9th March 2021
Scottish Drugs Forum are seeking the views of employers and service managers via a brief survey to support the development of our SQA approved Learning Centre.
Since being approved to deliver quality assured vocational learning in 2019, SDF has supported a pilot of ten trainees from our Addiction Worker Training programme to successfully complete their SVQ Awards in Social Services and Healthcare at Level 2.
Now, to expand the reach and impact of the Centre, SDF have appointed a new Senior Development Officer to lead this work and expand the provision of work-based qualifications to organisations across Scotland.
The SDF Learning Centre will seek to ensure work-based qualifications are flexible, with delivery tailored to suit the needs of learners and organisations. A supplementary package of learning and development to each award is currently being developed in partnership with SDF’s Workforce Development team, which will offer learners access to a suite of specialist, quality assured, drug and alcohol training to enhance the vocational learning experience.
Chris Messenger, SDF’s Senior Development Officer, said:
“A key feature of our SVQ programme will be to offer an effective way for workers to be able to reflect on their practice, while improving practical work-based skills. Our awards offer candidates the opportunity to build a portfolio of work and evidence they can be proud of, that demonstrates sound competence, while developing a depth of knowledge which goes hand in hand with work practice.
“There is so much potential for the SDF Learning Centre and I’m keen for us to expand not only the reach of our current SVQ provision to include alternative vocational awards, but to enhance this further with a specialist skills package. It is a key aim for the Centre to increase the suite of qualifications we can offer to the workforce and provide an inclusive and quality learning experience.”
To guide the next steps of our work as an approved SQA Learning Centre, we are keen to understand the wider picture in relation to employer needs around flexible work-based qualifications.
If you are an employer in an organisation that works with people who may be affected by substance use (including related fields such as criminal justice, homelessness, social care, etc), we would be grateful if you could complete this short survey that should not take longer than five minutes to complete.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ST3YXJJ
The survey is anonymous and information gained will not be used to market our qualifications to you, but if you are interested in SDF as a provider of SVQs for your service, or would like to discuss the development of work based qualifications through the SDF Learning Centre more generally, please contact Chris Messenger, SDF’s Senior Development Officer at chrism@sdf.org.uk
The survey will close on the 1st of April 2021.