Group Admins
![Session logo of Connecting learners and communities in Wales to Open Education Resources [742]](http://oer15.oerconf.org/wp-content/plugins/buddypress/bp-core/images/mystery-group.png){kind=avatar}
Description
If we wish to connect people and communities with open education resources (OER), especially those farthest removed from learning, simply creating and putting the OER out into the ether might not be enough. Deliberate and proactive steps need to be taken to make these connections, bringing people and learning opportunities together.
Through various widening access initiatives we are using OER content to reach out to non-traditional learners and help them start a learning journey, which for some results in accredited learning and formal qualifications. We use our OER content to enable people to:
- Gain an insight into higher education study
- Explore subject areas
- Test which level of entry is appropriate for them
- Undertake study skills
This interactive workshop will use a mixture of presentation, discussion and practice to look at the three main initiatives in Wales building learner engagement around OER:
Pathways to Success helps the learner navigate through our OER offer, providing a structured route appropriate to their level of prior education, in a subject area of interest to them.
Open Learn Champions focuses on upskilling knowledge and understanding of OER in the wider community, encouraging the promotion of its use in a variety of settings, including libraries, the workplace and schools.
Employer and workforce engagement offers OER as a resource for employers, particularly for employees those with no or lower level skills, partially as CPD for their employees but also as a way of encouraging personal development, leading onto more formal learning.
![Session logo of Connecting learners and communities in Wales to Open Education Resources [742]](http://oer15.oerconf.org/wp-content/plugins/buddypress/bp-core/images/mystery-group-50.png){kind=avatar}
