Learning in Partnership
Midlands CWU learning rep Steve Hackford and one of his learners, Balraj Singh Atwal, have set up a learning centre in the Sikh temple in Wolverhampton to help the local community improve their English, maths and IT skills.
Steve had already helped around 700 colleagues through courses at the Wolverhampton Mail Centre when he had the idea to open something similar in the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Cannock, where Atwal has been president for the past 23 years.
“Atwal had been coming to one of my courses last year but then couldn’t attend anymore, and we got talking about the temple and I asked if there were any facilities there where we could set something us.” Steve recalls.
Atwal saw the potential immediately – the temple was already running homework clubs for school children, but there was definitely scope to offer adult learning as well (‘Sikh’ means ‘learner’) Since the City of Wolverhampton College was the CWU branch’s education provider, Steve got in touch with Workforce Development Officer Karen Riley from the Engagement Team about the idea.
“Karen came down to the temple with me and she said she’d be interested and it took from there: the whole thing took about 3 weeks to get going,” Steve says.
As well as English, maths and IT classes, there are also courses in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), cookery sessions and wrestling classes tutored by a gold medallist wrestler in the gym that’s been set up in the temple.
Helping set the centre has brought the union and the Sikh community closer together. “The friendship between me and Atwal now is second to none – if I need anything, all I do is ask him and he’s there to support me,” Steve says.
Steve thinks the model could be adopted throughout the Midlands- and beyond.”There are quite a few ULRs in the region who know what we’ve been doing now and I’m taking the idea to our regional learning committee to see if anyone else is interested, Steve says.
“This is a golden opportunity to build learning partnerships with the local community,” Steve says. “I invite anyone who lives or works near a Sikh temple to have a look around – the generosity and respect they have for everyone is unbelievable. Even if you go in as a stranger, you will come out as a friend – that’s a true cultural exchange.”
