Besides running our own accredited education and training services, for both clients and practitioners - that we are happy to offer to a wide range of contractors, we also work in partnership with other organisations and individuals to assist them in the creation of their own accredited education and training courses.

As a registered NOCN Centre, we are able to:

• provide off the shelf courses that can be adapted to meet the needs of a particular client group
• provide off the shelf courses that can be adapted to reflect the skills of a practitioner or the practice of an organisation
• work with you on the creation of entirely new courses that meet the needs of your clients and which are based on your skills or the skills of your practitioners
• provide full administrative support, including: project management, client tracking, course moderation, evaluation and certification.

If you already have your own OCN courses and tutors, but you would like someone else to manage the OCN administration on your behalf, then please call us. We have a flexible, online OCN management system that we are happy to share with other organisations at non-commercial rates.

There is a clear and growing need for accredited arts courses (and courses that deliver skills for life within the National Qualification Framework) that meet clearly defined social objectives (see Big Picture). However for many organisations and individuals accreditation can be a daunting and time consuming process that is beyond their means, or willpower, to commit to.

Working in partnership with us could be a quick and cost effective way of overcoming the hurdles to accrediting your work and of ensuring that you or your organisation is well adapted to meet the increasing demands of all your stakeholders.

Escape Artists has been moving towards the full accreditation of all its services for a number of years. It is obvious to us that there is a clear and growing need for accredited arts courses (and courses that deliver skills for life within the National Qualification Framework) that meet clearly defined social objectives.

In 2004 the Government commissioned Lord Leitch to undertake an independent review of the UK's long term skills needs.

The final report of the Leitch Review of Skills, Prosperity for all in the global economy - world class skills, was published on 5th December 2006.

The Review sets out a compelling vision for the UK. It shows that the UK must urgently raise achievements at all levels of skills and recommends that it commit to becoming a world leader in skills by 2020, benchmarked against the upper quartile of the OECD. This means doubling attainment at most levels of skill.

The Review also states that the responsibility for achieving these ambitions must be shared between Government, employers and individuals.

Why Accreditation Matters

• 75% of the UK population was in work (at the time of the report). However, people in socially marginalized groups also wish to work, and are often excluded owing to a lack of skills. Fewer than half of people who hold no qualifications are employed. Two thirds of claims for Jobseeker’s Allowance are repeat claims
• Inequalities of aspiration and education create a cycle of disadvantage that locks generations into poverty. Social mobility in the UK is low, and falling. By 1997 the UK had the highest rate of child poverty in the EU. Skills can improve life chances, but the link between low income and lack of education is strong
• Those on lower incomes are more likely to commit or be victims of crime. More than half of all offenders hold no qualifications, compared with 15% of the overall population
• Skill levels have an impact on every area of social and economic life. Skills are a driver of social fairness and social justice: there are clear links between level of skills and health, crime, and social cohesion. Skills not only enhance financial capability, but also family life and general social competence. Skills permit personal development as well as career development
  

According to the Leitch Report, if nothing is done, then by 2020, based on current trends:

• 4 million people in the UK will still lack functional literacy skills, and 6 million will lack functional numeracy.
• 11% of those aged over 25 will still lack the equivalent of a basic school leaving qualification.
• This continuing shortfall will have profound implications; both for the economy and for society.

‘Unless the UK tackles its basic skills deficit much more quickly, the UK risks a lost generation, with millions of adults ever more detached from the labour market, their life chances severely curtailed’
Lord Leitch

 

Escape Artists is fully committed to supporting the objectives of the Leitch Report and will seek, within our own specialised areas of operation, to utilise our ‘Bridge’ model in support of those objectives.

The Leitch Report on the BBC News

 

 

At Escape Artists we take a long term perspective on client support, based on the bridge, our model of practice, and we favour working in partnership with other client support organisations to create sustainable progression routes from the margins to the mainstream.

Possible ways of working together:

• You could simply contract us to support you in the creation of your own accredited education and training courses
• We could jointly fundraise to put together and deliver a course or a progression route that is specifically tailored to meet the needs of your clients
• We could train your practitioners to deliver our own sector specific courses through our professional development programme

Please don't hesitate to call us on 0207 655 0909 if you would like to explore the possibilities of working in partnership (just ask to speak to Lottie Ettling or Matthew Taylor).

For many arts practitioners, especially for those that work in a freelance capacity, the world of accreditation is one of seemingly labyrinthine complexity.

At Escape Artists we have been working with freelance practitioners for many years and we have developed a number of ways in which we can support such practitioners in the delivery of their own specialist skills within an accredited framework.

Options include:

• Taking our Level 3 course entitled 'How to Create and Deliver your own Accredited Arts Courses' (See Professional Development)
• Joining us an intern. Interns get hands on experience and free access to accredited Level 3 training. Internships can be designed so that the outcome is the creation of your own accredited arts course
• For arts practitioners who are already experienced in working with marginalised people, we can help you to turn that experience into an accredited course and if you are willing to teach other practitioners how to run your course, then we can pay you to do so

And once you have created your course, then we would be delighted to market it for you under the Community Arts umbrella (we only take a fee once a course has been sold).

More information about our approach to working with freelance arts practitioners can be found here.

Please don't hesitate to call us on 0207 655 0909 if you would like to explore the possibilities of creating your own accredited arts courses (just ask to speak to Lottie Ettling or Sophie Carlin).