Transferable Skills Training

home about courses funding testimonials case studies partners contact Home
Rounded Edge

Delivering high quality education, training and work-based learning to the land-based sector

Situated in our very own beautiful farm setting in the Cornish countryside, we provide adults & young people who are not currently in employment or are disengaged from mainstream education with high quality training and work-based learning.We deliver programmes to increase employability and provide the chance to re-engage with education and training. We ensure that our programs open clear routes of progression and offer a fully supportive environment and help in all aspects of personal and social development.

Working in partnership with:

NEWS NOCN

TST awarded National Open College Network status [read].

NEWS Tamar
No Frame

Delighted to be working with Tamar Foods [ read ]

NEWS Freestyle
Approved Supplier for Freestyle & Foundation Learning to deliver Targeted Youth Support strand [read]
No Frame

NEWS Commando
TST raise £780 for Devon Air Ambulance [ read ]

NEWS Construction

New Construction centre now open [read].

NEWS: Not For Profits

About

About TST

Getting a Taste for it......

Our key to success lies in the flexibility of our programs. We can offer accredited qualifications after as few as 30 guided learning hours (GLH) and we keep out of the classroom as much as possible.

We know our students enjoy being outdoors and prefer the practical aspects of learning to traditional academic processes. As such, our program delivery is mainly based around practical, vocational tasks which students can really get stuck into.

A typical day at TST can involve anything from assisting with delivering the new flock of lambs in spring, to building an adventure playground for a local school! These practical tasks are part of the delivery of our huge range of modules (accredited by NOCN) that make up our qualifications.

We can tailor a qualification to almost any length, from an E3 award (30 hours) right up to a level 2 diploma (360 GLH). Key skills are embedded and extra numeracy and literacy tuition is available on request.

The best way to find out is to come on down and give it a go! It is obviously essential to ensure 100% suitability of the program for the student, as such, we offer no obligation taster days where individuals can join a potential group for a typical day and get stuck in right from the start.

Want to know more?

To find out more please phone us on 0845 2235433. We can then discuss options in detail and get a Taster Day booked right away!

Transport is available through our partner organisation Duchy College , and has pick-up points throughout Cornwall and South Devon.

Courses

Here is a selection of some of our courses:

Course Name

Level Awarding Body Length

Diploma in Agriculture

Level 1 City & Guilds 1 year

Diploma in Basic Construction Skills

Level 1 City & Guilds 1 year

Diploma in Countryside & Environment

Level 2 City & Guilds 1 year

Functional Skills in Literacy

Entry 1 City & Guilds 6 weeks

Functional Skills in Numeracy

Entry 1 City & Guilds 6 weeks

Level 2 NOCN 1 year

Introductory Work in the Outdoors

Personal Progression through Practical Life Skills

Entry 1 & 2 City & Guilds 20 weeks

Progression Certificate

Entry 1 NOCN 6 weeks

Progression Qualification Award

Entry 3 NOCN 1 week

Step Up Award (Young People)

Entry 3 NOCN 1 week

Work-based Diploma in Land-based Operations

Level 1 City & Guilds 1 year

Funding Available

Funding Available

Our courses will not cost anything if the learner is aged:

- 16 to 19.

- 19 plus and in receipt of JSA (Job Seekers) or ESA (Employment Support Work Related Activity Group).

- 19 plus and attempting first full Level 2 qualification.

Subsidised Transport:

- Our transport network is heavily subsidised. The cost per person is capped at £3 per day, regardless of distance.

We provide financial support through the Learner Support Bursary scheme if the learner is:

- Under 19, living in care, or a care leaver.

- Under 19 and receiving income support.

- Disabled and in receipt of both Employment Support Allowance & Disability Living Allowance.

Other help may be available if:

- Household income is less than £21,000.

Please contact us if you would like any further information, or feel that personal circumstances do not exactly fit any of the above.

Publications

Partners

CITY & GUILDS: We are an Approved Centre for the awarding of City & Guilds qualifications
Rounded Edge

CONNEXIONS: We work with Connexions to provide progression routes and vocational opportunities
CONVERGENCE: Convergence funding has provided us with investment to sustain our growth
DUCHY COLLEGE: We work with Duchy College to provide an additonal work-based learning environment
INSTITUTE FOR OUTDOOR LEARNING: The IOL is working with us to provide our young people with experiential learning
LEARNING PLUS: We are an External Education & Training Partner of Learning Plus
NATIONAL OPEN COLLEGE NETWORK: We work with NOCN to develop learner responsive modules within the progression qualification framework

Partnership-working is central to our business model.We work with a wide range of Public, Private and Third Sector actors, so please do get in touch if you would like to explore collaborative opportunities.
Testimonials

