
BEST PRACTICE SPONSOR 2020
THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW
Highlighting best practice
26 | TRANSFERABLE SKILLS TRAINING
Founding Director NikkiMarkham
Adult Horticultural Group
community growing project
Transferable Skills Training is a multi-award-winning training
centre, created to provide innovative educational solutions
to complex social issues at community level. Founding
Director Nikki Markham tells
The Parliamentary Review
that for
those living in extreme poverty who are isolated through mental
health issues, life-limiting illnesses or with special educational
needs, Transferable Skills Training provides an alternative form
of education. She explains the importance of a community-
based approach and discusses how respect and excellence are
interwoven in all that they do.
Our success lies in our ability to understand the economic, social, emotional and
physical difficulties that many vulnerable people with complex needs experience,
and to provide a holistic approach to supporting learners throughout their
education and beyond. As a result, we have consistently been in the top ten for
retention and success rates among alternative education centres within England,
achieving a 91 to 93 percentile for the last three years.
Community based approach
We have developed a unique approach to education by providing innovative
educational programmes that address community needs, while being totally
individualised in order to support each learner and work around their barriers and
their needs.
FACTS ABOUT
TRANSFERABLE SKILLS
TRAINING
»Founding Director:
NikkiMarkham
»Founded in 2004
»Located in Merryhue Farm,
Callington, Cornwall
»Services: Vocational study
programmes, community
based learning, experiential
learning through volunteering.
Specialising in alternative
education provision
»No. of employees: 24
»No. of volunteers: 40
»TST provides social impact by
supporting the most vulnerable
within rural communities
Transferable Skills
Training
27TRANSFERABLE SKILLS TRAINING |
By adopting a whole community
approach to education and creating a
rural community hub, we are able to
offer a diverse range of educational
programmes which support different
sectors, from primary and secondary
school children who are struggling or at
risk of exclusion, to dementia groups,
to young people with specialneeds.
One of the key aspects that makes us
different from other alternative training
providers is the emphasis that we place
on the importance of volunteering and
of making a positive contribution. We
firmly believe that for an individual to
feel part of their community they must
first engage with it, and for many of
our learners this approach is vital as
they feel disconnected.
To ensure that meaningful volunteering
happens, we have linked up with over
30 other charities, trusts and community
groups offering a wide range of
volunteering activities. In some cases,
this can be as simple as supporting
the elderly to maintain their gardens.
In other cases, it involves providing
work experience, with volunteers
maintaining and creating paths, stiles
and footbridges for organisations such
as the Dartmoor National Park or the
Woodland Trust. On average, our
learners contribute over 9,000 hours of
voluntary work to their communities.
Respect and excellence
Respect and excellence are not just
words at TST: we strive to weave these
elements into every aspect of the
organisation, from day-to-day education
and training to the links forged within
our local communities. TST’s primary
educational provision is within the
14–25 alternative education age range
for young people with Educational
Health Care Plans. This is one of the
most challenging educational sectors,
where pass rates and retention rates are
nationally very low, being on average
in the 40 percentiles. We consistently
achieve in the 90 plus percentiles.
Many of the learners referred to us have
not had good learning experiences in
education. As such, we have to do a
great deal of restorative work, first in
getting learners to trust us and our ability
to help them, and second in helping
them to re-engage with education in
a positive manner, teaching them to
enjoy the experience of learning.
Staff and volunteers
At TST we understand the importance
of our staff and volunteers and have
invested heavily in them, providing a
comprehensive package of continual
professional development. We also carry
out an extensive skill audit each year
to ensure our staff are fully equipped
to work with the learners and with any
pilot projects we are conducting.
Any new member of staff is given
a comprehensive induction, which
includes shadowing all staff at TST over
a minimum period of one whole half-
term, for a total of eight weeks. This
allows them to establish working links
with the learners, staff and volunteers,
and helps to forge camaraderie across
all spheres of the organisation. It
further allows the senior managers
to assess what support and skills new
members will need to successfully
engage with the learners.
Agricultural skills –
tractor driving
We firmly
believe that for
an individual to
feel part of their
community they
must first
engage with it,
and for many of
our learners this
approach is vital
as they feel
disconnected
“
“