Quality Report 2015 | Page 66

SUPPORTING EMPLOYABILITY IN COMMUNITIES Preparing people for employment Significant work took place throughout 2014-15 to enhance our engagement with community partners such as Community Learning and Development, JobCentre Plus, Skills Development Scotland, NHS Ayrshire & Arran and third sector organisations such as local authorities, Voluntary Action South Ayrshire, CVO East Ayrshire, Ayrshire Alcohol and Drug Partnerships, Addaction and Enable. Multi-agency meetings, established by the College to plan skills provision to support communities, improved progression and avoided duplication across Ayrshire. The College supported all stages of the Strategic Skills Pipeline model, the Scottish framework to support the effective delivery of employability services. STRATEGIC SKILLS PIPELINE 66 AYRSHIRE COLLEGE / QUALITY REPORT 2014/15 Employability Fund In 2014-15, we worked with Skills Development Scotland and community planning partners to better match Employability Fund provision with local needs. This resulted in delivering short job specific training and accreditation in key growth areas of the Ayrshire economy. Referral and course success rates saw a marked upturn in the second half of the academic year due to this change, with 132 enrolments in that time period. Employability Fund courses complemented the College’s core employability provision and that of local providers. Using the Employability Fund, the College delivered a hospitality course at the Lochside House Hotel in New Cumnock in conjunction with JobCentre Plus and the RAD hotel group. The course consisted of food hygiene, personal licence holder and customer care qualifications, followed by barista skills. The food and beverage service skills training course culminated with a week of work