Testimonials

“TST is a highly professional, dynamic and forward-thinking partner, delivering our Freestyle programme. They work with us to provide a focussed, needs-based, learner-led programme, and always make sure they deliver excellent results as well as a great learning experience for young people.Sam Wilson: Contract Manager, Commissioning Team_____________________________________________________TST...accepts individuals from all backgrounds and treats all our referrals with patience and respect. TST has specifically helped to motivate and train clients and always leaves them wanting more! The training is diverse, and flexibility is something they do and accommodate well.Vikki: Case worker - Progress to work_____________________________________________________TST has provided a flexible and diverse service which continues to enhance many of our pupils' curriculums. Our pupils enjoy thier program of learning....and it assists us in the provision of well-developed, tailored individual programmes. The children we work with provide many challenging difficulties, through our partnership-working we help them to overcome these. I look forward to continuing our successful partnership with TST.Evelyn Kyne: Head Teacher, North Cornwall Short Stay School
“Mount Tamar would like to thank you for all your help and support with (student) and hope that his transfer in to post-16 provision with you proves to be just as successful!”Jenny Bailey: Designated Person For Looked After Children, Mount Tamar School______________________________________________________“The success of our partnership with TST has exceeded my expectations. One of my personal goals has always been to find a way of reaching out to the hardest to help young people and to create opportunities and pathways to re-engage them in the learning process. With TST this has been achieved.Andrew Counsell, Principal Duchy College______________________________________________________I can only ever speak highly about TST and the good work they do. The team of staff at TST are dedicated, passionate and really care about the young people they work with...The staff have the time, patience and perseverence to bring out the best in young people and help them to realise their potential. TST has the winning formula for engaging young people and I wish them every succes in the future.Sam Wright: Project Worker - Action for Children Cornwall Leaving Care
Case Studies

Case Studies

Student BStudent B was educated through an alternative educational provision which consisted of work experience placements with local employers. He was referred to TST by Connexions and enrolled upon the Land-based Skills programme which he successfully completed. From there, he progressed onto the supported Work Experience Land-Based Skills programme. He was found a placement with a local agricultural employer where he has been placed for the last year. We worked closely with the employer to ensure that he developed the skills needed to gain employment within his chosen sector, (tractor driving and animal husbandry). TST worked closely with Connexions to help facilitate a successful ELF bid to fund a series of driving lessons for him. He was offered an Apprenticeship placement upon the completion of course.
Rounded Edge

Each year, we see more and more of our students go on to secure full- or part-time employment, or progress on to diversified or higher level education and training.Here are a few of our success stories.
Student AStudent A was tutored at home before he came to TST. He only had five hours per week and had made little progress in numeracy and literacy. He is autistic and, as a result, finds going to new places, meeting new people or undertaking new tasks a very frightening experience. Due to his condition he was afraid to come into TST on his own or use Duchy College transport so, at first, he was brought in and accompanied throughout the day by his grandfather. As his confidence grew he learned to stay the whole day without his grandfather. Since then he has continued to flourish.With his first certificates in E1 Adult Literacy & Numeracy under his belt, he is now keen to move forward to E2 and maybe E3. He has become a valued, popular student whose journey over the last year has been truly amazing; not only has he overcome some of his phobias in terms of mixing with new people and going to new places, but he now seeks out new students who are shy / unsure / afraid of starting with TST and takes them firmly under his wing.
Student CStudent C was badly burnt in a house fire as a baby. He endured years of reconstructive surgery which meant he missed a great deal of school. On joining TST he had low self-confidence and found making friends very hard. However, he ultimately won a Cornwall College, Skills for Life, Student of the Year Award. As his practical skills developed his self-confidence improved and he gained the respect of his peers and now has a busy social life. After passing the Work Experience Land-based Skills programme he was offered employment with a local stone-walling company. However Andrew had no access to transport to get him to work. We subsequently applied on his behalf to Wheels to Work, from whom he was awarded a moped and has been in employment ever since.
Partners

Partners

CITY & GUILDS / NPTC: We are an Approved Centre for the awarding of City & Guilds and NPTC qualificationsCONVERGENCE: Convergence funding has provided us with investment to sustain our growthCORNWALL COUNCIL: We are an Approved Supplier for the Targeted Youth Strand of the Freestyle & Foundation Learning programme.DUCHY COLLEGE: We work with Duchy College to provide an additional work-based learning environmentINSTITUTE FOR OUTDOOR LEARNING: The IOL is working with us to provide our young people with experiential learningLANTRA: We are an approved LANTRA Training CentreLEARNING PLUS: We are an External Education & Training Partner of Learning PlusNATIONAL OPEN COLLEGE NETWORK: We work with NOCN to develop learner responsive modules within the progression qualification frameworkTAMAR FOODS: Our students are delighted to receive fantastic hand-made pasties from Tamar Foods every week!
Rounded Edge

Partnership-working is central to our business model.We work with a wide range of Public, Private and Third Sector actors, so please do get in touch if you would like to explore collaborative opportunities.
Tamar Foods

We are delighted to be working with local food manufacturer Tamar Foods who donate a selection of their pasties and pies to our students every week.

