Just over one week to go until our May Taster Day. This is a great opportunity for those interested in construction courses to ‘have a go’ at brickwork or carpentry and find out about our Summer Programme and other training and apprenticeship opportunities.

PLEASE NOTE THIS HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ADVERTISED AS TAKING PLACE ON WEDNESDAY 31ST MAY, WHICH IS OF COURSE AN ERROR. WE APOLOGISE FOR THE CONFUSION AND ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS HAS CAUSED.

We have set the dates for this year’s Summer Programme. This has become an important part of the annual calendar which helps school-leavers get a head start on their construction training by spending six weeks on an introductory course to get a grounding on either brickwork or carpentry & joinery.

Our Summer Programme has become a really good way for some students to ‘fast track’ their way towards further training or even an apprenticeship. The course runs for six weeks from 4th July until the 10th August and there are no entry requirements in terms of qualifications.

Subject to eligibility, programme participants could be entitled to a training allowance and support with travel costs throughout the six-week programme. Please ask for details.

To secure your place on the programme, please get in touch with us as soon as possible, either by
telephone (01865 370040) or via email [email protected].

Very good news in that more young people will be able to benefit from the fantastic Unlocking
Potential project in Oxfordshire, due to changes to eligibility which now means it is open to
anyone aged 17-21 who has been Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) for 6 months
or more in the county.

We are pleased to be one of the partner organisations involved with delivering opportunities to
help young people to quickly develop self-confidence, self-esteem, work readiness and
employability. The partnership provides support for individuals into meaningful employment,
education and training opportunities with a diverse range of local employers and training
providers, with ongoing in-work support.

This project will provide a comprehensive, intensive and integrated package of fun engagement
activities, real work experience, accredited entry-level training, employability development, one-to-
one holistic support and work readiness opportunities to 220 young people in the county.

ACE will provide Workshop Taster days for individuals or for groups who have expressed an
interest in construction. We have a proven record of working with people who have for various
reasons not been engaging with employment or training, and pride ourselves on our clientcentred
approach to helping learners to move onwards positively either within construction or
elsewhere.

Unlocking Potential is part of the Building Better Opportunities scheme funded by the Big Lottery
and European Social Fund. For more information on the project and its partner organisations please see their website www.upoxfordshire.org and follow them on Twitter @upoxfordshire

We always encourage our students to look after their tools, as they are crucial to their trade, but maybe in our industry we are guilty of sometimes neglecting the most important tools of all – our hands! Exposure to abrasive materials, harsh weather and overall wear and tear can be damaging to every the most careful of tradespeople.

Thanks to the fine folks at Everbuild – A Stika Company, we got the opportunity to reinforce some good practice about hand care with some of our students, after receiving a box of two of their new products, Wonder Wipes and Hand Armour. The wipes were great at removing a range of different materials from hands, as well as surfaces and tools. The barrier cream is very smooth and great protection for the hands.

These products are really great but as we reminded our students, there’s no substitute for wearing gloves where it is practical and suitable to do so!

We are looking into the possibility of running a minibus from Witney to help pre-apprenticeship students access and attend our Weds-Fri course. We have run a similar service to/from Banbury for a few years now and it has really helped enhance our courses and give an option to students who couldn’t find suitable courses available locally.

We are currently trying to get an idea of the potential interest in Witney in running the bus and if the demand is positive we will look to start running the service as soon as possible!

Please get in touch if you or anyone you know is interested in the service. Our preapprenticeship
study programmes are ideal for school-leavers and those aged 16-19 looking at routes into construction, providing proven progression into apprenticeships and employment.