OCN Northern Ireland
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Vision, Mission & Values
OCN Northern Ireland Vision Statement
To be recognised and respected as the leading credit based learning and development body in Ireland, promoting social inclusion, wider participation and community transformation
We will achieve this by:
- Creating and sustaining partnership that add value to our Network
- Building relationships that help to create “Learning Communities”
- Being innovative, creative and brave
- Championing learners’ rights
- Making everyone’s potential achievable
OCN Northern Ireland Mission Statement
To offer the best possible learning programmes and resources, and to put these opportunities in the hands of as many people as possible. We will meet the requirements of IIP and extend our capability by developing our markets in training, consultancy, publishing, learning support materials and e-assessment services.
We will achieve our mission by:
Providing outstanding qualifications and learning opportunities that meet current and future need, and we will support this learning with brilliant resources and services that add real value to our customers
OCN Northern Ireland Value Statement
OCN Northern Ireland:
- Holds pre-eminent the entitlement of people to gain recognition for their achievements in learning and to fulfil their potential
- Is passionate about respect for and encouragement of diversity in everything we do
- Is inspirational in making a difference to those who experience disadvantage
- Will be imaginative in opening up opportunities for all learners
- Are totally committed to integrity, ethical business practices and corporate responsibility
- Embodies excellence in supporting and resourcing our people
- Are proud to be part of a community of learning that reaches out to all
OCN Northern Ireland Principles underpinning Lifelong Learning
OCN Northern Ireland is committed to the idea that learning is a lifelong experience and is further committed to supporting that learning journey for all.
This commitment is focused on five key principles:
- Process: This principle energises our activity around the Learning Process, how, individuals, communities and societies learn, where they learn, why they learn and how we at OCN NI can impact positively upon that learning
- Transitions: This principle recognizes that there are key Learning Transitions in an individual, community or societal learning journey. These may be organised e.g. school to work, primary to secondary, or they may be personal e.g. parenthood, life change. OCN NI aim to support these transitions for our learners
- Interventions: This principle, linked strongly to transition recognises that individuals, communities and society experience a range of Learning Interventions in their learning journey. These may be statutory, voluntary, or personal, they may be successful or not. OCN NI goal is to ensure that interventions are learner centred, positive and empowering
- Development: This principle organises around the concept of Learning as Development. Learning for an individual, community or society is part of a development journey that provides opportunities to extend ourselves. OCN NI aim is to make this development meaningful for all.
- Growth: This principle focuses on the idea that growth is a natural part of being human. Learning for Growth is about what we do with our learning and how we use it to make, our lives, our communities and our society better. OCN NI desire is to contribute to a better society.
OCN NI Principles and Tools for Change
Building a Better Future is the Northern Ireland programme for Government 2008-2011. In this document, the NI Executive states clearly that
‘Our over-arching aim is to build a peaceful, fair and prosperous society in Northern Ireland, with respect for the rule of law and where everyone can enjoy a better quality of life now and in years to come.
To achieve this we need to pursue an innovative and productive economy and a fair society that promotes social inclusion, sustainable communities and personal health and well-being’ (NI Programme for Government p5)
The Programme for Government lays out four interconnecting Key Priorities, which are based around a main priority of:
Grow a dynamic innovative Economy
- Promote tolerance, inclusion, health and well-being
- Invest to build our infrastructure
- Deliver modern high quality and efficient public services
- Protect and enhance our environment and natural resources
These priorities for the executive are further contextualised within the linkages that a modern dynamic society requires, North/South linkages and East/West Linkages and International Relationships.
OCN NI already has key East/West linkages with NOCN, we will develop our North/South linkages in the context of our plan and we will begin the work of extending our international relationships to build on the European Credit Framework and to use our capacity for inclusion on a wider scale by collaborating where possible with development agencies.
Each of the Key Priorities in the programme for government has a range of targets that focus on investment, development, improvement and growth. Whilst all four or FIVE areas of activity will feature in our work, the three main priorities for OCN NI to focus on will be -
- Growing a dynamic, innovate economy;
- Promoting tolerance, inclusion and health and well being; and
- Delivering modern high quality and efficient public service.
These statements of vision and value, from OCN Northern Ireland and the Executive provide us at OCN NI with an opportunity to focus our work on key areas of Strategic Priority for the next three years. These are:
Children and Young People
- Develop our contribution to the Youth Work Curriculum
- Grow our involvement in the school sector as part of the entitlement framework
- Extend our involvement with non formal and informal curriculum with children and young people
- Contribute to the anti poverty strategy
Family Learning
- Promote Family Learning as a key holistic route to supporting both adult and young learners
- Develop OCNNI and our partners capability in supporting Family Learning
- Embed Family Learning as key feature in the programme for government
- Support the commitment to regeneration, building community capacity and leadership
Employability
- Respond effectively to the NI Skills Strategy
- Contribute to meeting the Key Goals in the Priority area Growing a Dynamic, Innovative Economy
- Extend our involvement in Work Based Learning
- Effect the removal of barriers to employment and independent living for the most vulnerable
Civic Transformation
- Contribute to the modernisation of structure and powers of local/regional/national government
- Impact positively and with measurable value upon the NI Economic and Policy Agenda
- Engage with the aim to achieve measurable reduction in sectarianism, racism and hate crime
- Embrace the imperative to create a share and better future, based on tolerance and respect for cultural diversity
Personal and Community Education
- To advance social transformation in line with the NI Executive aims
- Support individuals and communities as they work to overcome, poverty, disadvantage and exclusion
- Develop capabilities to remove barriers to employment and to address inequalities in health and educational outcomes
OCN NI a Learning Organisation
- To become the principle advocate of an accessible and learner centred QCF
- To develop social entrepreneurship in all our people
- To embed learning as individuals, teams and as an organisation in everything we do
- To connect the key services and support that our customers require to do business with us
- To become what we aspire to be
Our Vision Statement
To be recognised and respected as the leading credit based learning and development body in Ireland, promoting social inclusion, wider participation and community transformation.
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