Our Role

Learning South West is an independent charity based in Taunton at Bishops Hull House , a great venue for conferences and meetings.

Our members are South West based organisations providing and commissioning post-16 and adult learning and youth work with young people in community contexts

We engage in innovative and creative work which reflects emerging trends in post-16 and adult learning and work with young people

We work closely with regional, national and international organisations with an interest in policy and practice in post-16 education and youth work, acting as a ‘regional hub’ to help national organisations reach out to providers and commissioners in the region, and making sure that the voice of the South West is heard in national debates.

We are committed to young people and learners having a strong voice in determining provision and services. We co-ordinate the UK Youth Parliament in the South West, supporting young people to have a voice regionally and nationally. Our own Board of Trustees includes young people and adult learner representatives.

Our history of collaborative working has given us a reputation as an honest, neutral broker of cross sector partnerships and projects. Through our networks, Learning South West is in contact with hundreds of provider organisations and thousands of practitioners. We frequently co-ordinate cross-sector partnership projects such as the SWCETT

Our Professional Development events for the learning and youth work field are highly regarded and have recently been expanded to include QCF accredited units and qualifications through our Centre for Informal Learning

We can act as an implementing, and sometimes managing, partner of national consortia with other key regional and national organisations to deliver national-level projects

For an overview of our recent activities see our 2011 Annual Review which gives details of what we have achieved in 2010/11.  

Developing collaborative partnerships