Pukar - Preston

Contact Details:

PUKAR Disability Resource Centre
3/5 Oakham Court
PRESTON
PR1 3XP

01772 822700

E-mail:pukar@ukonline.co.uk

URL: http://www.pukar.org.uk/index.html

Introduction

Pukar is a resource centre for people with disabilities and their careers from minority ethnic communities. The project is co-ordinated by Poppy Tanna.

Teaching and Learning

Recognising and Developing Personal Skills for Employment and Further Education

This course has been developed for users of Pukar, who expressed a wish to progress into employment, training and education, but recognised the need to build up their confidence before taking further steps. This need was also acknowledged from discussions with workers based at Avenquest who highlighted the importance of carers personal development needs to be also met as they are often neglected.

The course allowed learners to build on existing job search skills, including the completion of application forms, interview techniques, CV production. The course was developed to enable participants to gain in confidence, enhance their ability to take up further education courses and recognise their own skills and consider how they might be useful in future employment.

Time was also spent on exploring cultural / religious issues and how commitments can affect the progression choices of women, especially those from the minority ethnic communities'. Learners also examined the rights and barriers which face people with disabilities. As the students had varying disabilities and study support requirements, handouts were adapted accordingly, for example written in large print for those students requiring this adaptation, using a sign language interpreter for one of the students with a hearing impairment. Material was presented in a variety of ways to allow for different learning styles and levels of educational experience.

REAP was formerly known as the Community Access Programme (CAP)