The majority of our work is based outside and our students work up a real appetite, especially in the colder months when a hot lunch-time treat makes a real difference.

It's the least we can do....we take our responsibility to the local community very seriously and if our food can help fuel TST students to find employment then we are only too pleased to help.

Karl McGonnell

(Sales Director, Tamar Foods)

News

AUG 2011: New Construction centre now openSEP 2011: Approved Supplier for Freestyle & Foundation Learning to deliver Targeted Youth Support strandOCT 2011: Working with Tamar FoodsOCT 2011: Awarded NOCN Centre statusOCT 2011: £750 raised for Devon Air AmbulanceNOV 2011: Launch of Community Interest Company
Contact Us

Contact us

Addr: Merryhue Farm, Callington, PL17 7HW

Tel: 0845 223 5433

Fax: 01579 386882

Email: click here

Enquiry Form:

Commando Challenge

Before.....

£750 raised for Devon Air Ambulance

An over-cast and slightly mizzly day on Woodbury Common Saturday 8th October saw the TST Iron Team run and swim a very muddy 4k to raise £750 in aid of the Devon Air Ambulance.

The 4k 'Fun' Commando Challenge is held annually and initial calculations from the organisers suggest that over £250k was raised this year.

Next year will see Team TST mature into the 10k challange and we will be contacting our business partners and students nearer the time with the aim of entering more than one team.....

....and after.

NOCN

OCTOBER 2011

We are delighted to have been awarded NOCN Centre status.

This recognition of our standards and ability in delivering accredited qualifications enables us to deliver a range of vocational land-based qualificaitons.

NOCN qualifications are flexible and responsive to learner needs and credit based, consisting of individual units of assessment, each with an assigned level and credit value attached.

Learners who demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes of a specified unit are awarded credits and can collect/accumulate these over time towards the achievement of a full qualification.

We are delighted to welcome TST as an OCNSWR centre and look forward to working with them to develop a range of personalised learning opportunities for their clients/ and learners.

Vickie Bishop

(Development Manager, NOCN)

Freestyle

A pproved Supplier for Freestyle and Foundation Learning

Taster Days

We offer FREE no-obligation taster days.

Geographical Area

We are based just outside Callington and have access to the Duchy College transport network. This provides pick-ups from Okehampton, Bude, Whitstone, Wadebridge, Plymouth, Torpoint, Looe, St Austell, Barnstaple and Liskeard.

Our sessions run from 9.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the term. Short Courses may also be running through school holidays.

We offer vocational experience in Construction, Landscaping, Conservation, Agriculture, Animal Care, Carpentry, and even some aspects of Survival and Bush Craft. What sets us apart is our ability to be flexible with our delivery.

The courses run within the NOCN qualification framework or the City & Guilds Skills for Working Life, Work-based Agriculture, and Construction qualifications. This provides a huge range of accredited modules to tailor-make programmes for individuals.

You can get an award in as little as 1 week, and if you decide to carry on with us, you can 'up' this to a full Diploma. This has the same performance points as GCSE's and can allow access to higher level qualifications, apprenticeships or employment.

We also help improve Maths and English with 1 to 1 support.

Consruction

New Construction Centre now open

Our new construction workshop is now up and running.

Completed Summer 2011, we are now busy delivering the NOCN's Introduction to Construction award, including brick and blockwork, and plastering.

WSSW

Creation of Not For Profits Sister Company

November saw the launch of our new sister company, Work Skills South West CIC (WSSW).

The company has been created as a Community Interest Company. This is a type of Limited company that does not allow dividends (profits) to be paid to shareholders or directors, rather it is reinvested for growth.

The aim of WSSW is to deliver education, training, volunteering and employability services to individuals that are not currently provided for by the state. This could be due to age, circumstance or other eligibility criteria.

WSSW will fund this work through income derived from trusts, foundations, philanthropists and corporate support.

One of our projects will create small work groups to work with local schools, community groups and Parish Councils to assist in the management of their green spaces. These spaces currently lack expertise, resources or funding, and include playgrounds, church grounds, common land, and conservation and local heritage areas.

Jack Rockliffe-King

(Director, WSSW)