Leap (education and training)

Leap

Formation	August 2007
Purpose	Education, Training information
Location	Suffolk
Region served	Suffolk, United Kingdom
Affiliations	University Campus Suffolk, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
Website	Leap

Leap^[1] was established in 2007 by University Campus Suffolk, Suffolk Learning and Skills Council and Suffolk County Council with funding from East of England Development Agency and is the umbrella brand for education and training providers in Suffolk.

Leap delivers free information, advice and guidance to everyone seeking education or training opportunities and also works with businesses aiming to improve the skills of their workforce.

The first students enrolled on courses through the Leap Centres in September 2007.

Overview

Leap is a collaboration of strategic partners and education providers that includes University Campus Suffolk, Suffolk County Council, West Suffolk College, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce and various voluntary sector organisations.^[2] In April 2009, University Campus Suffolk took over as the lead partner for the project.

The Leap Website is the central portal for information about adult learning and skills courses in Suffolk and enables individuals to browse the course database and choose from approximately 6,000 local courses including Skills for Life Courses, Further and Higher Education and Leisure and Community Learning Courses.

Leap is implementing core government policy^[3] by helping to raise the skills levels and employment chances of individuals.

Aims

The aim of Leap is to make access to education and skills as local as possible in response to the largely rural nature of the county,^[4] as well as providing access to a range of education options for people who want to pursue learning from basic literacy to higher education.

Leap aims to deliver support to the community in order to assist in raising aspirations and to address the barriers to education and employment.

Leap Centres and Leap Points

There are 13 Leap Centres located in market towns across Suffolk delivered through five providers; Community Learning and Skills Development, West Suffolk College, Community Action Suffolk, Access Community Trust and CSV Media. Leap Centres are located in Beccles, Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Mildenhall, Newmarket, Stowmarket and Sudbury.

Leap Centres provide access to all education from Leisure learning through to Higher Education and boast state of the art teaching facilities and access to IT based learning. Centre staff and National Careers Service advisors can help with information and advice on skills training and development, careers advice, business support, skills for life and leisure learning^[5] as well as CV writing, interview skills and presentation techniques.

Leap Points are compact versions of the Centres, based in Libraries and Children’s Centres. These offer information and a sign-post service to local learning opportunities. There are currently approximately 100 Leap Points located in Suffolk.

Courses

The range of courses available through Leap includes:

English, Maths and IT
Further Education
Higher Education
Apprenticeships
Family Learning Courses
Leisure Learning Courses

Students

Individuals aged 18+ from all backgrounds take advantage of Leap for information and resources to education and training.

Leap for Business

Formed in 2010 by Leap and Suffolk Chamber of Commerce, Leap for Business is a free signposting service offering independent, impartial and comprehensive skills advice to business throughout Suffolk.

References

↑ "About LEAP". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
↑ "Leap: Adult Learning and Education Services In Suffolk". Learning and Education Services In Suffolk. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
↑ "Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills". Retrieved 2008-10-22.
↑ "UCS Schools and Network". Retrieved 23 January 2012.
↑ "Murrayside Leap Centre". Training Providers. Retrieved 2 February 2012.

External links

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