Indira Stammers has been enjoying her journey with POA Learning since becoming Centre Manager at the new Newbold Revell Learning Centre near Rugby.

Taking up her new appointment last June, Indira has been blown away with the open, welcoming and dedicated attitude of the POA Learning Team and she stated that she was inspired by the passion and knowledge of her mentors Alison Manion, Nicky Volley and Jenny Gore.

From her first day in the centre, she has been supporting POELTS (Prison Officer Entry Level Training) dealing with dyslexia, something new she is able to add to her skill-set. This has involved working with a dyslexia screener to analyse results and formulate various study methods and working closely with individuals to support them through their exams.

Indira said:

Seeing POELTS pass their exams and getting more confidence is such a joy and I consider myself very fortunate to be in a position at POA Learning where I can truly make a difference in people’s lives."

The dyslexia sessions are only part of the greater role with the day to day management of the centre based at Newbold Revell. The promotion of POA Learning across the site to raise awareness is a key function with newsletters regularly distributed and looking after the registrations of staff for the free level two distance learning courses.

Indira has been humbled by the commitment of learners:

I have never seen people this committed in my life and it is amazing to experience. Seeing what we have done so far makes me excited to find out what the future has in store for Newbold Revels POA Learning Centre."

Indira hasn’t been alone on her mission to support POELTS as together with Brett Stringer, Skills for Life Manager, she has been able to attend various classes to put herself in the shoes of a new POELT on their own journeys with the chance to engage with both POELTS and tutors in a classroom environment listening to their own stories of what inspired them to become prison officers and what life is like on a day to day basis during the training programme.

Building these relationships not only gives Indira the chance to build personal assistance where needed, but also gains commitment for the POELTS to promote POA Learning when they are assigned to their establishments once training is completed.

Indira added:

Brett has been an amazing source of support to me and together we have been able to improve the dyslexia assistance more and more. Every week new ideas emerge and we aim to improve this service on a consistent basis."

One POELT has said:

The sessions were definitely useful, I managed to complete I’d say 40% of my workbooks with Indira and Brett’s help. It’s much better than a classroom filled with people and the facilities are better."

The Learning centre also offers the facility for individuals to use the PC’s to allow them to check e-mails, research for project work and claim expenses. The facilities are now utilised on a daily basis and has been a popular feature of the centre with Indira on hand to assist, revising centre opening hours to meet the customer demand.

Indira has recently been joined by Amalia Remblin who comes into the centre as Marketing and Communications Officer for POA Learning, but also providing further support for the day to day running of the centre. This relationship has already started on solid ground with talks in place with local community centres to expand the work from the centre to provide POA Learning services out into the local community.

With a Health and Wellbeing day planned at Newbold for October and other activities in the pipeline, the future is looking bright for Indira and her colleagues at Newbold Revell as – in her own words:

Here’s to more inspiring developments!"