Workplace Learning Task Group

Preface to the Report

Questions For Discussion

The following questions seek to address some of the issues raised in the Report. You may find them helpful in considering your attitudes to, and action where appropriate on, the various ideas and recommendations within it.

Q. How can we ensure that workplace learning takes place within a framework which accommodates the needs of all the stakeholders ?

Q. How should employers and employees work with learning providers in creating new learning opportunities which respond to the identified learning needs, and barriers to access, of potential learners ?

Q. How best can we ensure that the various existing and proposed methods of funding are fashioned to meet the needs of individual learners ?

Q. What is the most important contribution learning at, for and through the workplace can make to encouraging non-traditional learners to engage in learning ?

Q. How might supply chains and contracting arrangements be utilised for promoting learning in SME's in particular ?

Q. How can we use workplace learning to ease the transition of the unwaged into work ?

Q. What might be the composition, powers and responsibilities of regional and sub-regional forums for encouraging and resourcing learning at, for and through the workplace ?

Q. How can learning at, for and through the workplace be linked to wider community learning needs ?

Q. How closely does the example in Appendix Two reflect your workplace ? How might it be used to inform your approach ?

 

Workplace Learning - The Task Group Report

The Task Group

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment established the National Advisory Group for Continuing Education and Lifelong Learning in June, 1997. He asked it, as its first task, to advise on the preparation of a White Paper on Lifelong Learning. The Advisory Group established four Task Groups to assist in this process

This is the Report of the Task Group on Workplace Learning. It should be appreciated that this report does not, and cannot, cover every aspect of learning at, for and through the workplace. Other aspects of the skills agenda are being considered in other fora but, we believe, this Report makes a valuable contribution to the wider debate necessary to change the learning culture in the United Kingdom.

The terms of reference and membership of the Task Group are set out at Appendix One.

1. Introduction

1.1 Workplace Learning is a key component of, and will have to make a major contribution to, a national strategy for lifelong learning through generating marked improvements in the numbers of learners at work and in the range of activity and achievements of those who learn at, for or through the workplace.

1.2 The United Kingdom is experiencing a major revolution in its economic and social development generated, largely, by developments in information technology and the impact of globalisation. Our ability to respond to those developments will depend, increasingly, on human capacity and intellectual capital requiring radically new approaches to learning in general and workplace learning in particular.

1.3 For too long education and training systems have mapped out career paths and life style choices on a once and for all basis. There has been too much inflexibility, too much compartmentalisation, and few developments capable of creating new patterns of lifelong learning.

1.4 A large number of young people are trapped by their under-performance in education, over a third of 19 year olds have not reached NVQ level two. Furthermore, the Basic Skills Agency has estimated that one in six adults have such a low level of competence in basic skills that they cannot function adequately at work or in everyday life.

1.5 These long term weaknesses have been exacerbated by the 'voluntary' approach to workplace learning over recent years. There is substantial evidence that this approach has been failing the economy, the interests of employers and the interests of working people as employees and citizens alike. Learning opportunities in the workplace have often been targeted at occupational groups which already have the highest levels of education and initial training. Historically, manual and part time workers, and the low paid in general, have often been excluded from provision.

Yet these are the very people who most need access to high quality learning if the UK is to have an economy based on high value added production and services. Where individual employers do provide opportunities for workplace learning, many employees cannot access it because of the failure of the compulsory education system to provide them with appropriate learning skills.

1.6 There is, at present, a plethora of agencies and organisations engaged in what is, essentially, a fairly narrow approach to workplace learning nationally and regionally. Performance between providers, institutions and regions is variable and, frequently, there is a duplication of effort leading to confusion.

1.7 Small and medium size employers are not engaging extensively in the learning process. Some, because they fail to see its relevance to their long term success. Others, because they fear that trained employees will be poached by competitors and many, because they lack the resources for providing learning opportunities.

There is a need to reconsider the present objectives of, and structures for, workplace learning and locate a new approach within the context of a national strategic framework.

1.8 This is not to say that progress has not been made. Industry continues to invest a substantial amount in work based training and the CBI reported in September 1997 that 59% of employers expect an increase in their training expenditure, with a growing trend towards on-the-job training. There have been many imaginative and successful initiatives in workplace learning, and we make reference to some of those in the report. However, they do not, in our view, add up to a coherent and widely available system of workplace learning.

1.9 If the United Kingdom is to have a thriving democracy with cultural wealth and economic health, it needs systems of learning from the cradle to the grave which enable the population to engage in the development of their skills, knowledge and competence. Systems which can create employment opportunities and life style choices for individuals and also contribute directly to economic success and social cohesion.

2. A Framework for Action

2.1 The Task Group, in seeking to fulfil its terms of reference, established a ‘framework for action’ and identified a series of issues to be addressed. These issues inform the structure of the report and can be summarised as follows:

· The scope of workplace learning
· A policy framework with a set of policy objectives for workplace learning
· The nature of stakeholding and partnership in workplace learning
· Varieties of workplace learning
· The role of employers and employers' organisations
· The role of trade unions
· The nature and role of learning enablers and providers
· Stimulating further developments in workplace learning
· Provision for unwaged and low waged adults
· Funding workplace learning

2.2 We have identified a limited number of recommendations for action and these are contained within the text of the report. However, we also believe that there is a greater number of suggestions and ideas for action within the report which, although not universally applicable to all areas of employment, will commend themselves to stakeholders at different stages in their approach to workplace learning.

Appendix Two provides an explanation of how recommendations in the report can help develop an innovative approach to learning at, for and through the workplace.

We have also included a number of case studies which, we trust, illuminate many of our suggestions.

