#203 – Bilingual Workforce Training in the age of COVID (And beyond)
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Welcome to the latest episode of our The Voctech Podcast: learning continued series, supported by the Ufi Voctech Trust and Ufi Ventures. You can follow the conversation using #voctechpodcast and #voctech.
What’s in this episode?
This week’s episode is all about some of the immediate responses to workforce training through technology in the wake of COVID-19. You’ll hear from professionals in both early years and further education, on how they engaged learners, helped support rapid training of the workforce and the long term positive impact. We talk about funding, contextualising content, and the spirit of generosity and giving during the age of COVID.
Enjoy and happy listening!
People
Sophie Bailey is the Founder and Presenter of The Edtech Podcast | Twitter: @podcastedtech
Sophie is the founder of the iTunes new and noteworthy, The Edtech Podcast. The mission of The Edtech Podcast is to improve the dialogue between ‘ed’ and ‘tech’ for better innovation, through storytelling. The podcast is downloaded 2000+ times a week, from over 145 countries with the UK, US & Aus in the top 3. Sophie is a mentor and advisor within the edtech community. If she’s not interviewing a University Lecturer, School Leader, Ex-Angry Bird, NGO, or Investor about education innovation, she’s chasing her son around the park or binge-reading Homo Deus.
Nia Brodrick, Project Coordinator, ColegauCymru / Colleges Wales | Twitter: @NiaBrodrickCC; @ColegauCymru
Nia Brodrick has been working on a variety of different projects at ColegauCymru or CollegesWales for the past three years. Acting as the collective voice, ColegauCymru represents and promotes the interests of the 13 further education colleges across Wales. Approximately 120,000 learners are studying at Further Education colleges in Wales, at any one time.
Nia is part of the development team working to bring opportunities to students and the wider college community. For example, in sport, visits with Erasmus plus, and with projects supporting students with additional learning needs. Nia has had the opportunity to work on some great projects from language learning, mental health, vocational graduate tracking across Europe and currently the VocTech Ufi project.
Before ColegauCymru, Nia was a Bilingual Champion at Merthyr College and a Welsh teacher in a secondary school.
Annabel Hardy-King, Projects Director, PACEY | Twitter: @paceychildcare
Annabel Hardy-King is a project manager at PACEY (Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years). Most recently, Annabel has managed the development of PACEY’s free EY smart CPD platform – a project funded by Ufi VocTech Trust.
Claire Protheroe, National Manager for Wales, PACEY Cymru | Twitter: @PACEYCymru
Claire Protheroe is the National Manager for Wales for PACEY (Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years). Claire leads and manages the work of PACEY in Wales, which includes developing and maintaining strategic relationships with key partners and providing leadership and business planning for the organisation in Wales over many key areas. Claire has many years of childcare and early years experience and has held a variety of roles within the sector, including working as a registered childminder, so has an understanding of the issues facing practitioners in the field.
Quotes from this episode
References from this week’s episode
- Ufi Voctech Trust – website
- Ufi Week of Voctech 2-6 Nov 2020 – Save the Date – FeNews article
- Ufi Week of VocTech – Event page on LinkedIn
- Ufi Voctech – Twitter
- Ufi Voctech Trust – LinkedIn
- Ufi Trust VocTech Now grant – page on Ufi website
- Nia Brodrick – LinkedIn
- Nia Brodrick – Twitter
- ColegauCymru (CollegesWales) – Twitter
- Pembrokeshire College – Twitter
- Geoff Elliot – LinkedIn
- Google for Education – Twitter
- Zoom – Twitter
- Big Blue Button – Twitter
- Microsoft Teams – Twitter
- Lightbulb Moment – website
- #VocTalks – event page on ColegauCymru website – Recordings of the talks available on the YouTube page soon
- ColegauCymru on YouTube – Links to YouTube video page
- PACEY – website
- PACEY – Twitter
- Annabel Hardy-King – LinkedIn
- Opinion: Get Smart with CPD – Article by Annabel Hardy-King, June 2020
- Claire Protheroe – LinkedIn
- EY SMART – Link to page on PACEY website
- Ufi Voctech Trust: EY Smart Funding – link to funding info on Ufi website
- Fantastic response from the sector for our new project EY smart – Article on PACEY website, March 2019
- PACEY Membership – Link to more info on PACEY website
- Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers – link to strategy document on Welsh government website
- Department for Education – Twitter
- Video editing mentions from Nia Brodrick
Thank you to the Ufi Voctech Trust
The Voctech Podcast Series is produced by The Edtech Podcast and supported by Ufi Voctech Trust
Our aim is to help improve vocational skills in the UK’s workforce by funding digital solutions for vocational learning. We only fund activity that is ‘scalable’ through technology, ie projects that use digital methods to widen access to vocational learning. While digital learning solutions are potentially open to all, we are especially keen to assist digital projects which involve post-school age vocational learners that have failed to be engaged by the education system. Contact: kate.atha@ufi.co.uk, Head of Communications, Ufi Voctech Trust.
Tell us where you are listening in from
We’d love to hear about innovative technology or approaches you are developing or using in adult education. Leave your stories in the comments below. Alternately, record a quick free voicemail via speakpipe for inclusion in the next episode. Finally, you can post your thoughts or follow-on links via twitter @podcastedtech or via The Edtech Podcast Facebook page.
