About ABE
About Us
ABE is part of West Lothian Council's Community Learning and Development service. Our Aim is to work with anyone over the age of 16 who can set goals to improve literacy and numeracy skills or who is experiencing hearing loss and wishes to learn lip-reading skills. We provide a free service with access to workshops, short courses and ongoing individual learning.
Our Service Standards
We Will:
1. Provide information, which helps you to access our service in a way that suits your needs.
2. Treat you with respect and our staff will be friendly and helpful.
3. Deal with your enquiry promptly and efficiently from the first point of contact.
4. Log all enquiries/messages within 1 working day.
5. Give you a chance to talk about your learning needs within 1 week of your enquiry.
6. Confirm where and when you can join a group within 2 weeks of your interview.
7. Ask you about the quality of the service you receive and respond to any improvements you would like to see
8. We listen to your Suggestions, Grumbles & Complaints and respond to your feedback.
9. We will give you an opportunity to request an interview with a Guidance Worker.
ABE Contacts
Click on any ABE staff member below to find out more about their role and responsibilities.
Staff Details
Elaine Nisbet
Principal Officer
elaine.nisbet@westlothian.gov.uk
Elaine has overall responsibility for the strategic and operational management of ABE. She makes links with partnership organisation and raises awareness of ABE's services to other agencies and potential students. She is the main link contact for new students, who will meet her to discuss their needs and find the right group in which to learn.
Margaret Dickinson
Tutor Organiser
margaret.dickinson@westlothian.gov.uk
Margaret is responsible for developing the training programme for ABE staff, volunteers and external partners. This includes delivering the in-house Tutor Pathway training and accreditation such as PDA ITALL. She also tutors and is a link contact for new students.
Alison Nicol
Tutor Organiser
alison.nicol@westlothian.gov.uk
Alison provides support for the Criminal Justice programme, manages the Health and Safety agenda, tutors and is a link contact for new students.
Margaret Borosch
Development Worker
margaret.borosch@westlothian.gov.uk
Margaret has responsibility for supporting students who have particular needs relating to mental health. She monitors our performance against our Service Standards and consults with students to make sure their views are heard and acted upon.
Maureen Dunsmore
Development Worker
maureen.dunsmore@westlothian.gov.uk
Maureen's main focus is working with the Criminal Justice team to provide literacies learning for their clients. This includes running short courses, integrating literacies into the Criminal Justice programme and working with learners on their individual goals.
Alison Mann
Development Worker
alison.mann@westlothian.gov.uk
Alison's key focus is ensuring the service provides literacies support to young people aged 16 – 24. Her delivery is based around everyday situations relevant to young people’s lives, such as managing money, getting ready for work and driving theory. She works in partnerships with many organisations who are meeting the varied needs of young people, not only delivering course to young people but supporting staff training on Youth Literacy approaches. She is also involved in Quality Assurance and oversees our accredited courses for students.
Marion Phillips
Development Worker
marion.phillips@westlothian.gov.uk
Marion's priority is to support reading and writing through delivering courses including Storytelling and encouraging all students to get involved with projects such as the Six Book Challenge. She support the users group FABE to operate and co-ordinates many of their events, including the Tom Meek Award.
Jenny Reekie
Development Worker
jenny.reekie@westlothian.gov.uk
Jenny's priority is numeracy and she delivers a range of courses to support people to improve their number skills. These include Brain Training, Cooking by Numbers and Number Quest. She also promotes the use of ICT equipment in learning and works with students to develop skills such as blogging.
Alicia Robertson
Development Worker
alicia.robertson@westlothian.gov.uk
Alicia's objective is to work with students who are currently employed. She has a particular focus on developing learning opportunities for disabled people.
Michael Boyce
IT Support Tutor
michael.boyce@westlothian.gov.uk
Michael works behind the scenes to maintain and develop our ICT resources. He also provides specialist support, on courses like Savvy, to help students learn how to use multimedia equipment.
Janice Davidson
Admin Assistant
janice.davidson@westlothian.gov.uk
Janice is the first port of call for anyone getting in touch with ABE through phone, email or face-to-face. Behind the scenes, she co-ordinates the administrative tasks that keep ABE running.
Heather Logan
Clerical Assistant
heather.logan@westlothian.gov.uk
Heather deals with general enquiries on the phone or at reception providing point of contact for anyone using ABE services. Behind the scenes, she gives clerical support to the organisation.