3. The Scope of Workplace Learning

3.1 As indicated in the introduction to this report, learning at the workplace will need to make a major contribution to national strategy on lifelong learning. To achieve this we recommend the adoption of a broad, inclusive, policy framework to underpin the extension of workplace learning for all. It should embrace training in new or updated skills, whether specific or generic, continuing professional development, learning for personal development and learning to use new technologies, including those which support learning itself. It should address the needs and interests of a variety of stakeholders, including employees, employers, customers, Government and providers. It will contribute to competitiveness, skills enhancement, employability and capacity to deal with change.

3.2 Through enhanced opportunities for workplace learning, individuals, employers and organisations will be enabled to respond to the changing nature of economic activity. It will contribute to improved efficiency and productivity in employment and help meet the personal and career development needs of individuals.

3.3 The policy framework should lay the foundation for a fundamental change in attitudes to lifelong learning on the part of individuals, groups, those in positions of authority in organisations and those with responsibility for funding or providing learning associated with the workplace.

3.4 The starting point for this policy framework is the adoption of a definition for workplace learning which will focus attention on the scope of provision required.

Workplace Learning - A Definition

"Workplace Learning is that learning which derives its purpose from the context of employment. It should address the needs and interests of a variety of stakeholders including employees, potential employees, employers and government.

It is a process of learning which will :

· enable individuals, employers and organisations to respond to the changing nature of economic activity;
· contribute to improved efficiency and productivity in employment;
· meet the personal and career development needs of individuals.
Observations on the Definition

i. ‘Employee’

The term ‘employee’ describes individuals engaged in Contracts of Service, including 'home workers' but is also intended to include those individuals who describe themselves as ‘self employed’ and who are engaged in ‘contracts for service’ as distinct from ‘contracts of service’. Failure to do so may exclude from the learning process tens of thousands of individuals who are ‘self employed’ in name only. They also will need structured access to learning opportunities for the updating and enhancing of their existing skills, competence and knowledge in order to respond to economic or technological change.

For further clarification, the term ‘employee’ should also include those engaged in Option One of the ‘New Deal’ (Welfare to Work) or similar programmes.

ii. ‘Potential Employee’

The term ‘potential employee’ embraces the unwaged and unemployed and emphasises the necessity for links to be established between workplace learning, community development and programmes for the unemployed.

iii. ‘Improved efficiency and productivity’

While the major focus of the definition is on workplace learning related to occupational activity, the term "improved efficiency and productivity" also embraces the contribution stable industrial relations can make to economic success. Workplace learning, therefore, takes into account trade union and related forms of education and training specific to ‘role’ activity within the workplace and these are referred to in the section on trade unions later in the report.

 

4. The Policy Framework

4.1 It is our view that the successful expansion of workplace learning to all will have to be based upon a broad, inclusive policy framework which:

· Is supported by a strong foundation of provision which develops learning skills and widens participation through      equality of opportunity;
· Ensures the updating and enhancing of skills, competence and knowledge within a continuing learning culture;
· Provides for consolidation and progression of learning;
· Is underpinned by impartial learning and career guidance;
· Encourages the development of centres of learning within workplaces and the wider community;
· Is supported by structural and funding mechanisms which create incentives for widening participation;
· Is developed in partnership with the appropriate stakeholders;
· Establishes links with citizenship and family learning and community development in pursuit of social cohesion
· Is linked into programmes of work experience for the unemployed and those seeking to return to work so as to ensure as seamless a transition as possible into work and workplace learning
· Will enable individuals to undertake employment, develop within and derive job satisfaction from that employment, make choices on future employment and engage in opportunities for personal development.

4.2 The policy framework will only succeed, however, if adequate consideration is given to the interests of the various stakeholders in workplace learning and learning opportunities are developed in genuine partnership involving those stakeholders.

5. The Principal Stakeholders

5.1 The term ‘stakeholder’, in the definition of workplace learning, includes employers, employees, government, trade unions, education and training providers, consumers of goods and services and the nation at large. However, particular attention has to be given to the principal stakeholders in workplace learning.

These may reasonably be defined as government (encompassing the interests of the economy, the consumer and the nation at large), employers (covering large and small organisations in the private, public and voluntary sectors) and individuals (including employees, potential employees and their representatives).

The three principal stakeholders will have distinct, if overlapping and complementary, expectations from a workplace learning strategy which could be expressed as follows:

5.2 Government, in particular, will be interested in developing a highly skilled national workforce and potential workforce capable of responding to economic and technological change in the medium and long term.

5.3 Employers will wish to see a return on any investment in learning in terms of improved efficiency and productivity in the short term as well as laying the foundation for continuing success in their product or service market and their ability to adapt to new developments. From their point of view, quite rightly, the promotion of workplace learning needs to be linked to the prospects of improved business performance, the management of risk and the promotion of a healthy workplace and workforce.

5.4 Individuals, and their representatives and trade unions, will expect learning opportunities to provide for transferable skills, competence and knowledge, enabling choices to be made in career and individual development and personal fulfilment as well as improving their performance in their current occupation.

In short, lifelong learning for workers calls for partnership between employers, employees, trade unions and government.

All learning provision made within the context of workplace learning should be designed to respond to the legitimate interests, needs and expectations of the three principal stakeholders.

6. Varieties of Workplace Learning

6.1 If the workplace is to become a major location of learning, people will need to be able to learn there for many reasons, some directly related to current work needs, others to future personal or organisational ones. For many the workplace is the only route through which they will engage in formal learning, and this reinforces the value of the definition of workplace learning referred to in section 3. Workplace learning should include a wide variety of learning, including that for specific skills, transferable skills and personal development. All partners should recognise the value of learning which does not relate directly to the current job and support the development of broad key and foundation skills.

6.2 In responding to the needs and interests of the different stakeholders already identified, three broad categories of learning will each require supporting:

i) Task specific or job-related learning - which should be designed to improve the competence, efficiency and productivity of the workforce within their current occupations.

