What is Learner Voice?
Learner Voice is the involvement of learners and potential learners in shaping the learning opportunities that are available to them. It means involving learners in reforming the lifelong learning system at all levels, by supporting them to act as partners with policy makers, providers, practitioners and other agencies. Learner Voice intitiatives enable learners to express their views, needs and concerns and also ensure that organisations respond appropriately to the issues that they raise.
The policy emphasis on putting learners ‘at the heart of the system' has increased in recent years. This focus reflects the wider rhetoric of public service reform, where the ‘user' or ‘customer' is placed at the centre of policy and practice. A range of policy initiatives to strengthen Learner Voice have been introduced, including:
- Provider learner-involvement strategies
- Greater focus on learner voice in Ofsted inspections
- National Learner Panel
- Yorkshire and Humber Regional Learner Panel
- Personalisation in Further Education.
Learner voice and NIACE
NIACE has a long track record of supporting Learner Voice. We undertake a wide range of advocacy, research and development work to improve policy makers', providers' and practitioners' understanding of the needs, interests and concerns of learners and potential learners. Much of this work focusses on engaging with adults from groups and communities that have been most excluded from learning.
Our work includes:
- Planning and running national policy consultations with learners
- Co-ordinating Adult Learners' Week
- Researching barriers and motivations to learning for different learner groups
- Supporting the implementation of learner voice initiatives
- Developing materials and resources to support learner voice practice.
NIACE has a formal Learner Involvement Policy implementation which ensures that both our internal processes and outward-facing activities support and enhance learner voice. A Learner Voice Group from across NIACE, oversees all work in this area and promotes effective knowledge-sharing across the organization to build our expertise. We have memoranda of understanding with the National Union of Students and the TUC, and co-ordinate a national network of around 400 adult learners.
Learner Voice