National Learning Network – Letterkenny

This rehabilitative foundation programme is designed for young adults with mild learning difficulties. Designed to provide a mix of social skills, personal effectiveness, career exploration and work experience sampling, it supports students to make realistic choices for further training and work based on their individual strengths and abilities.

Literacy and numeracy support are also provided to help students to play an active role in their community and to make decisions about their own lives. Students get to show the skills they have learned in the training centres in real life scenarios in the community so as to encourage students to move toward living more independently.

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity for personal, social and life skills development, which will lead to greater independence and playing a greater role in their own communities.

This course support students with Asperger’s Syndrome or High Functioning Autism with important strategies and skills to improve their quality of life and help them live more independently. Based around an personalised training programme, students are supported to make important choices about their own lives and future training/education or work options.

Employer Based Training supports students to get practical skills with a company in the area of their choice. The programme is a combination of on-the-job and in-centre training 60% on-the-job and 40% in-centre. The Employer Based Training instructor supports both the student and the employer. Students choose work experience that interests and suits them and the Employer Based Training instructor finds a suitable company to provide work experience. Students are then one step closer to being able to find and keep a job.

This course is designed as a stepping-stone to getting a job for students who may have little or no experience of work, or who are considering a change in career direction. Students are supported in their personal development, confidence building, developing social skills, independent living skills, as well as job-seeking skills. Work experience is a key part of the course and students are given a range of work placements and encouraged to explore further education options.

This course provides students with the necessary IT, office and personal skills to get and keep a job employment in a business environment. The programme combines centre-based training and interactive home-based learning with work experience placements.

This allows student to make efficient and effective use of their training time and avail of opportunities to meet and get to know potential employers and practice new skills in a real work environment.