Informal Adult Learning – Shaping the Way Ahead

An initial NIACE Response to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills’ Consultation

NIACE warmly welcomes the initiative of John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, in opening a debate about the role voluntary, community and cultural agencies can play, alongside educational providers, in the education of adults. The breadth of concerns shown in the consultation paper ‘Informal Adult Learning – Shaping the Way Ahead’ is also welcome, if overdue, from a government committed to lifelong learning. Like the government, we are convinced that adult learners will be best served by effective partnerships between educational providers and all the other agencies with an interest in supporting learning. However, NIACE is concerned at the paper’s failure to recognise the scale of the impact of reductions in public provision for adult education, where 1,400,000 adults have lost their classes in just two years. We are concerned, too, that the paper does little to recognise the rich contributions colleges, universities and adult education services make to cultural life or their key role in widening participation. We will be keen to highlight these issues in our response to the consultation. Nevertheless our welcome for the paper is genuine. We believe it offers a serious opportunity to shape policy affecting adult learning.

This consultation matters to everyone who believes in adult learning and who hopes for some kind of public support for those adults wanting to learn something new. This might be to pay for teachers or instructors; to get access to public buildings and equipment at affordable cost; to have good educational websites or broadcasts; to link-up with like-minded learners or simply to get help in finding what is available. It matters even if people do not want to go back to learning themselves because it is about the support they expect to be there for their parents, partners, neighbours, workmates and children. This makes it a consultation about what kind of a society we want to live in and how to get a fair distribution of public money.

Obviously the government will expect a response from those engaged in running centres and activities but in this case a much wider cross search of society is being consulted. This is a real opportunity because Government seldom invites ordinary citizens to get involved in this kind of discussion and possibly have more of a say. In the past, this kind of learning has been pushed to the edges of bigger plans for colleges, universities, for workplace training, the BBC licence fee or what local councils do. Otherwise the Government has relied upon expert committees to tell them what is best.

It is a challenge to respond to 27 separate questions from the Government – some of which assume knowledge of what exists already and why. But it is a much-needed consultation at a time when 1.4 million places in publicly-supported adult learning in England have been lost over the last two years. NIACE is concerned to get a large number of thoughtful responses that will improve the quality of public policy-making.

These losses have resulted not only from an adult learning policy focussed very directly on skills for the workplace but from uncertainty and changing messages to providers about priorities and local delivery. The consultation process needs to be run with a real understanding, not currently evident, of the connectivity at local level between adult learning for engagement, adult learning for personal development and adult learning for skills. It needs to be clear that while for confident learners informal learning opportunities are an opportunity, for others good teaching is a necessary step along the way to competent and confident independent learning. Providers need to mix the new with the tried and tested to meet the multiplicity of needs within communities and the government to understand that such a mix is what the best developing partnerships are already working to secure.

NIACE strongly supports the creation of a stable infrastructure for adult learning provision able to provide promotion; support for quality and staff development, guidance in such a complex system and to secure the kind of innovative outreach that will make adult learning accessible to all not only the capable middle classes. We believe that, given this, and provided stability is guaranteed, there is a real chance for the development of the kind of partnerships and approaches the paper seeks. Without a hub where learners can look for advice and informal providers for support, those least able will lose their way. Providers have been struggling without this security for too long.

NIACE will give detailed answers to each of the questions and encourages others to do the same by reading the 34 pages the discussion paper (on the internet at www.adultlearningconsultation.org.uk ). There are, however, eight big themes that NIACE believes need to figure in responses.

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