This form of provision would apply across all occupations, from the lowest status jobs to the most complex

ii) Parallel and transferable skills learning - which should be designed to create a more flexible workforce, responsive to the changing nature, or short term staffing needs, of a particular employer.

This form of provision would enable individuals to obtain experience from 'acting up' or 'acting across' in other occupations or tasks both solving short term staffing difficulties and enabling them to seek career progression with confidence when vacancies occur.

iii) Personal development learning - which should be designed to provide the knowledge, skills and competence necessary to enable individuals to make employment and career changes not limited to progression within their present employment and to create opportunities for personal fulfilment.

This form of provision would have a number of purposes. It will contribute significantly to the perception of a holistic workplace learning culture thereby motivating, and generating commitment and loyalty from, staff at all levels.

Together with category ii (above), and linked to effective long term and continuous learning needs assessment and employee development reviewing, it will help defuse suspicion and fear about the consequences of improved efficiency and productivity on job security. It will also offer employees the opportunity for developing 'marketable' skills which will enable them to seek employment elsewhere and so minimise the impact of restructuring occasioned by economic or technological change.

6.3 Effective learning will only take place where there is recognition of the contribution that each of these types of learning can make both to business success and individual development.

Both commitment from the employer and enthusiasm from the potential student are essential, as is a sound basis on which the student can learn. The three categories above, therefore, should be underpinned by the availability of a foundation of learning skills provision designed to give confidence and support to those returning to formal learning.

Phased Access

6.4 Any structure for workplace learning should provide ease of access for individuals in a wide variety of occupations. In particular, it should enable individuals to :

· enter at a level appropriate to their current state of learning
· learn at a pace suitable for them
· receive recognition for their efforts
· use a variety of routes and ladders for progression, where desired
· develop an enthusiasm for, and confidence in, learning

This will require a structure of provision sensitive to the needs of all the stakeholders. It must not be skewed towards the needs of any particular group, or set of occupations, unless this is determined by a system of learning needs analysis and employee development reviewing acceptable to all the stakeholders.

Accreditation & Qualifications

6.5 Professional grades have long had access to professional qualifications and a recent significant and successful development in workplace learning has been the recognition of the importance of the accreditation of episodic learning for all workers. The growth of NVQs for employees whose work, too frequently, has not been valued and recognised through formal accreditation has been a welcome start to re-examining the nature and range of qualifications.

However, much has still to be done to ensure that NVQs, and the occupational standards on which they are based, form the basis for a coherent and progressive learning strategy and are not an end in themselves.

We warmly welcome the introduction of the National Open College Network's system of accreditation and its extension into the workplace. This has enabled groups of disadvantaged learners in the workplace to gain access to accreditation which has proved to be of great value to them both inside and outside the workplace.

We recognise that learning-by-doing can be as valuable as more formal study and would wish to see knowledge being thoroughly integrated into task experience which, by itself, is not necessarily amenable to accreditation.

We recommend that the National Partnership for developing a credit framework, proposed by the Kennedy Committee, includes in its terms of reference a consideration of the specificity of workplace learning and the diversity of accreditation and qualifications systems together with an exploration of how they can be incorporated into a new unit based credit framework and contribute to a national record of achievement for those learning at, for and through the workplace.

7. Partnership

7.1 The notion of 'partnership' has usually taken the form of partnership between employers and learning providers with little, if any involvement from the learners themselves. If the development of innovative and effective workplace learning is to take place it has to take account of all the stakeholders and their needs. It is the view of the Task Group that the interests of the stakeholders in workplace learning will be best served if the development and delivery of opportunity can be undertaken in genuine partnership between employers, trade unions, government agencies and learning providers. In particular, the active involvement of trade unions will assist in legitimising the purposes and processes of workplace learning in the eyes of their members and will facilitate both the take up of learning opportunities and the development of ‘social partnership’. It will help defuse suspicion and fear about the consequences of improved efficiency and productivity on job security. Their direct involvement in shaping the learning process should help to encourage long term planning which, through the identification of future skills and learning needs, and the early introduction of appropriate learning programmes, will minimise the impact of economic and technical change on job security.

7.2 Many examples of successful innovation through partnership involving trade unions already exist. For example, Ford EDAP in the private sector, the UNISON/Employer ‘Return To Learn’ Partnerships in the public sector, Scottish Power Learning in the essential industries, the TEC ‘Key Worker’ programmes in the public and private sectors, the Tinsley Wire industry/schools/community link scheme in Sheffield and many more. In some of those developments the trade unions play a key role in an employer initiative, in others the trade union is the driving force offering solutions to learning needs rather than simply making demands on the employer.

The creation of innovative and effective workplace learning will depend greatly on developing, replicating and emulating such partnerships within the national policy framework. Mechanisms should be explored for the creation of networks of partnerships in order to achieve the best means by which dissemination and emulation might take place. In particular, such networks could provide invaluable assistance to SMEs and others lacking the resources for innovation.

Case Study - Partnership at Work

UNISON's approach to workplace learning builds on common needs, and pools resources, to develop a partnership between employer, employee and union with advantages and benefits for all.

The union offers employers a 'solution' to employee development rather than simply making a 'demand'. Through its 'Open College', it provides a range of tried and tested courses, across four phases and involving more than 3 thousand members each year. Courses are tailored for the individual workplace together with the 'brokering' through 'partner providers' of experienced tutors, accreditation, moderation and development. The courses combine work related skills with personal development and target, in particular, non-traditional learners. The union plays a vital role in overcoming staff fears about training.

The employer is responsible for providing facilities and, crucially, granting time out for learning during working hours. Employers also help access funding jointly with UNISON through local TECS and the Further Education Funding Council, essential lynchpins in the partnership.

