Media Releases

LINEKER KICKS OFF AWARDS FOR LIBRARY LEARNING’S TOP SCORERS

TV personality and living football legend presents E-Learning Community Prize 2001

Gary Lineker today presented special learning vouchers to people from up and down the country who have learned computer skills at a library or information centre and have used them to benefit their community.  National winner Sharon Ellis of Wath-upon-Dearne, Yorkshire and Humberside, also received a top of the range personal computer from the football star.

“Learning is part of everyone’s life, and as the people we are meeting today prove, it can change lives,” said Gary Lineker at a ceremony held at the ExCel Centre in London’s Docklands.  “We’re also here to recognise the libraries and centres that have allowed today’s winning learners to do their learning.”

Jointly promoted by the Library Association and learndirect, the Prize recognises and rewards learners aged 16 and over, working in learndirect centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

“It was a real struggle getting started,” said national winner Sharon Ellis, 30 and a mother of two.  “I was terrified of trying anything new, especially learning.  Now I’ve increased my confidence, improved my social skills and learnt so many things which I never imagined I would.”  In between putting her new found skills to good use in voluntary work, Sharon also has to work round her part-time job cleaning the constituency office of Wentworth MP and Adult Skills Minister John Healey, who was at the event to see her receive her prize.

Eleven regional winners and their supporting library or learndirect centre were also presented with a specially framed certificate, and each individual winner received a learning voucher, which can be used at any one of the learndirect centres in 134 libraries across the country. 

Highly commended were West Midlands regional winner Wendy Hughes, 31, from Leamington Spa, who is using her IT skills as a volunteer at the Chain Community Shop in Lillington, and North East winner Alan Brown, 54.  Despite being deaf and blind, chess enthusiast Alan has developed his skills to the extent that he has started a chess column in Deafblind UK’s quarterly magazine Rainbow.

For further information and details of other regional winners, contact:          

Darshana Dholakia, learndirect Press Office.
Tel: 0114 291 5680.  Out-of-hours 07979 603381

Tim Owen, Head of External Relations, The Library Association
Tel: 020 7255 0652.  Email: tim.owen@la-hq.org.uk

Notes to Editors

1. The Library Association is the leading professional body for librarians and information managers, with around 24,000 members who work in all sectors, including business and industry, further and higher education, schools, local and central government departments and agencies, the health service, the voluntary sector, national and public libraries.  Next April, it will be absorbed into a new body, CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.
2. learndirect is the network of learning services being developed by Ufi Ltd, the government flagship for lifelong learning.  All Ufi learning centres, its free 0800 100 900 learning information helpline, the learndirect website and all Ufi learning materials carry the learndirect brand.
3. learndirect centres
   The first learndirect on-line learning centres were opened in England in November 1999 as part of Ufi’s development phase.  The first centres in Northern Ireland and Wales opened early in 2000. There are now over 1,200 learndirect centres across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, providing people with the opportunity to learn in places that offer an alternative to traditional academic settings.  learndirect centres can be found in sports and shopping centres, football and rugby clubs, community centres, churches, railway stations, libraries and even pubs and a funfair. Details of learndirect centres are at www.learndirect.co.uk.  The centres are operated in partnership with Ufi by Ufi learning hubs.  The hubs are local partnerships made up of local learning providers, employers, community, trade union, local authority and community organisations.
4. learndirect website – www.learndirect.co.uk
   The learndirect website supports learndirect’s on-line courses, learning services and administration systems.  It also gives on-line access to a searchable database of over half a million courses available from providers nation-wide and delivers the new web-based multi-media careers package, learndirect futures. This package provides information and advice on over 700 different jobs and uses interactive diagnostic questionnaires to help users to establish what career would suit them best.  It also gives help in writing CVs.
5. learndirect courses
   Of the 450 plus courses on offer from learndirect, over 80 per cent are on line.  Some are as short as 20 minutes.  Courses currently include information and communication technology courses at a range of levels and nearly 300 business and management programmes suitable for small businesses. 
6. Basic skills
   It is estimated that one in five adults in the UK needs help with reading and writing. (A fresh start – Improving literacy and Numeracy, The report of the working group chaired by Sir Claus Moser, DfEE publications, 1999) Also on offer through learndirect are courses giving help in reading, writing and the basics of number.  These basic skills courses are and will continue to be available in CD-ROM, print and video as well as on-line so that these learners have a wide choice of formats to work in.  All basic skills courses are free to learners.
7. learndirect Helpline – 0800 100 900
   learndirect operates the UK’s largest free learning information helpline. Giving advice and information on over half a million learning opportunities from providers nation-wide, staff at the helpline are qualified learning and information advisers who provide useful and confidential advice to people who are not sure what they want to do next.  The helpline is open 9.00am – 9.00pm Monday-Friday, or Saturday, 9.00am – midday.
8. The helpline was launched on 25 February 1998 under its previous name (Learning Direct) and has been a resounding success.  It has taken over two million calls from people wanting to know what they can learn and where.  The freephone number is 0800 100 900.  The helpline is supplemented by the learndirect website, which allows users to search for themselves the learndirect database of half a million courses from providers nation-wide.
9. Ufi is the organisation developing the learndirect network across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
10. Ufi’s priority areas for learndirect for its first few years include information and technology skills, basic literacy and numeracy, business and management skills for small and medium sized businesses, and four industry sectors: automotive components; multimedia; environmental technology and services; and distributive and retail trades.
11. Ufi refers to Ufi Ltd, a company limited by shares.  The Chairman, Sir Anthony Greener, Vice Chairman, Ian Johnston, and board directors, have been appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment.  The Chief Executive, Ann Limb and executive directors are responsible for the operations of Ufi, developing its plans and implementing them.  The DfEE is committed to support Ufi during is development phases and has allocated to it funds of £76 million for 2001-02.  Ufi’s parent company is Ufi Charitable Trust, a charity and a company limited by guarantee.
12. Ufi’s public enquiry line is 0114 291 5000.  The learndirect freephone number is 0800 100 900.

Wednesday 7 November 2001