In partnership with the Scottish Prison Service, ABE has employed a Prison Literacies Liaison Officer who is dedicated to working with prisoners with low literacy levels, and their families. As well as undertaking work within the prison, the officer organises the continuation of learning after exit, through matching with ABE tutors. He also undertake to provide training and support for these tutors.

Another facet of his work is to liaise with departments in the prison which are delivering courses, other agencies concerned with prisoner welfare, and the growing number of Prison Liaison Officers throughout Scotland. In this way a network of support is being established which it is hoped will help prevent re-offending, and give ex-offenders the opportunity and confidence to continue to develop their literacy skills and improve their chances of gaining employment.

Details
Norman Ross
Library Support Unit
31a Harbour Road
Inverness
IV1 1UA
Telephone: 01463 251279
E-mail: norman.ross2@highland.gov.uk

Link:www.sps.gov.uk

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ABE worked with the Rickter Company to develop a new diagnostic assessment aid, which is non-paper based, to help coordinators and tutors evaluate learners' needs.

It assists in the assessment of soft indicators and helps in the preparation of individual learning plans. It allows learners to see for themselves distance traveled and reinforce the successful progress they are making.

Although initially developed for guidance work it was felt that the Rickter Scale had great potential in the field of Adult Literacy as well.

Link:www.rickterscale.com

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It is to be hoped that more mainstream publishers will follow the example of New Island Press (Open Door series) and Barrington Stoke, both of which have commissioned well-known authors to write titles for less confident adult readers in the knowledge that this audience wants "proper" books to read.
National Literacy Trust

The aim of this project is to publish, that is commission, promote, produce, and distribute short novellas (10,000 words approximately), written by established writers of accepted achievement and reputation for emergent adult readers. ABE is working with a new publisher, Sandstone Press, which is based in Highland, to achieve this purpose.

The books will be similar to the very successful, and critically acclaimed, Open Door series, produced in Ireland, but will have a particularly Scottish emphasis.

Authors Des Dillon (Me and My Gal, Itchycooblue, Duck, Six Black Candles), Isla Dewar (The Woman who Painted her Dreams, Giving up on Ordinary, Dancing in a Distant Place, It Could Happen to You), and Suhayl Saadi wrote the first books in the first series. A second series has just been published which Lin Anderson, Margaret Elphinstone and Muriel Gray have written.

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The Library Service in all areas of Highland has been successful in obtaining funding from the Literacies Partnership to purchase resources to support Adult Literacy. In addition, staff have attended awareness raising training which they found most useful. ABE has formed close ties with the Library Service to identify useful materials.

The Reader Development Group also received financial support from the Literacies Partnership to develop a website, with an emphasis on the needs of emergent readers. It is hoped that readers will become involved as critics and post their views on the site.

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M-learning has used mobile technology to successfully engage young adults in literacies learning in Highland. Learning can take place anytime, anywhere, according to the learner’s needs, and in privacy. It extends the ways of distributing learning materials which is important for those living in remote rural communities. Following successful involvement in a pan-European project, Learning Connections has funded further developmental work in m-learning in Highland. ABE and Portree Learning Centre have worked together on this project.

There are currently 30,000 young people in Scotland who are not involved in education, training, or employment. M-learning is providing an effective method to reach this group because it is technology which they can relate to and is attractive to them. There is no stigma attached to using a mobile phone.

M-learning has been effective in not only helping learners to develop their literacies skills but also their self confidence. It has provided a bridge to other educational opportunities, training, and employment.

http://www.m-learning.org
http://www.mobilearn.org

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BASIL+ has worked with its partners to evaluate the local literacy and numeracy needs of businesses in the area. Through ABE a series of awareness raising workshops has been held for people who work with the public on a daily basis. An in-depth literacy needs survey of local businesses has also been carried out.

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The Ross and Cromarty ABE worked with staff from North Highland College to co-facilitate the delivery of the ITALL course. This resulted in increasing the number of new tutors in the Ross-shire area who will work with adult learners.

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ABE has worked with North Highland College and the Social Inclusion Partnership in Caithness to offer support and tuition to adults whose literacy levels are below those required for college entry in order to make learning more accessible. The project is based in Ormlie, Thurso, Pultneytown and Wick.

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ABE worked with Highland Council's Gypsy Traveller Education Unit to provide integrated literacy and numeracy through the driving theory test. Young Gypsy Travellers took part in this successful project.

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A series of courses were held in Inverness to encourage group work and build learners' self confidence. This included one specifically aimed at ESOL learners (English for speakers of other languages) and included cultural information as well as literacy tuition.

Link: http://www.weascotland.org.uk/

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