Students contribute their own time to complete assignments at home. The amount varies according to course requirements but involves on average four hours a week on a short basic skills course and more on an extended education programme.

The outcome is a win-win situation. Individuals gain in confidence and skills. They begin to consider their career development for the first time and want to continue learning. Employers gain a more skilled and motivated workforce and improve their ability to deliver quality services and improved standards. Employer and union develop a good working relationship and the union gains more able active members, although participants do not have to be a member of any trade union to enrol.

UNISON Workplace Learning Partnerships now exist in over one hundred health trusts, local authorities and higher education institutions around the country. They focus on work-related skills, education and personal development, but are not exclusively vocational.

Building on this achievement, UNISON is now working with employers to develop progression routes into professional qualifications, including support workers in primary education, nursing and the social services, encouraging employers to 'grow their own' solution to future staff shortages.

8. Employers and Employers' Organisations

8.1 Employers, organisations of employers, TECs, LECs, Chambers of Commerce and National Training Organisations, will all need to play both main and supporting roles in developing workplace learning. It will be for employers themselves to determine, in

consultation with employees and their representatives, their particular needs and learning requirements and the best ways in which these can be met. They will need to adopt a positive approach to investment in learning. They should have regard for the importance not only of the development of particular skills and aptitudes, but also for those core and transferable skills that are most likely to promote the adaptability and flexibility of their workforces and the future employment prospects of their staff.

8.2 Particular attention should be given to finding effective ways of promoting and supporting workplace learning for those employed in small and very small businesses and those who are self-employed. Colleges and other providers can assist in this, as can TECs, Chambers of Commerce and larger employers. One way of extending learning opportunities to those in smaller firms is through links in the supply chains from smaller to larger companies and through arrangements made for franchisees in larger chains. Where there are concentrations of small businesses, for example, in trading estates and large shopping centres, there is scope for establishing shared learning centres and other facilities.

8.3 All of this will require that effort, publicity and outreach activity should be targeted at drawing in small firms and the people who work in them. Local consortia of employers, including local authorities, health authorities and NHS Trusts, together with other local learning partners, should join together in order to make learning opportunities more readily available than they would be if fragmented and provided amongst many small workplaces. Larger employers, or consortia, should also consider extending the availability of workplace learning centres to the families of staff and to people in the local community. These could also exploit the new opportunities afforded by the creation of the University for Industry.

Case Study - Learning Centres at Work

The Scottish Power Learning initiative is a partnership arrangement between the company and several unions including the AEEU, EMA, GMB and TGWU. It includes a range of training schemes and 'back to work' programmes for the long term unemployed. It has pioneered Open Learning Centres to which the families of employees have access.

From a pilot scheme of three Open Learning Centres across the central belt of Scotland, have grown 25 centres across Scotland, another 12 in the Manweb area and 9 run through Southern Water.

From a small selection of 15 programmes there are now 700 programmes grown, mainly, from employee feedback about their learning needs or areas of interest.

The learning centres operate within Scottish Power's Employee Development Programme with 50% take up among staff supported by a £500 learning credit from the employer.

9. Trade Unions

9.1 The importance of trade union involvement in developing learning at the workplace has already been referred to in the section on partnership. Trade unions can be particularly useful in stimulating the motivation to learn amongst their membership. This can increase demand and encourage individuals to take ownership of their own lifelong learning leading to personal growth, the acquisition of new skills and continuing career development.

9.2 Trade unions should seek to extend learning for their members within their own provision, through collective bargaining and collective agreements and in forging links with appropriate funders and providers.

9.3 In order to play their full role, trade union representatives need information and support on lifelong learning so that they can work in partnership with employers. The TUC-TEC National Council "Bargaining for Skills" projects are playing a key role in raising awareness among trade unions of the need for lifelong learning and helping trade unions and employers to reach agreement on the delivery of high quality learning opportunities at the workplace. The recent evaluation of the projects provided evidence of their positive impact. However, projects of this kind should incorporate the full range of provision referred to in section 6 ('Varieties of workplace learning').

9.4 The TUC and individual trade unions have a long tradition of delivering their own education for their activists and members. There are long-standing partnerships between trade unions, residential colleges, colleges of further education and the WEA. The TUC Education Service has considerable experience of widening as well as increasing participation in learning. A high proportion of participants in union programmes lack formal qualifications and, for many, trade union education is their first experience of formal learning since leaving compulsory education. 'Role' education of this kind is an important component of the variety of routes and pathways by which individuals develop an enthusiasm for learning and it should be recognised as an important component of workplace learning.

9.5 Trade unions should make "Bargaining for Skills" central to their strategies. They should use this approach to improve the learning opportunities for the least skilled workers they represent. They should also continue to promote lifelong learning, and pathways into a wide variety of learning settings, through the provision of their own courses, in conjunction with other learning providers. In pursuit of objectives of this nature we welcome the 'New Learning Services' initiative launched by the TUC.

9.6 Trade unions are particularly well placed to see the inter-relationships between lifelong learning and guidance requirements because of their closeness to members and employees. The role trade unions can play in guidance has been well documented in the NICEC / TUC / CRAC / DfEE Briefing, "Trade Unions and Lifelong Guidance" and we commend it to trade unions, employers and guidance professionals.

Case Study - Bargaining for Skills

The TUC/ TEC National Council 'Bargaining for Skills' project is operating in 60 TEC areas with an annual investment of £700,000.

The projects seek to raise awareness among trade union representatives and TEC staff of the nature and importance of the lifelong learning agenda and its implications, and benefits, for employers, employees and their representatives. During 1996/1997, more than 3,500 lay representatives and over 500 full time officers attended awareness raising briefings on issues such as Investors In People, Modern Apprenticeships and S/NVQ's.

