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Older People and Informal Learning
How is adult learning for older people to be supported?
| Date: | Wednesday 9 April 2008 |
| Venue: | Abbey Community Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3BU |
| Ref: | C1681/04/08 |
| Fee*: | Fee:
£50 (Non-refundable, Includes lunch, tea/coffee). NB: NIACE does not charge VAT on conference and course fees |
[Background] [Aims] [Programme]
Background
In January 2008 the Government issued a consultative paper on informal learning. It suggests that Government needs to focus its funding for adult learning strategically, to ensure the maximum value for limited resources. It is a major and radical attempt to review how Government supports adult learning, including learning for older people.
The paper suggests that we may be trapped in an outdated model of adult learning, based too much on formal classrooms and publicly funded programmes, and that a more effective strategy might involve making the service more learner led, with a stronger infrastructure to organise services, rather than directly subsidising courses themselves.
Such a service might support a greater diversity of work, including, perhaps:
 | More self-organised learning (like the U3A, where people come together in groups to teach each other) |
| More learning in voluntary organisations |
| More linking of learning programmes to television programmes and the Internet |
| More effective use of new technologies |
| More effective use of public premises |
| More partnership between agencies and Government Departments. |
All these have been tried in the past, usually on a small scale and at local level, with varying degrees of success. What is new is the suggestion that they might be brought together into a coherent national strategy.
Individuals and organisations are invited to make their own responses to the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS), and Ministers are holding a number of invitation only events to discuss particular issues.
Aims
To support the consultation, NIACE is organising this conference specifically to discuss the implications and issues for older learners (broadly people from ages 50-100+).
The main purpose of the day will be to give participants the chance to discuss the opportunities and risks which the paper raises, and to identify models of good practice which ought to be drawn to Ministers’ attention.
The day will help participants to shape their own, and their organisation’s response to the consultation, and NIACE will ensure that the discussion is recorded and ideas fed back to DIUS.
John Gibson from DIUS will outline the paper and the process of consultation, and NIACE’s Associate Director for Older Learners, Stephen McNair will comment on some of the potential implications for older learners.
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Programme
| 10:00 | Arrival and registration (tea/coffee available) |
| 10:25 | Welcome and Introduction Stephen McNair, Associate Director for Older Learners, NIACE |
| 10:30 | Informal Adult Learning –
shaping the way ahead John Gibson, Access and Progression Team, Skills for Employability Division, Department for Innovation, Skills and Universities |
| 10:50 | Understanding current provision
for older learners – formal and informal Stephen McNair, Associate Director for Older Learners, NIACE |
| 11:10 | Questions to speakers |
| 11:20 | Tea/coffee break |
| 11:40 | Older learners’ voices |
| 12:00 | Round table discussions Understanding current formal and informal provision |
| 12:45 | Lunch |
| 13:45 | The role of Government and
alternative models of the service Stephen McNair, Associate Director for Older Learners, NIACE |
| 14:15 | Round table discussions Shaping our responses to Government |
| 15:00 | Feedback and Closing Comments |
| 15:20 | Close of conference (tea/coffee available) |
This programme is correct at the time of going to press. The organisers reserve the right to make changes to the published programme in the event of one or more of the advertised speakers being unable to attend. Delegates will have no claim against NIACE in respect of such changes.
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