This #MadeInSandwell Monday we’re putting the spotlight on Sandwell Adult and Family Learning – also known as SAFL.

SAFL is the adult education department of Sandwell Council. Open to people aged 19+ who live in Sandwell or the West Midlands area, it offers both daytime and evening courses. These are delivered across all six Sandwell towns at over 30 venues, and are all part time to fit in with busy schedules.

Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2018, SAFL is more than just an adult education provider. It also partners with local businesses to provide learning and development opportunities, with training taking place either at one of its venues or at the location of the business itself.

SAFL runs short professional CPD certified courses in areas such as leadership and management, fire safety, manual handling, digital skills, food safety, emergency first aid at work and more.

Most of the skills courses are fully funded by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), which means there is no charge to the employer or the individual studying them.

SAFL also works with Sandwell businesses and employers to create bespoke training tailored to each individual business’ needs. This can take the form of a one-off workshop or a longer training programme. Recent topics covered have included active selling training, Microsoft office training, such as MS Excel or MS Teams, customer service, mental health and wellbeing workshops.

Curriculum Programme Manager Tonia Green said SAFL as an organisation feels privileged and well placed to support the upskilling of the residents of Sandwell.

“We appreciate that the pandemic has put enormous pressure on individuals, many have lost their jobs and now need support, encouragement and access to good quality teaching to reach their full potential,” she said. “Job requirements, qualifications and competition in our borough are rapidly changing aspects of the workforce; at SAFL we have a passionate and experienced team who are waiting to open new doors to continuous and lifelong learning.”

If you would like to find out more about SAFL’s services for your Sandwell business, check out the full range of training courses offered at https://www.learnsafl.ac.uk/pages/home/online-courses.

 To start a conversation about how SAFL can support your business’ learning and development needs email contact_SAFL@sandwell.gov.uk with ‘Business’ in the subject line.

 #MadeInSandwell Monday is a celebration of the talent and diversity within our borough. If you’re interested in being considered for a #MadeInSandwell Monday profile and having information about your organisation shared on Think Sandwell and through Twitter, read this.