European Social Fund in England

North Devon college Recovering Alcohol Dependency RAD

One of the projects under the Learner Access programme was RAD by North Devon College. The £83,943 project offered 80 adults recovering from alcohol dependency support, advice, guidance and pre-vocational training to enable progression to mainstream learning. It ran until December 2004 and covered the area of North Devon and Torridge.

The target group was those recovering from alcohol dependency who had often been living unstable and chaotic lifestyles leading to being vulnerable and marginalised with a number of intractable social problems.

The project offered empathic support that built the confidence of the learners and enabled them to access progressively longer and more advanced educational opportunities, until they were happy to enrol onto certificated courses and gain skills.

The project attracted this vulnerable and socially excluded group by providing high levels of support when required, particularly in the early stages, through the commitment of the project staff and the recruitment of an additional part-time mentor. The induction of beneficiaries was developed to enhance their confidence and self esteem, as well as address any anxiety issues in relation to education through motivational activities, one to one work, personal development courses and other non-accredited learning.

Learners were also able to gain financial support for travel expenses and materials and equipment for the courses they had chosen. The project worked together with local agencies offering therapeutic rehabilitation to enable people to progress in recovery.