Eastend residents get a kickstart

Kickstart is an an eight-week personal development programme aiming to provide structure, routine and learning to adults from Glasgow’s Eastend.

Experience of the programme and achieving certificated outcomes can help participants feel more confident as sometimes this can be their first experience of attaining any qualification.

The programme has helped the participants to engage with a range of life skills and experiences and encouraged the idea of lifelong learning. It also gave access to the John Wheatley College Haghill flexible learning environment, which was explored during the programme.

The program had been designed, by a thorough pre-course assessment, to help the participants that felt de-skilled, de-motivated and marginalised as a result of their previous lifestyle. The Kickstart programme helps to address some of these barriers, working alongside key partners.

Darran Morris, 42, from Auchensuggle said;

Well first, I wouldn't have been able to send you this without the course. It’s helped me retain contact with others that I normally would have had to phone, which would have cost a lot i.e. family in Tenerife.  It also gave me a new environment to meet other people and another reason to get out of bed and do something.

John MacNeil, Engagement Manager, GERA – East End Referral Team said;

I am pleased to say John Wheatley has played an integral part in this process. The ongoing support and dedicated staff resources assigned to the programme has demonstrated a high percentage of clients gaining certificated achievements in a range of areas including word processing, email, and power-point, enhancing learning and life skills. Tailoring the basic I.T. programme to the needs of individuals has facilitated learning at their own pace and complimented the overall Kickstart course content, making the course feel relevant and enhancing the overall aims of the Kickstart programme.