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Adoption leader
honoured by University
ADOPTION specialist Norman
Goodwin has become the first social worker to receive an Honorary
Master of Arts Degree from the University of Chester.
The Adoption Matters Northwest Chief Executive was recognised by the
university for his 26 years of service in adoption, social work and
childcare across the region.
He received this prestigious honour amongst the university’s social
work graduates at a ceremony held at the Chester Cathedral.
He said that:- "It’s an
absolute honour to be chosen by the university, and I’m proud to
have accepted it amongst a new generation of social workers as they
prepare to face the challenges and rewards that await them. It’s a
very important time in the social work profession and I hope that
everyone graduating this year will experience the same satisfaction
that I have during my career." said Norman."
Adoption Matters Northwest celebrates a record number of placements
during 2011, with 62 children being placed with new families,
including sibling groups of 3, 4 and even 5!
The agency has also been rated Outstanding by Ofsted for the past 6
years. Since being formed 60 years ago it has been responsible for
placing a total of 3,500 children with new families. They have
included several groups of 5 siblings.
3's not a crowd
for giant spectacular
FIRST there was the 30 foot
Giant Little Girl, then came the 50 foot Uncle and now the team
behind this month's giant spectacular are delighted to announce that
a 3rd giant will be hitting the streets of Liverpool from 20 April
to 22 April 2012.
Xolo (pronounced Cho-lo) is the Little Girl Giant's 4 legged friend,
who will be following her as she searches for her Uncle around
Liverpool. It will be the first time the 9ft dog has ever been
seen in the UK. A playful addition to the show, Xolo will have fun
interacting with the crowd and will be a huge hit with the expected
250,000 strong audience.
Xolo is a Mexican, hairless dog and is believed to have been
considered a sacred animal by the Aztecs. The latest Sea Odyssey
addition is 3.5metres long, weighs 200 pounds and can reach speeds
of up to 6kph.
Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism,
Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "When we originally announced
that the Little Girl Giant was coming to the city there was a huge
amount of excitement, and now we have three giants exploring
Liverpool this has turned out to be the must-see event of the year!
Xolo will add a fantastic dynamic to the show; he's fast, playful
and fantastic to watch; it won't just be dog-lovers he'll appeal to,
but people old and young. This is the first time street theatre
experts Royal de Luxe have ever brought three giants to the UK, so
it's a real coup they want to showcase some of their most popular
characters in our city. It really will be an un-missable event, and
one that people will remember for years to come."
Sea Odyssey will see the 3 giants exploring the city, covering a
massive 23 miles between them.
It is only the 3rd time Xolo has
taken part of a Royal de Luxe show. He made his 1st ever outing in
Mexico was in front of an audience of 3.5 million people in 2010,
and then performed in front of 600,000 in Nantes in 2011.
Sea Odyssey is one of the most complex events ever staged by the
City Council, and the team has planned the route so that as many
people as possible can experience the event.
The full route and latest
information can be found at:-
giantspectacular.com or why not
'Like' the Giant Spectacular page on Facebook or
follow Giant Spectacle on Twitter. You can also find out more by
calling:- 0151 233 2008.
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Boxing stars
weigh-in with support of program for young adult learners
LIVERPOOL boxing stars
turned out to applaud the success of a work experience and training
programme in Merseyside. The programme is a collaboration between
Sysco, GT Law and Jobcentre Plus and has seen employment prospects
soar for its young adult learners. Young adult learners were
delighted when Liverpool boxers David Price and Rocky Fielding,
arrived to congratulate them on their recent achievements with
Sysco’s first work experience programme that offers sector based
learning, employability training and a guaranteed job interview at
the end of the process. The unique training programme
initiated by training provider, Sysco, enables young adults to
access training, work experience and job opportunities with an
ultimate aim to secure full time work with an employer-partner of
the scheme. Access to sector-based training and work
experience is a new government initiative introduced to help those
who are ready for work to secure employment. The 3 main components
of these opportunities include pre-employment training relevant to a
specific sector; a work experience placement for each learner; a
guaranteed job interview. Merseyside based law firm, GT Law,
are partners of the project; offering candidates work experience and
an interview with six jobs available for successful learners at the
end of the programme. Sysco then worked to provide both the learners
with the skills and experience they would need to succeed in
employment, whilst Jobcentre Plus facilitated the scheme for all
learners on the programme. Super-heavyweight boxer David Price and
super-middleweight boxer Rocky Fielding, have congratulated the
learners on their dedication and success so far. David was also
present to meet learner Sophie Humphries, winner of £250 vouchers
after describing her dream job in a Sysco competition.
David commented:- "When kids leave school these days there
aren't many employment opportunities out there for them. Sysco has
given them a different angle to come in on, rather than going on a
college course it’s something different where they’re learning
skills and 'on the job' experience."
Sophie Humphries, learner, agrees:- "The academy’s offered me
a lot of opportunities, not just the chance to get a full time job,
but it also offers you the chance to get your qualifications if
you're struggling – whether that’s business admin improving your
English or learning ICT, it offers a lot on top of the experience
and employment too."
Sysco’s recent appointment and father of boxer, Rocky, Michael
'Tosh' Fielding MBE was instrumental in driving the
programme after experiencing success with young adult learners
across Merseyside. He explains:- "We’re delighted the academy
has been such a fantastic success; it has enabled us, along with GT
Law and JCP, to offer our young learners a springboard into
employment; whether that’s gaining qualifications, work experience,
interview experience or full time work. It’s very important to
support our young unemployed adults by equipping them with the
skills to be the best they can be, and we’re confident all the
learners on this programme will reap the benefits once it ends."
Rocky Fielding, says:- "It’s very important for young people
to get the skills today, it’s great preparation for them as they
train for the world of work and gives them essential experience that
will help them hit the ground running when they get their first
job."
Jan Palin, Jobcentre Plus, explains:- "The success of the
sector-based work academies is proving to be immense, lots of young
people are going into work and we’ve delivered into a lot of sectors
across the city. With Sysco and GT Law the calibre has been very
high and we’re hopeful that a good number of those candidates will
move in to work."
Lauren Gwynne, GT Law, comments:- "The relationship between GT
Law, JCP and Sysco has been excellent We are delighted with the team
of learners who have been selected and we’ve been impressed by all
ten candidates who have taken part in this programme. It will be a
really tough decision when it comes to filling the six vacancies at
GT Law."
Shelley Worthington, tutor, says:- "It’s been a success from
day one due to the planning and preparation. The product’s been
quite unique in its design and concept because it’s given young
people the opportunity to train and develop and to improve their
skills, whilst at the same time they’re undertaking work experience
placements with the possibility of job outcomes at the end of it.
It’s about giving young people the opportunity to get a job in this
hard economic climate, so they have something to aspire to."
For more information about Sysco and its training programmes please
visit:-
sysco.uk.com. |
