NIACE to host the inaugural conference for the UK’s contribution to the EU Agenda for Adult Learning
I am delighted that the inaugural conference for the UK’s contribution to the EU Agenda for Adult Learning is being held in Cardiff, Europe’s youngest capital and home to one of its newest democratic institutions.
Devolution across the UK has given Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England the opportunity to develop approaches to education which better reflect the needs of each nation. Not surprisingly, therefore, there has been a growing divergence of policy on learning over the past decade, as highlighted by the recent media coverage of the future of GCSEs.
From a Welsh perspective, I view devolution as a positive development – but I do think that the Devolved Administrations have spent too much time exercising their new powers and trying to develop new and ‘unique’ solutions, and all UK nations have spent too little time on sharing and comparing approaches. In my experience this reflects zeal rather than xenophobia, but it does seem like an inefficient approach when many, if not all, of the challenges we face know no geographical boundaries. Issues such as stubborn patterns of inequality in access to education, and low levels of adult literacy and numeracy, are too important, too widespread and too difficult to be addressed by one nation alone.
The conference at Cardiff gives us an excellent opportunity to discuss what works, and what doesn’t, across the UK and indeed Europe. I expect these discussions to be open, frank and honest and I hope that, for 24 hours at least, we put to one side national pride in favour of critical appraisal and analysis.
With the support of some of the world’s leading experts on lifelong learning, we have put together an exciting programme that will interest learners, researchers, policy makers and practitioners. The aim of the conference is to contribute to the EU Agenda for Adult Learning and think about the UK’s contribution in three main areas:
- Linking adult learning to wider social and economic policy in the UK.
- Raising awareness of the value of adult learning to UK citizens.
- Increasing participation of low skilled or less well qualified adults.
The conference, however, is about more than just the event itself – it provides a platform for NIACE’s activity over the coming eighteen months in our role as the UK National Coordinator for the Agenda for Adult Learning. In that respect, I hope that delegates give as much as they gain from the event, and help us to shape our work on important areas such as: developing models for the financing of adult learning; measuring the economic and social impact of adult learning; and enhancing the employability skills for young unemployed adults.
