As well as being a provider of higher education nationally, The Open University is involved in a number of local projects and partnerships, contributing to raising achievement levels. In partnership with a number of educational institutions, we are developing progression routes for younger learners. We are also members of, and contributors to, a number of local, regional and national professional organisations. The Open University in the North gained Investor in People status in 2000.
Currently we are working with a number of chief executives and training officers as well as outreach workers and local community leaders in seeking to meet the training and development needs of individuals and employees.
You can find out more below about the major projects we are currently involved with.
If you require further information about how we can work with you and your organisation locally, do contact us.
The Open University has been successful in working in partnership with UNISON, Careconnect Learning and WEA to set up a learning centre Bridges to Learning. This was successfully launched in Spring 2003 and is located in UNISON's city centre premises in Newcastle upon Tyne (near the Tyne Bridge). It provides a city centre learning resource, including access to IT, individual advice and guidance, and an office base for project workers and the administrative team. Since the launch of the centre the NHSU has also become a key partner and the main aim of the partnership is to widen participation in work based learning in the health and social care sectors.
For further information, contact Lindsay Brigham (L.Brigham@open.ac.uk) or visit the websites at http://www.bridgestolearning.org.uk/, http://www.careconnectlearn.co.uk/ and http://www.unison.org.uk/
The Widening Participation Team has been actively promoting the Open University as a work-related learning provider for businesses in the region, both in the public and private sectors. A successful model for co-operation has been the organisation of employee-focussed Open Events on company premises - for example, at Nissan and RAF Boulmer - while a conference for Human Resource and Training Managers held at Seaham Hall in June 2006 drew wide interest.
If your organisation would like to host an Open Event for its employees, or if you would like more information on how the Open University could help fulfil your training needs, contact David Stephenson of the Widening Participation Team (D.Stephenson@open.ac.uk).
The Open University in the North has, since 1996, worked in partnership with Monkseaton Community High School, Whitley Bay, in offering of a range of courses to selected students in year 12. These courses, which range from Mathematics, Computing, Engineering and Science to Languages and Social Sciences, are accredited at Level 1 - equivalent to the first year of study at a traditional university. They are offered to gifted and talented students, who are treated the same as any other Open University student. Through this opportunity they not only demonstrate their academic ability but commitment and perseverance, as well as an ability to work independently.
Interest in this scheme has been shown by Mike Tomlinson in his review of the 14-19 curriculum in schools, the DfES, UCAS, the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth and the Specialist Schools Trust. The School has developed a support package which it offers to other interested schools throughout the country. Schools based in other regions are also supported by a local Open University contact person, and around 44 now enrol Year 12 students with The Open University.
For further information, contact Liz Manning (E.Manning@open.ac.uk).
The Open University in the North supports collaborative work with the five campus-based universities in the region through Universities for the North East (U4NE) - see www.unis4ne.ac.uk. Key components of this include:
Further details are available from Bernadette Shaw (b.shaw@open.ac.uk).
topWeb design services for a national organisation (NUCCAT)
The Learning Support Technology Unit (LSTU) based in the OU's Regional Centre in Newcastle has designed a website for the Northern Universities Consortium for Credit Accumulation and Transfer - see http://www.nuccat.ac.uk.
Following work done by NUCCAT, students are able to transfer credits gained from one University to another. The Website includes a number of communication systems that can be used by members to discuss important issues privately while also informing the public of their work. Further details on Web design services offered by LSTU are available from Mick Goulding (m.goulding@open.ac.uk).
Since August 2003, the Open University in the North has participated in the HEFCE/LSC-funded Aimhigher programme in the region. This has involved collaboration with higher education and further education providers in the region, and has supported the following activities:
The current Aimhigher programme runs until March 2006, and the development of further initiatives will continue in response to regional need. For further information, contact Jane Gregory (J.A.Gregory@open.ac.uk) or visit http://www3.open.ac.uk/widening-participation/.
topAs a partner in the graduates North East project the Open University in the North has collaborated with regional Higher Education careers services to create a local web portal for students, graduates and employers needing information about career and study options. See www.graduates.northeast.ac.uk
The Open University in the North has close contacts with all five regional Information, Advice and Guidance networks (IAGs) regularly attending network meetings and contributing to regional directories.
Annual briefings are held for guidance staff throughout the region to provide an update of Open University developments and an opportunity to discuss effective referral mechanisms. Additional activities have included a workshop in partnership with Connexions staff based on the 'Open to Change' course material.
For further information, contact Jane Gregory (J.A.Gregory@open.ac.uk) or Hilary Bennison (H.Bennison@open.ac.uk).
The Open University is a member of the Single Regeneration Board (SRB) Partnership board of Cumbria Credits, an educational and community regeneration programme with 75 centres throughout Cumbria. We fully support the mission of Credits (Community Regeneration through the Development of IT Skills) and have worked in close collaboration with community tutors in the design of a course in electronic communication, named Teamworking in Cyberspace. This course, developed by Open University staff and accredited through TROCN at levels 2 and 3, is designed to extend basic IT skills, but above all to foster the sort of communication and group working skills necessary for success in working across isolated rural communities.
The Open University looks forward to continuing this fruitful collaboration to extend opportunities in Higher Education in Cumbria, and is keen to extend the concept of Teamworking in Cyberspace elsewhere. For further information, contact Graham Storey (g.e.storey@open.ac.uk) or Christine Cathrow (C.Cathrow@open.ac.uk ).
The Open University in the North manages the student support for over 5500 students in continental Europe. We accept students from other countries of the EU as well as Switzerland and Slovenia. The local operations are managed by a network of co-ordinators in major cities across Europe (link to contacts pages). The Open University is Europe's largest trans-national provider of open and distant learning and the Open University Business School is one of Europe's largest. The OU in the North is also active in complementary initiatives and pilot projects, some funded by the EC, some of a bilateral nature. These are aimed at ensuring that services supporting students across the EU are fully informed by, and benefit from developments relating to the often innovatory aspects to learning, progression, and recognition which trans-national open, supported distance learning frequently entails. Examples include a pilot curriculum exchange scheme with the German FernUniversitat, collaboration with the Dutch Open Universiteit to support a coordinator in the Netherlands, and collaboration with other distance learning universities of the EU to address the eLearning needs of students of the future.
For further information, contact Christine Cathrow (c.cathrow@open.ac.uk).
