Project Report
Shop, Cook & Eat
Our extremely successful project, Shop Cook & Eat all started in the summer of 2007. Initially the College was approached by a group of young people and their parents/carers from Bexley Downs Syndrome Group. It was the dream of these young people to live independently and they were keen to learn the life skills that would enable them to achieve this.
The College successfully secured funding from the Learning and Skills Council and our new project began to take shape. The aim of the project was to teach this group of learners how to prepare five healthy meals. The progress and enthusiasm displayed by these learners has been fantastic and without exception everyone achieved this goal. Many more skills were learnt along the way such as using transport, shopping at the local supermarket, managing money, preparation and hygiene in the kitchen to mention a few.
One learner made such excellent progress on this course that she was nominated for an Outstanding Learners Award during Adult Learners Week.
A DVD of the five chosen recipes was made. Viewers can navigate through a menu and choose the recipe they would like to see. The DVD was designed to be used as a refresher for those that have completed the course and a valuable teaching resource for those to come.
This year the College was able to maintain these classes by using an accredited programme called City & Guilds NPTC Life Skills qualification. Learners now enrol on Cook & Eat for the first year, followed by Shop, Cook & Eat in the second year and this is firmly embedded in the curriculum.
In the summer of 2008 another opportunity arose and once again the College was successful in securing funding. Building on our previous success we developed a new project is called Foundation Skills for Employability. The aim of this project is to equip learners with learning difficulties and disabilities with the skills that are essential when moving into the world of paid employment.
If you would like to know more about these projects please contact the Learner Support Manager, Glenda Jackson, on 020 8269 8990.