Handbooks and guides on training issues have been produced and learning centres and employee development projects have been established in a number of organisations as a direct result of the 'bargaining for skills' project.

10. Learning Initiatives

10.1 The current plethora of agencies, programmes and methods of access to workplace learning has made it difficult to establish a consistent approach to developing learning opportunities through the workplace. Any new framework, therefore, needs to be coherent and transparent. It also needs to be underpinned by a system of funding and enabling legislation which will encourage wider participation.

The existence of TECs and initiatives such as IIP, NVQs, National Targets and Modern Apprenticeships have encouraged the development of innovative approaches to Workplace Learning. However, take up is patchy and targets are not always achieved. There is a lack of high quality 'future labour market needs intelligence' and this can skew the nature of learning to meet short term needs or perceptions, or what providers feel comfortable in offering. Current funding methodologies are also problematic in that they encourage short-termism. The TECs and their provider organisations are funded on an annual basis, making it difficult for providers to retain experienced staff and to risk investing in premises, equipment and curriculum development. The Further Education Funding Methodology encourages FE colleges to increase student numbers in subject areas which are least costly. This creates disincentives to colleges to engage in local or regional labour market planning and to develop a strategy for investing in schemes which is responsive to current and future labour market needs.

10.2 In the same way, employers often invest in training for short-term needs rather than plan for future skill requirements. Nevertheless, it is important to build on positive experiences of future training needs analysis both for organisations and at local labour market level, and to develop incentives for promoting better oriented approaches.

We welcome the current consultation on the National Education & Training Targets. As part of that review, we recommend that further consideration be given to ways in which other forms and stages of achievement can be captured both in the Targets themselves and in the information collected to monitor progress. We also look forward to NTO's playing a significant role in promoting and meeting future targets.

Training & Enterprise Councils (TECs)

10.3 TECs will continue to play an important role in developing a culture of lifelong learning for all at the workplace, and beyond. They can do this through needs analysis, sponsoring provision, brokering partnerships, supporting employers and unions in the development of plans for education and training and through their own involvement in local forums for economic and social regeneration. Their effectiveness will be enhanced to the extent that they participate actively in strategic partnerships and become more accountable to the communities which they serve. They can do this in an number of ways. For example, it could be achieved by the inclusion of a wider spread of community and voluntary sector members on their Boards, with the principal stakeholders included by right and not by invitation, and through the implementation of projects aimed at supporting local initiatives or by holding open meetings to report back and consult on their local work. In this context we welcome the TEC National Council's recent strategy paper 'Integrated Workforce Development' and the implications this will have for the role of TECs.

10.4 TECs can also make a key contribution towards the mapping and audit of current provision, by drawing upon and improving their local databases of information on local companies and community enterprises. They should use this information systematically to give attention to stimulating the expansion of demand for learning amongst those in the local workforce who are underrepresented in lifelong learning and in those local businesses in which a culture of learning for all has yet to take root. Giving publicity to achievements and good practice will be an essential element of this approach.

TECs should focus on the identification of local needs in industry and enterprise and support provision and other initiatives designed to meet them. They should promote lifelong learning in all places of work, especially in small and very small businesses, including amongst the self-employed. They should co-ordinate their efforts with those of other nearby TECs and get involved in local strategic partnerships.

Case Study - A Strategic Partnership

Gloucester TEC assisted the GPMU in setting up a facility for enabling unemployed members to maintain and upgrade their skills and obtain support in seeking employment. In association with the British printing industry employers and the GPMU, a Joint Training Council was established to review the skill requirements of the industry and to recommend how they could be met. The agreement includes provisions for equality of opportunity and companies are encouraged to offer existing employees, and new recruits, the opportunity to acquire NVQ's with trained employees acting as assessors.

Investors in People

10.5 We recognise the valuable role that Investors in People has already made in the recognition and development of learning cultures in many workplaces. Take-up in small and medium sized enterprises has been disappointingly slow in some places and we welcome the decision to launch the initiative to ‘Build a Better Business’.

One way of increasing commitment to the standard and its attainment is through the supply chain of smaller to larger enterprises. Larger companies can also be encouraged to share their expertise, experience, resources and even premises in helping smaller firms to achieve the standard. At the same time, we recognise that some modification to both the criteria and their verification may be needed for large, diverse or multi-sited operations, without in any way diluting standards.

Case Study - Investing In People

The IiP 'Standard' has provided an opportunity for partnership between employers and trade unions. The GMB, AEEU and MSF, at BICC Cables Ltd. in Blackley, worked with the employer to achieve the standard in order to secure jobs and increase competitiveness in a difficult market. Together they achieved access to S/NVQ's with stewards trained as assessors, introduced Modern Apprenticeships and set up a learning centre with access to Information Technology and language training.

Lifelong Learning Forums

10.6 Consideration should be given to the establishment of strategic lifelong learning forums to support workplace learning, based on partnership between employers, employees, trade unions and Government. They could be responsible for the promotion and co-ordination of efforts to extend lifelong learning for all at workplace, sub-regional, regional and national levels.

At company or workplace level, co-ordination should be carried out through agreed arrangements between employers, trade unions and employee representatives. Workplace learning also needs to be coherent and co-ordinated beyond the workplace. A key role in this should be allocated to new regional partnerships, as envisaged in paragraph 12.14 of the 'Fryer Report', working closely with the new Regional Development Agencies in developing a new skills agenda. They could co-ordinate activities at regional and sub-regional levels to ensure consistency, quality and best value. They should establish partnerships between TECs, employers, trade unions, institutions of further and higher education and other learning providers for the development and delivery of workplace learning meeting the policy framework objectives set out in section 4. As a major new enabling agency at national level, the new University for Industry would also work with regional partnerships, Regional Development Agencies and National Training Organisations.

