C16 Community grants, assistance and sponsorship
- The ACT Government has funded the Adult and Community Education (ACE) grants program provision since 1998, with an annual budget of $250,000.
- The Program is administered by the Directorate and funding recipients are selected via a competitive application process.
- Grants under the ACE program provide access to critical training for people in the community who may be marginalised from formal education and training, as well as supporting those who need opportunities for the development of foundation skills.
Adult and Community Education grants
The Directorate recognises the value of ACE in developing social capital, building community capacity, encouraging social participation and enhancing social cohesion through educational and labour market participation.
Training funded by ACE offers supportive pathways into further education, training and work. Participation in quality learning opportunities promotes self-esteem, motivation and the confidence of individuals, enabling them to move into further education and training or employment.
ACE supports the re-engagement of marginalised individuals and people from disadvantaged backgrounds in learning and work and is a key component in supporting the ACT Government's social inclusion agenda outlined in The Canberra Plan: Towards Our Second Century and the Canberra Social Plan 2011 and various ACT Government strategic plans, including the ACT Strategic Plan for Positive Ageing 2010-2014 and the ACT Multicultural Strategy 2010-2013 .
The Directorate funded a number of ACE courses delivered in formal and informal settings using flexible and learner centred activities. Details of ACE courses for 2013, their providers, expected outcomes and grant amounts are provided in Table C16.1.
Table C16.1: ACE courses, providers, expected outcomes and grants, 2013
| Provider | Course | Outcomes | Amount ($) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belconnen Arts Centre Incorporated | Starting Point | The workshops are targeted towards 40 percent of the population in the Belconnen region who are senior or retired, suffer disadvantage and are interested in taking the first step in creative visual arts education. | 6,290 |
| Canberra Institute of Technology | Job Prep For Men | The project offers disengaged men who face disadvantage such as long term unemployment, lack of qualifications and social isolation, including asylum seekers, the opportunity to | 15,000 |
| Canberra Blind Society | Let Your Senses Lead The Way | The Braille Literacy project responds to the needs of people who are blind or have low vision. The project assists these people to acquire Braille literacy skills to enable them to read and write. The course addresses the specific needs of each individual adjusting to adventitious blindness or low vision. | 15,000 |
| College of Transformation, Education and Training | Re-Invent Yourself Programme (Confidence Building, Personal Presentation and Workforce Induction) | Drawing on personal presentation, training and an image make-over, participants are assisted to make the transition into employment and further education opportunities. Resume and interview preparation and role play scenarios will equip participants with the tools to achieve vocational employment opportunities. | 15,000 |
| The Community IT Connection Project | The project creates a bridge with information technology (IT) for disabled and aged care residents to learn basic computer skills which will improve access to loved ones via IT sources (i.e. Facebook, email, and webcam). | 15,000 | |
| Community Connections Incorporated | Inclusive Drama | Inclusive Drama uses drama as a tool to develop and practice positive communication strategies and self-expression. | 13,600 |
| Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT Incorporated | English for living program | Functional literacy for day to day life and for finding employment, continuing study or attending appointments. | 15,000 |
| Home tutor program | Designed to assist migrants and refugees learn English language and gain knowledge of Australia. | 15,000 | |
| Pakistan Australian Friendship Association Incorporated | Digital literacy for adults and people from non-IT background | Information technology skills and experience, provided through digital literacy workshops conducted in Hindi and Urdu. These skills will assist participants to access online information regarding government services, research, apply for jobs online and participate within social media applications. | 8,000 |
| Southside Community Services Incorporated | Links to learning in 2013 | Literacy program for socially disadvantaged ACT residents who have low language and literacy or numeracy proficiencies. | 15,000 |
| Onwards and upwards in 2013 | Vocationally based, language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) assistance to participants studying vocational courses throughout the ACT. | 15,000 | |
| Support Asian Women's Friendship Association Incorporated | Learning workplace English and basic computer skills for CALD backgrounds adult learners | The participants will learn workplace English and basic computer skills. At the end of the project, participants will attend a trial assessment in preparation for attending formal assessments by registered training organisations next year or in the future. The course is aimed at adult learners, workers or people seeking work who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) who have limited English and very little to no computer skills. | 15,000 |
| Stepping Up - learning computer skills and English in other languages | The course will enable participants to increase their language and computer skills which will provide a pathway to employment and further study in the future. The project also focuses on the use of a personal computer and production of simple Microsoft Word documents. It is aimed at people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. | 14,896 | |
| Tuggeranong Community Arts Association | ART UP: community arts education program | A range of arts based community programs to engage the full spectrum of adult groups in the community. | 15,000 |
| Vietnam Veterans and Veterans Federation ACT Incorporated | Metal Manglers and Old Soldiers and Computers (Continuing Programs) | The projects are delivered by veterans to veterans. In some cases, this project offers veterans their first learning experience in 30 years. The confidence gained from participation has prompted many participants to seek further learning opportunities. Examples include: going to university as mature age students and studying to become volunteer advocates or welfare officers to help others. Some members have also expressed an interest in mental health education. | 11,800 |
Source: Training and Tertiary Education Branch
For more information contact:
Director
Training and Tertiary Education
(02) 6205 2683