in the British health system or abroad. Aspects of IT and ESOL are incorporated and students are encouraged to participate in further learning. The three main paths to progression are further training, especially in ESOL and IT, an NVQ in Health and Social Care, or volunteering.

Volunteering placements are open-ended and are organised after training in hospitals, care homes and community health charities. These placements enable learners to apply the knowledge gained during their training, to a UK working environment. It improves employability by filling the gaps on learners' CVs and by providing a UK work reference. Top

EASI learns with ELC:

• That building relationships with refugee community organisations has led to a greater awareness of the needs of the target community.
• That asylum seekers are potentially a valuable labour resource with important skills, such as comforting patients in their native languages, for example. These volunteers provide support, time and enthusiasm for health institutions which could not otherwise employ people for additional care services.
• That volunteers contribute to the capacity building of RCOs. The Pan African Sexual Health Charity, for example, has benefited from the supply of volunteers with outreach skills and an understanding of how cultural and social factors affect health.
• That transnational activity is important in highlighting the topic of asylum at an international level. It also spreads good practice and models of community development across national boundaries.

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EASI learns with ELC:

• Volunteering has provided learners with UK references and work experience. It has allowed the development of existing and new skills.
• The volunteering placement is designed to teach people to have a long-term approach to employment and training.
• The progression of ELC's volunteers has been very successful.

More on EASI's Volunteering Activities:Find out about the volunteering activities of Tandem, Refugee Women's Association, Education Action International, North of England Refugee Service, Refugee Council, Hackney City Farm and EASI's transnational volunteering successes Top

Useful Contacts:

For more information please about EASI and ELC please contact Jo Ikhelef

Address:
The Elthorne Learning Centre
7A Elthorne Road
Upper Holloway
London
N19 4AJ

Telephone: 020 7272 8960 Top