The University for Industry

10.7 We wholeheartedly support the major new initiative in lifelong learning, the University for Industry, announced by the Government. In particular, we endorse the proposed principal functions of the University for Industry put forward by the implementation group, namely:

· Stimulating mass demand for lifelong learning as a market maker
· Supporting the provision of high quality accessible information, guidance and advice
· Brokering efficient and effective means to link individuals and companies to learning programmes which meet their needs
· Commissioning leading edge learning materials and programmes to fill gaps in provision and respond to consumer demand
· Providing a ‘Kite Marking’ service provision as a guarantee of quality and standards
· Engendering the provision of high quality market information and intelligence about future knowledge and skills needs.

11. Further & Higher Education & Learning Needs Assessment

11.1 Thorough learning needs analysis will be crucial to the success of workplace learning. Local Colleges and universities, and other providers, could establish dedicated teams of professionals whose job it would be to go into companies to help establish both the case for workplace learning and the range of potential learners’ needs as well as contribute to their satisfaction. A development of this kind would assist in moving on from the all too often experienced situation where providers offer what they can deliver and not necessarily what learners require.

11.2 Development reviewing, practised by many organisations, offers one example of a useful methodology for this. It is a continuing process based on one to one sessions between a member of staff and her/his line manager, or development reviewer, which take place as part of an annual development cycle. Development reviewing is not a way of dealing with performance issues, nor is it an appraisal interview. The aim is to give each member of staff the opportunity to focus on how she/he can enhance their own contribution to helping the organisation achieve its aims and objectives through developing the skills, knowledge, experience and competence each individual brings to their job.

Development needs identified in the review session could relate to current tasks; broader long term objectives of a team or any possibilities for enhancing a work role, increasing transferable skills and/or developing beyond the scope of their current employment.

11.3 Development reviewing can benefit all parts of an organisation. The outcomes from the review sessions are amalgamated in each team/department/organisation so that common themes are drawn out. This assists the organisation in ensuring that development activity is fairly distributed and links into its priorities. The process also gives individuals some ownership of their personal development. The overall result is a wealth of information which can be used to develop all staff in pursuit of individual and organisational goals.

11.4 Provision should be made, possibly through a web site, for both employer and individual access to such learning needs analysis processes. This could include up-to-date intelligence on employment availability, immediately and in the future, self-assessment of learning needs and a directory of training opportunities to meet those needs. Partnerships including universities and colleges, other agencies such as TECs and Government Regional Offices will enhance the development of such processes.

11.5 The expansion of workplace learning will depend on the capacity of a wide range of providers to respond to identified need. This in turn will require a re-examination of FEFC funding criteria. This should include exploring the wider use of Schedule 2(d) of the 1992 Further & Higher Education Act to ensure that adults taking a first step back to learning can benefit from new learning pathways.

12. Stimulating the Further Development of Workplace Learning

12.1 To date, the success of the largely voluntary approach to promoting learning at work, which currently operates in this country, has been patchy. Some employers invest extensively in staff learning, whilst others make very little provision. Reluctant employers have to be encouraged to recognise that investment in learning will not only meet short-term needs but also lay the foundation for long-term success. Individuals who have been discouraged from learning have to be convinced that it can be rewarding in reinforcing employment and career prospects, as well as contributing to personal fulfilment and social well being. Particular effort needs to be directed towards supporting lifelong learning in small businesses and amongst those who are self-employed.

A Minimalist Legislative Framework

12.2 The stimulating of Workplace Learning should be based on the principles of encouragement and incentive, not penalty or punishment. It should clearly stress responsibilities as well as rights and encourage a holistic and integrated approach.

It should encourage social partnership in identifying needs and wants, delivery solutions and funding provision. The Task Group believes that there is a role, if a minimalist one, for a legislative framework in this area.

One tried and successful approach in other matters which could be adopted here is that applied, in particular, to Health & Safety in the workplace. There is substantial evidence from the experience of the Health & Safety at Work Act that enabling legislation can have a dramatic effect in improving the voluntary approach to workplace issues. Before the 1974 Health & Safety at Work Act insufficient attention was paid to workplace health and safety by employers and employees alike. The requirements of Health & Safety Policy Statements from employers, the creation of safety representatives and the encouragement of Safety Committees among other developments transformed the approach to workplace health and safety.

12.3 The Task Group recommend that a similar approach should be adopted for workplace learning. The statutory framework would have two principal components for encouraging partnership.

i. Policy Statements produced by employers clearly setting out not only a commitment to workplace learning, linked to the policy framework objectives in section 4(above), but also an indication of how they are to be achieved

ii. Learning Committees with equal representation from the employer and trade unions with responsibility for developing and monitoring progress in achieving the objectives of the Policy Statement

From this process Learning Agreements could evolve defining rights and responsibilities, in relation to workplace learning, for employees and employers.

This legislative requirement might only apply to workplaces above a certain size.

A Code of Practice

12.4 In order to provide guidance to the stakeholders and to encourage smaller workplaces to develop new approaches to workplace learning we recommend that there should be established a ‘Code of Practice for Workplace Learning’. The Code would set out guidelines and minimum standards for the promotion of workplace learning. It could contain the three principal components for encouraging partnership and learning development at the workplace included in the proposed legislative framework above. First, the Code would propose the production of Workplace Policy Statements, drawn up by employers and setting out clearly their commitment to, and objectives for, workplace learning and an indication of how the objectives are to be achieved. Secondly, the Code would promote the establishment of Workplace Learning Committees or ‘Forums’, with equal representation from the employer and employees, with responsibility for developing and monitoring progress in achieving the objectives of the Policy Statement.

