PASTEL aims to promote the personal and social development of learners, so as to enhance their self esteem, their aspirations and their contribution to the community. The service is client-centred and does not operate to serve the commercial interests of business shareholders.

PASTEL supports the new government approach to person-centred planning and informed choice and will particularly support the Every Child Matters aims and outcomes of:

• Be healthy - enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle.

• Stay safe - being protected from harm and neglect and growing up able to look after themselves.

• Enjoy and achieve - getting the most out of life and developing skills for adulthood.

• Make a positive contribution - to the community and to society, and not offending or behaving anti-socially.

• Achieve economic well-being - overcoming socio-economic disadvantages to achieve their full potential in life.

PASTEL's 4 objectives are:

1. To provide or assist in providing facilities, activities, and educational training for the social and economic benefit of persons with learning and other disabilities.

2. To provide training, employment and volunteering opportunities to people working or seeking to work with young adults with learning and other difficulties, primarily but not exclusively in Suffolk and surrounding areas.

3. To promote for the public benefit good employment practice by the advancement of education, training or retraining, particularly among unemployed young adults with learning and other difficulties, and by providing unemployed people with work experience.

4. To advance the education of the public with particular reference to social enterprises for people with disabilities and the benefits they provide to society and for their workers.