Vital news

Vital, the ICT CPD programme for education professionals, is the first ever sponsor of the Best Volunteer category at the Yorkshire Evening Post “Best in School” Awards.

The Best Volunteer award is a way for primary schools to recognise and thank people who put in valuable time and effort to help teachers and pupils, for no financial reward. Everyone at Vital's Yorkshire and the Humber office jumped at the opportunity to help the region's education community come together and celebrate its achievements.

As Vital’s Regional Manager Beverley Parker explains, “sponsoring this award is just one of many things the Vital team in Yorkshire and the Humber is doing to promote the use of technology as a way to enhance the learning and teaching experience.”

Vital is running ICT CPD (continued professional development) in partnership with Barnsley, Sheffield and Leeds City Learning Centres, and co-developing materials with Sheffield College and other regional groups such as the North Yorkshire e-learning team.

The Vital team is also helping develop case studies to illustrate how new technologies are being used across the region, adding value and encouraging others to inspire and engage learners. Case studies include the new iPad and educational conferencing solution Elluminate Live! The case studies will be published on the Vital website, along with all the latest news from the region.

The Vital team in Yorkshire and the Humber is working with eight other regional teams across the country to encourage education practitioners to take ownership of their own professional development and use ICT to improve the classroom experience for learners. Meanwhile, the Open University, which runs Vital supported by e-skills UK, has also been very active in the region, serving over 12,000 students throughout Yorkshire, at BFPO Cyprus and postgraduate students nationwide. The OU works with local schools through the Young Applicant in Schools and Colleges Scheme (YASS), the PGCE training programme and with extended schools providing opportunities for those living in areas of social and economic disadvantage.

Editor's notes

Vital is a 5.6 million DfE-funded programme run by the Open University, supported by e-skills UK. Its purpose is to support staff in state funded 5-19 institutions in England to bring about a step change in the teaching of ICT.

Contact Beverley Parker on beverley.parker@vital.ac.uk or phone 07769 234235 to find out about what’s happening in the Yorkshire and Humber region, and how you can get involved.