12.5 Thirdly, from this process, the Code could support the conclusion of Workplace Learning Agreements, or ‘Compacts’, between employers, employees and their representative organisations aimed at developing a learning culture for all at work. Such Learning Agreements or Compacts would define rights and responsibilities, in relation to workplace learning, for both employees and employers.

As with the legislative framework, the specific requirements of the Code of Good Practice might be expected to apply to employers and organisations above an appropriate size, but all employers would be expected to engage in communication and consultation with employees on a Policy Statement on workplace learning.

12.6 We refer in paragraph 10.5 to increasing commitment to IIP standards through the supply chains of smaller to larger enterprises.

We further recommend that adoption of the Code of Practice should become a factor in the allocation of contracts between government, public authorities and contractors and a benchmark of quality in contractual relationships between employers. Government should also consider integrating these measures into other appropriate legislative proposals on employment and industrial relations issues. Including, for example, proposals relating to trade union recognition and their role in training.

Accounting for Workplace Learning

12.7 An important measure of the commitment of employers to workplace learning will be the arrangements they make for, and the proportion of their expenditure they invest in, learning opportunities for their employees as well as the volume and nature of provision offered. For example, employers might be expected to create a 'learning fund' based on an annual contribution linked to a proportion of their salary bill. This might then be disbursed either through forms of collective provision for learning or through Individual Learning Accounts.

Employers should be required to 'account' for their investment in learning in their annual reports and accounts and publish a statistical report on the volume and nature of learning provided.

We recommend that Government should work with representatives of employers, trade unions and the appropriate accountancy bodies to draw up criteria for this and should pilot such measures with National Training Organisations.

13.1 The Government has already recognised the importance of learning in escaping welfare dependency in its measures under the New Deal; in its decision to extend 'Work Skill' pilots for those unemployed over two years; and in creating a new full time learning option for those out of work over a year in the five pilot Employment Zones. We welcome these moves. However, we believe more needs to be done. The Government should aim to build a more 'learning friendly' benefit system by removing barriers to learning for all the unemployed and by introducing incentives for all unwaged people, and those on other benefits, to acquire new skills.

13.2 For particular groups, among them those who have been unemployed for long periods, single parents, homeless people and disaffected young people, the effectiveness of the Welfare to Work programme will depend heavily on the success of Gateway programmes in developing flexible and imaginative strategies for re-engaging people with learning. A proper balance will need to be struck between realistic expectations of returning learners and making clear the responsibilities of claimants for such success to be achieved.

Complementary measures to encourage learning among low waged groups will be necessary if one section of society is not to be increasingly excluded by rising skill levels at work.

In particular, consideration needs to be given to how the delivery of workplace learning reflects atypical worktime patterns such as part time, shift work, double jobs, weekend working and so on.

13.3 In our view, priority in workplace learning should be given to low-waged workers and those with the lowest levels of skill. It should be recognised that the principal responsibility for staff and skills development lies with employers. However, Government should urgently explore ways in which to extend opportunities for the unwaged, unemployed and those on benefits to enable them to access learning opportunities which enhance their chances of improving their skills, achieving qualifications or strengthening their employability. Access to learning for life for many will necessitate the removal of a variety of barriers. In this regard we welcome the expansion of out of school child care.

The Job Rotation project piloted by the WEA in Scotland is funded by the EU Adapt programme and Glasgow Development Agency. It uniquely and effectively combines the need to offer relevant learning and work experience for unemployed people while at the same time providing opportunities for employees to be released for education and training.

Unemployed people are given 6 months training which includes generic skills and personal development as well as the vocational skills identified by the prospective employer. Much of this training gains National Accreditation.

Following careful and supported induction to the workplace, the trainee takes over the work of an employee who is then released for training. This training, in turn, relates to the requirements of the business or personal development needs identified by the individual. The model is highly flexible in that one trainee may release one employee for six months or release a series of employees at six month intervals. It breaks the vicious circle of " I can't get a job because I've got no experience, but I've got no experience because I can't get a job".

The success of the trainees in the workplace is in no small measure due to the close working relationship developed between the WEA and employers together with the workplace mentor training which the project provides. This ensures that in every workplace there is one person looking out for the trainee helping them adjust to the business environment in a non-managerial role.

14. Investing in Young People

14.1 Particular attention needs to be paid to the provision of broad workbased education for young people which prepares them for a future of rapid but uncertain change, allows them to grow and develop as people and provides the foundation for lifetime learning. The Task Group supports the "working to learn" proposals for the provision of full-time traineeships and a part-time route involving a minimum of two days a week in education or training and, in particular, the emphasis on the learning process and entitlement. We welcome the government's decision to create a statutory right to time off for training and study for 16 and 17 year olds and the initiative on "investing in young people" as a first step in improving the quality of workbased training for young people.

15.1 In developing approaches to funding consideration has to be given to the various and proportional responsibilities of Government, employers and individuals for the existence of current learning needs. Also required will be an assessment of the financial, economic and personal benefits which will accrue to each, with those factors reflected in the financial, and other contributions expected from each.

15.2 A key question in developing workplace learning is, therefore, ‘Who should pay for what?’ The ‘levy-grant’ system established following the 1964 Industrial Training Act was successful in increasing the quantity and quality of training. It did this by requiring all companies to make contributions to the cost of training by encouraging the providers of good quality training to train beyond their own needs thus contributing to the stock of skills in the economy. However, the levy-grant mechanism was replaced by the levy-exemption process introduced by the 1973 Employment & Training Act. The redistributive mechanism of the levy-grant was lost and the role of Industrial Training Boards shifted towards inspection. As a result, employers perceived their role as increasingly bureaucratic and subject to state interference.

