'Your Next Step' Into Learning For Adults

It's Adult Learners' Week from 15th to 21st May and the Borough of Rochdale will be offering a week of events as part of this national event. Organised by the Rochdale Borough Learning Partnership, this is the ideal time to join hundreds and thousands of other adults and return to learning.

The week of free events starts with a 'Carnival of Learning' in Rochdale town centre on Saturday 15th May as part of the Carnival of Cultures weekend. An information stand in the Tent Village on Town Hall Square from 12noon to 4pm will give the chance to call in to talk to adult learning experts and to find out how to take that important next step to find the right route into learning.

Other events during the week include a number of 'Open Days' giving an opportunity to sample adult learning. These include Hopwood Hall College, Rochdale Campus on Saturday 15th May from 10am-12noon, Tony Walsh Associates Programme Centre in Livsey Street on Wednesday 19th May from 10am-4pm, Rochdale Centre for Diversity in Station Road on Thursday 20th May from 10am-2pm and Balderstone Technology College on Saturday 22nd May from 10am-4pm.

LearnLocal, Rochdale Council's adult learning service, will be organising 'Snapshot to Learning' open events during the week at their main township adult learning centres. Heywood's Hind Hill Centre will be open 1pm-7pm on Monday, 17th May, Middleton's Durnford Street Centre will be open 1pm-7pm on Tuesday 18th May, Littleborough Community Campus will be open 1pm-7pm on Wednesday 19th May and an event at Rochdale City Learning Centre at Falinge Park School will be held from 6pm-8pm on Thursday 20th May.

LearnLocal are also organising two 'Learning at Work' Days. This national initiative focuses on the workplace and employers are being encouraged to allow their staff to take time out of work to find out about the range of adult learning opportunities available and how qualifications and training can help to develop future job prospects. The events will take place at the Wheatsheaf Library on Thursday 20th from 10am-3pm and at Rochdale Town Hall from 12.30pm-4pm on Friday 21st.

Rochdale Borough Libraries will also be taking part. They are organising Silver Surfers Days especially for the over 50s at a number of libraries. Tuesday 18th from 10am-12noon at Smithy Bridge and, all on Friday 21st May, at Touchstones Rochdale from 10.30am-4pm, at Darn Hill, Heywood from 10am-12noon, at Middleton Library from 10am-4pm, and at Spotland, Littleborough and Milnrow Libraries from 10am-12noon and 2.30pm-4.30pm. Sports fans are not forgotten. Rochdale Councils' Sports Development service will be holding a special 'Sports Train' surgery at Siddal Moor Sports College, Heywood on Tuesday 18th from 5.30pm-6.30pm giving the chance to find out about the range of sports and coaching training courses that are available. There is also the chance to enrol on a 10 week Community Sports Leaders Award course and a workshop on Good Practice and Child Protection at the same venue during the week and, on Sunday 16th May at Littleborough Rugby Union Football Club, a coaching course for volunteers, coaches and parents to coach juniors in Rugby Union. These three events require pre-booking by ringing Andy Green on 01706 756604. And finally, Touchstones Rochdale have three workshops on offer. 'Simple Embroidery' on Sunday 16th May is from 10am-2pm and this event, organised especially just for adults and led by artist Khadija Ingar, will use tapestry fabric and silk ribbon on handmade paper to make an embroidered greetings card. That afternoon a Funky Junk Percussion workshop from 1pm-4pm will give adults with children the chance to come along and make and play their own percussion instrument with a session led by Paul Dear from Rhythmbridge. And later in the week, there's the chance to meet the artist Bev Todd and take a tour of the stunning new exhibition 'Embroidered Gardens' which is inspired by gardens in Britain and the USA. Places are limited on these workshops and pre-booking is required on 01706 864986.