Adult Community Training opens its doors

Adult Community Training opens its doors

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The Adult Community Training (ACT) centre on Newgate officially opened its doors to the people of Rochdale today (Friday 26 February 2010)

The organisation has been set up and funded by Jane Georgiou. Mrs Georgiou is disabled and in the last three years she has had two spinal surgeries, despite this she still went back to work, until a message from the doctor was to slow down and rest at home.

Mrs Georgiou was then looked after by a friend but felt bored at home and decided to set up ACT, she said: “I was bored but there's only so much Jeremy Kyle you can watch. So I sat at home, in my pyjamas, on the laptop and telephone and created ACT, which opened 4 January 2010 - the day my sick note ran out.”

Mrs Georgiou has opened ACT with her own funds and at the moment learners are receiving training free of charge.

Although the centre has been open since January, today marked the official opening, and the ribbon was cut by the Deputy Mayor of Rochdale, Councillor Zulfiqar Ali

The centre delivers community learning to adults who have been referred to the organisation by Job Centre Plus, Shaw Trust and other community groups.

The centre’s emphasis is on adults with disabilities, learning difficulties, lone parents and adults whose first language is not English. Some of the students are asylum seekers who do not attract funding but who need skills to aid in their integration into the community.

Mrs Georgiou explained to Rochdale Online why she decided to open the centre: Last year’s redundancies and the shorter working week have affected many of Rochdale's citizens. I have lived, and worked, in Rochdale since I was a teenager and have seen many changes. Seeing this and hearing the stories that friends and acquaintances had about their jobs, business or redundancies struck a chord with me.

“During my ‘enforced’ illness I decided I could do something to help. I could help to equip people with the skills, experiences and the confidence they need to make the changes to their lives independently.

“I discussed this with my husband Andrew, who was already a familiar community figure because of his book stall on Rochdale market.
 
"We decided to open Adult Community Training with Andrew’s book stall included. The books and its customers can be utilised by the learners as a working model where they can gain skills and experiences in retail and customer service.

“We also decided didn't want a 'bums on seats' environment or to be constantly tracking government targets, which is not to say we don’t meet government guidelines. We wanted a community area where people, of all ages, ethnicities and religions, learners and customers, came together to share their life experiences and skills which they can then link to their learning."

Mrs Georgiou added: “Sometimes all people have in their life are skills, memories and very little, or no, academic training. We didn't want them to feel excluded because of their lack of education. Instead we wanted them to view their life experiences as a positive that can be built upon.
 
“ACT has achieved this and is continuing to achieve this. It has taken off beyond our expectations.”