15.3 While the '1964 system' had merit in that it provided for some equity between those who did invest in training and those who did not, the process often degenerated into a ‘paper chase’ with ‘training officers’ spending more time chasing grant, avoiding levy or, later, seeking exemption than in providing training. Nevertheless, variants of the levy-grant system still operate within the Engineering Construction and Construction Industry Training Boards, local government and the National Health Service, with a voluntary levy system in broadcasting. These approaches continue to be reasonably effective in ensuring equity and quality of learning on a national basis.

Consideration should be given to widening the use of such systems based on the experience of existing models. In particular, the DfEE and DTI task groups on 'skills shortages' and 'competitiveness' should explore a wide range of options for funding workplace learning.

Individual Learning Accounts (ILA's)

15.4 The creation of Individual Learning Accounts, contributed to by Government, employers and individuals, with their twin core principles of shared responsibility and shifting the emphasis of support to learners themselves, provides a significant opportunity for promoting the interests, and widening the constituency, of learners.

We believe that Government should explore the wider use of Individual Learning Accounts as part of wider funding mechanisms. Where they are made available, individuals, employers and other sponsors should be actively encouraged to contribute to them.

15.5 However, they should not be used to shift responsibility for learning entirely to the individual. We consider it reasonable to expect employers to fully fund task specific or job-related learning. Employers with, perhaps, some support from Government to fund parallel and transferable skills learning. We do recognise, however, the case for individuals contributing to elements of their personal development learning.

In developing approaches to ILA's, it has to be recognised that many low paid workers would have great difficulty in contributing cash to an account and should be able to contribute ‘in kind’.

The existence of Individual Learning Accounts must not lead to a situation where those who already benefit most from learning, and who can afford to contribute to an account, become the main beneficiaries from a new approach to workplace learning.

15.6 It is our view that Individual Learning Accounts should be available for all people in employment, with the government's proposed pilot of 1 million accounts targeted towards those who have suffered educational disadvantage, those in SMEs, and the self-employed. In implementing the scheme Government should:

· Learn from the experience gained through the evaluation of training credits
· Draw on the lessons of employee development schemes on the link between general and explicitly vocational study;
· Give priority to those without NVQ 3 level qualifications or equivalent;
· Guarantee access to initial information and guidance.

15.7 As a means for underpinning ILAs it is our view that every individual should have a learning entitlement of free provision up to the equivalent of NVQ level 3. Learning above that level, which does not fall into the first or second category of learning described in paragraph 6.2 (above), could be expected to have a financial contribution from the individual or a contribution in kind.

15.8 If Individual Learning Accounts are to be successful they need to be flexibly constructed so that they can be opened and accessed by groups of employees as well as individuals.

They have to be easily understood and simple to operate. These elements of ILA's together with their application within the workplace, could be monitored by the Learning Committees proposed in section 12 (above). Those Committees could also have responsibility for monitoring any 'Learning Fund' established under the proposal in paragraph 12.7 (above).

15.9 Government support to employers and individuals, within the context of Individual Learning Accounts, could take a variety of forms. Tax breaks, tax credits, the extension of recovery of VAT beyond vocationally specific qualifications, as well as direct payments into Individual Learning Accounts.

One of the major challenges in making lifelong learning a reality for all is reaching those who have few or no qualifications and who have not been in education or training for many years. They include low paid, part-time and shift workers who are juggling a job, or even several jobs, with domestic responsibilities. They stand to gain most from lifelong learning yet are not likely to be able to contribute much to Individual Learning Accounts.

They could face a major obstacle if Individual Learning Accounts are based only on financial contributions. UNISON's 'Return to Learn' programme, in partnership with employers seeks to address this problem. The programme consists of 180 hours of directed study.

The employer provides the tutorial fee and 60 hours paid release. The individual contributes 120 hours of their own time in undertaking assignments. The Union provides the materials, co-ordinates the training of the tutors and is responsible for quality assurance and the validation processes.

A truly three way partnership where the learner is contributing, 'in kind', at least as much as the employer is contributing in cash.

16.1 Finally, we recommend that Government should review the working and effectiveness of measures aimed at promoting workplace learning after a suitable period, for example three or four years, before considering other ways of achieving learning for all at work.

" To provide specialist advice to the National Advisory Group for Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning on matters relating to the implications for the work of the group on workplace learning. This advice to be provided in a concise format."

 Membership

Jim Sutherland (Convenor)
Kirstie Donnelly
Bob Evans
Helen Fields
Jack Kelly
Roger Opie
Sarah Perman
Helen Rainbird
Tom Schuller
David Taylor

 Technical & Administrative Support:

Steve Williams
Terry Wickenden

 Meetings and Wider Consultation

Since the formation of the task group, we have met on five occasions. In addition a wider consultation meeting with representatives of organisations concerned with lifelong learning was held in early September. A number of written submissions were received from organisations and individuals and these have informed our deliberations and conclusions.

The Task Group believe that this report will provide a useful contribution to an ongoing debate on learning at the workplace and its contribution to the creation of a truly learning society.

It has been suggested that it would be helpful to provide an example of how recommendations in the report can assist in developing an innovative approach to learning in individual organisations and workplaces

The following diagram with this explanation seeks to offer such an example.

1. The range and nature of provision, or curriculum offer, in workplace learning should be created from, and informed by, effective processes of learning needs assessment and individual development reviewing as outlined in section 11.

2. However, the relationship between the processes of needs assessment and curriculum content should be shaped and supported by:

a) the objectives spelled out in section 4 (Policy Framework) of this report
b) phased access outlined in paragraph 6.4
c) a variety of learning based on that indicated in paragraph 6.2
d) the recognition of stakeholder interest and the importance of partnership referred to in sections 5 and 7
e) forms of accreditation for episodic as well as continuing learning as touched on in paragraph 6.5

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Page last updated June, 1999