Working within the community

WORKING within our community for almost a decade, Roe Valley Community Education Forum (RVCEF) has more than it's tenth birthday to celebrate this year.

Not only has the local organisation achieved huge success in creating employment in Limavady, but has also helped hundreds of local people step onto the career ladder through completion of their skills programmes. Recent success of Roe Valley Education Forum was highlighted this month after Essential Skills participant Diane Broom jointly won the prestigious accolade of County Londonderry Essential Skills learner at a glittering awards ceremony in Hillsborough. The local woman left school at 15 with no qualifications and decided to return to learning to help her son with his schoolwork. Diane's life has been positively impacted upon by the efforts of the Essential Skills team at the Roe Valley Education Forum; Patricia Summers and mentor Katherine McFeely. RVCEF has also previously provided a platform for completion of the Work Track programme and New Deal, and more recently the Steps To Work initiative. Running in its second year, the European Social fund and Department of Employment and Learning funded programme aims to give people within the Limavady borough the chance to access training and education, benefit from relevant work experience, avail of job search and employability support as well as access one-to-one enhanced mentoring and support services. The initiative, match funded by the North West Regional College and Limavady Borough Council, was contracted to RVCEF in 2009 after a successful pilot and has helped a large number of the unemployed enhance their skills.

Speaking on the success of the group, general manager of Roe Valley Community Education Forum Diane Rathfield said:

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"Roe Valley Forum has and continues to provide quality training and personal development initiatives within the Limavady Borough. We are dedicated to the delivery of our employability programmes working with our sub-contractors within the borough, our jobs and benefits team and head contractor Network Personnel. We do this in order to provide the members of the community with services to improve their employment opportunities and career development, which will have a positive impact on our local economy."

Roe Valley Community Education Forum's sub-contractors include: LCDI, Dry Arch Centre, NWLLA, Rutledge Joblink, the Limavady campus of the North West Regional College and Alana Concepts. Just recently the learning organisation has established it's Big House Training Centre, which will concentrate on both the delivery of core training and the individual. RVCEF provide a host of other programmes and services including the Women's Network and career guidance. More information can be found on the RVCEF website http://rvcef.org or contacting the organisation's offices on 028 7776 9469.