Background
The AMH New Horizons “Working it Out” project is delivered from 9 locations across Northern Ireland and at other local community facilities. We support the recovery of adults experiencing mental ill health who are interested in progressing towards further education/training or employment.
The project is part funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020, the Department for the Economy and the five NI Health & Social Care Trusts.
The difference AMH New Horizons has made to the lives of Learners.
AMH New Horizons supports the recovery of learners (young people and adults with mental ill-health) through the provision of person-centred training.
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) stated “Through well-scaffolded support the participants are enabled to progress and develop in an incremental way best suited to their level of ability, at their own pace and under their control.”
Comments made through the 2019 AMH Learner Survey include:
- “This service has changed my life.”
- “I came to New Horizons to seek help in managing and improving my mental health, and to prepare myself for the job market. The support and training I have received while being here has been second to none.”
Through the provision of a range of accredited personal development, employability and vocational skills training, AMH contributes significantly to improving the lives of its learners and reduce health inequalities. ETI reported that learners “…cited numerous examples of how the project has impacted positively on their lives, including development of their self-esteem, confidence, motivation, and socialisation.”
The project has made a significant impact in tackling the low number of disabled people achieving qualifications and employment by increasing skills and working with employers and the wider community to reduce stigma associated with mental ill-health.
Activity or development makes the AMH New Horizons service different to other provision
AMH is the onlyorganisation on a NI-wide basis delivering comprehensive training and employability programmes exclusively to learners recovering from mental ill-health.
Due to the debilitating nature of their illnesses, learners are not ready to engage in existing mainstream training and employment preparation provision; rather they benefit from the specialist support offered by AMH.
ETI confirmed that “Highly effective systems are in place to support the participants overcome many barriers to learning and enable them to develop the skills, confidence and motivation needed to succeed and progress to work or further education or training.”
AMH is one of the few Learning Centres where learners are actively involved in designing the Qualification and Course curriculum. Each location has its own Client Local Advisory Group (CLAG) of learners who discuss and agree with Centre Management, the course curriculum for each semester.
In February 2020, AMH consulted with each CLAG to review qualifications and courses on offer and to develop future activities both locally and regionally which has led to the introduction of new qualifications and courses. Additionally, this consultation has fed into the AMH Employer Engagement Strategy to ensure the suite of training is aligned with potential employment opportunities for its learners.
AMH meets Learners’ needs and in doing so, the high quality of its provision is recognised and acknowledged by Trust mental health services, ETI and the learners themselves. Learners reported to ETI that AMH had been ‘life-changing’ and in some cases ‘life-saving’.
The ETI inspection showed “numerous examples of how the project, through excellent, impactful engagement by staff, is unlocking the participants’ potential and enabling most of them to achieve good or better standards of work.”
A broad and balanced curriculum is in place within AMH which is participant-centred and tailored to meet the learning and development needs of participants. It is appropriate to focus on the three key strands of personal development, employability, and vocational skills training.
The AMH New Horizons “Working it Out” project is delivered from 9 locations across Northern Ireland and at other local community facilities. We support the recovery of adults experiencing mental ill health who are interested in progressing towards further education/training or employment.
The project is part funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020, the Department for the Economy and the five NI Health & Social Care Trusts.
The difference AMH New Horizons has made to the lives of Learners.
AMH New Horizons supports the recovery of learners (young people and adults with mental ill-health) through the provision of person-centred training.
The Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) stated “Through well-scaffolded support the participants are enabled to progress and develop in an incremental way best suited to their level of ability, at their own pace and under their control.”
Comments made through the 2019 AMH Learner Survey include:
- “This service has changed my life.”
- “I came to New Horizons to seek help in managing and improving my mental health, and to prepare myself for the job market. The support and training I have received while being here has been second to none.”
Through the provision of a range of accredited personal development, employability and vocational skills training, AMH contributes significantly to improving the lives of its learners and reduce health inequalities. ETI reported that learners “…cited numerous examples of how the project has impacted positively on their lives, including development of their self-esteem, confidence, motivation, and socialisation.”
The project has made a significant impact in tackling the low number of disabled people achieving qualifications and employment by increasing skills and working with employers and the wider community to reduce stigma associated with mental ill-health.
Activity or development makes the AMH New Horizons service different to other provision
AMH is the onlyorganisation on a NI-wide basis delivering comprehensive training and employability programmes exclusively to learners recovering from mental ill-health.
Due to the debilitating nature of their illnesses, learners are not ready to engage in existing mainstream training and employment preparation provision; rather they benefit from the specialist support offered by AMH.
ETI confirmed that “Highly effective systems are in place to support the participants overcome many barriers to learning and enable them to develop the skills, confidence and motivation needed to succeed and progress to work or further education or training.”
AMH is one of the few Learning Centres where learners are actively involved in designing the Qualification and Course curriculum. Each location has its own Client Local Advisory Group (CLAG) of learners who discuss and agree with Centre Management, the course curriculum for each semester.
In February 2020, AMH consulted with each CLAG to review qualifications and courses on offer and to develop future activities both locally and regionally which has led to the introduction of new qualifications and courses. Additionally, this consultation has fed into the AMH Employer Engagement Strategy to ensure the suite of training is aligned with potential employment opportunities for its learners.
AMH meets Learners’ needs and in doing so, the high quality of its provision is recognised and acknowledged by Trust mental health services, ETI and the learners themselves. Learners reported to ETI that AMH had been ‘life-changing’ and in some cases ‘life-saving’.
The ETI inspection showed “numerous examples of how the project, through excellent, impactful engagement by staff, is unlocking the participants’ potential and enabling most of them to achieve good or better standards of work.”
A broad and balanced curriculum is in place within AMH which is participant-centred and tailored to meet the learning and development needs of participants. It is appropriate to focus on the three key strands of personal development, employability, and vocational skills training.
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