Adult Learners Week 2015 – Recognition for POA Learning ULR – Roger Davies.

Adult Learners’ Week (ALW) is the UK’s largest annual festival of learning; inspiring thousands of people each year to discover how learning can change their lives. Every year, Adult Learners' Week discovers some fantastic stories from truly inspirational award winners who have experienced life-changing benefits from learning.

POA Learning submitted an application to ALW 2015 to recognise the dedication to Adult Learning displayed by POA Learning Union Learning Representative (ULR) - Prison Officer Roger Davies.

Back ground to citation:

Prison Officer Roger Davies approached POA Learning with the aim of setting up a learning centre in early 2014 at HMYOI Portland for the benefit of staff and staff families. In March 2014 the 'Light House' Learning Centre was duly opened with Officer Roger Davies as the establishment Union Learning Representative.

Roger negotiated a partnership agreement with the Prison Governor. This has lead to the Governor paying for the furniture within the learning centre as well as the monthly broadband costs for the IT equipment provided by POA Learning. Roger provides his free time to staff the learning centre as well to support staff, via Induction and onward guidance, who engage with the free courses available to them.

A great many staff have engaged with qualifications that assist them in their duties within the establishment i.e. Level 2 in Mental Health Awareness, Team Leadership and Functional skills to name but a few, that were it not for Roger Davies and POA Learning these staff would not have had the opportunity to achieve.

To date, since March 2014 POA Learning have had over 300 Learner starts from HMYOI Portland thanks totally to the hard and dedicated work from Roger Davies in his ULR status.

Andy Harding – POA Learning Centre Manager at HMP Dartmoor who submitted the ALW citation for Roger stated ‘what is outstanding about ULR Roger Davies is his total commitment to his ULR role. The swiftness in which Roger negotiated a partnership agreement with the Prison Governor and the unstinting support and sheer enthusiasm that Roger gives to the POA Learning Link Centre at HMPYOI Portland. The actions undertaken by Roger have also made an impact on his own learning in relation to obtaining formal ULR qualifications via TUC Education.’

Due to the universal success of ULR Roger Davies at The Light House Learning Centre at HMYOI Portland; POA Learning have now opened another Learning Centre on Portland at HMIRC the Verne. The 'Acorn' Learning Centre was opened in early 2015 with the same aim of providing largely free learning opportunities to NOMS staff, and families.

As a result of the ALW citation made on behalf of Officer Roger Davies – Roger was awarded a Certificate of Achievement by NIACE ( National Institute for Adult Continuing Education) for all of his dedicated and unstinting support of the Adult Learning agenda in his ULR role for POA Learning.