Consultancy and Training from Skill

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Consultancy and Training

About Skill Consultancy and Training

About Skill consultancy and training

We can help you

meet the needs of disabled people
meet your legal obligations to disabled people

Skill's independent and expert policy team act as consultants to organisations in further, higher and adult education, training and careers guidance and establishments such as prisons.

Our consultancy services include

training staff
providing advice on policies, practice and procedures concerning disabled people
providing advice on how to meet your duties under the Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Equality Duty

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Our expertise

Skill has a wealth of expertise in the area of disability and post-16 education, work-based learning and transition to employment. We have

worked with the Department for Education and Skills and the Disability Rights Commission on the Codes of Practice accompanying the Disability Discrimination Act and the interpretation of the Act and other legislation
listened to feedback from our wide network of members working in the field
responded to thousands of enquiries from disabled students every year through our Information Service
spoken to over 6,000 people at talks on many aspects of Disability Discrimination Act, and interviewed 300 learners as part of the 2005 Independent Review of the Learning and Skills Council provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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Our services

Skill can adapt its services to fit the needs of your organisation or consortia groups of organisations.

We can provide the following consultancy services

talks and workshops on the DDA to academic staff, services staff, and senior managers
information-giving sessions for disabled learners
providing a contextual overview of recent legislation and initiatives and how they impact on providers and learners with disabilities and/or learning difficulties
identifying areas for audit of provision for disabled people
assisting with implementation or review of your institution's audit
more in-depth consultancy on policies, practices and procedures for disabled learners
developing how you respond to the Disability Equality Duty and Part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Skill training sessions are down to earth and practical, full of examples, soundly grounded in the law and adapted to your needs.

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How to book

For prices, booking details and further information on our training packages:

Download a brochure and booking form

For any other enquiries about training or consultancy work:

Contact Jason Symons, Business Development Manager

jason@skill.org.uk or 020 7450 0620

Testimonials

"Many thanks for your very interesting presentation. The feedback we have received from people who attended has been very positive. The issues surrounding the Disability Discrimination Act are very complex but you provided a number of solutions that colleges can apply which I am sure will be most useful."

Northbrook College, Sussex

"Your presentation made a complex and important area accessible and relevant for delegates and was much appreciated."

University of Bath

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Skill and IMPACT Associates DES Consultancy Work

Do you need some constructive feedback on your Disability Equality Scheme?

Would you like an independent consultant to read your Scheme and provide detailed feedback on how far it is likely to meet the requirements of the Code?

Skill and IMPACT Associates are pleased to offer their significant expertise to deliver feedback to HEIs on their Disability Equality Schemes and Action Plans. Both Skill and IMPACT Associates have a clear track record in this area of work, having already been commissioned by the ECU to deliver feedback to HEIs through their feedback scheme.

We can provide detailed and constructive feedback on your DES to help you move towards promoting an increasingly positive and inclusive environment for disabled students and staff.

Our standardised template, used as part of the ECU project, is firmly rooted in the requirements of the legislation as detailed in the Code of Practice, to ensure that Schemes can be assessed on the basis of how comprehensively each criterion in the Code is addressed and to enable us to make suggestions for improvement.

You will receive written bespoke feedback, and a summary report, based on Skill and IMPACT Associate’s appraisal as to how far your Scheme and proposed Action Plan are likely to meet the legislative requirements of the DED, as well as a suggestion of the priorities for undertaking any further development work.

All feedback provided will be cognisant of the fact that different HEIs are at different stages in their development of disability equality activity, that institutions have different priorities and that the preparation of the DES is a very new and substantial duty. We are fully aware of the need to provide positive and supportive feedback, to encourage your institution to further develop your approaches to disability equality.

For further details of this service contact

Hannah Lawrence

hannahl@skill.org.uk or 020 7450 0620

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[Updated February 2009]