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Latest News: April 2002
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Wall of Ambition for older learners
To coincide with Hairnet Silver Surfers Day and awards, NIACE has launched a new page specifically for older learners on the O&B web site.
Older learners are encouraged to post details of their learning ambitions on the page. These ambitions will take the form of virtual ‘bricks’, which will build a ‘Wall of Ambition’. Our aim is to fill in all the bricks in time for Silver Surfers Day, 17 May 2002.
The Wall will provide a record of the diverse goals and motivations of older learners, and we hope that it will inspire others to take up the learning challenge. Ambitions could include, for example:
 | "To dance". |
| "Look up old friends on the Internet". |
| "Learn about wine". |
| "Understand modern art". |
View the Wall of Ambition Now!
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Improving provision for disabled students in higher education
The Higher Education Funding Council have put out an invitation for bids for funds to support disabled students in higher education. HEFCE have set aside £5.4 million to help institutions meet the requirements on the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act.
The programme has two strands:
| Strand One - to improve provision in small and/or specialist institutions. |
| Strand Two - to develop and disseminate resources relating to the learning and teaching of disabled students in particular priority areas. All HEI's are eligible to apply for Strand Two funding. |
The programme will be supported by a national co-ordination team.
All Strand One bids and Strand Two bids for more than £50,000 have a two-stage application process - a brief expression of interest followed by a more detailed bid. Strand Two bids for less than £50,000 are invited to proceed directly to a more detailed bid.
| Further details and details of how to apply are to be found on HEFCE website (www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2002/02_21.htm) |
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Mapping exercise of family learning sector
Invitation to Tender: Occupational and Functional Mapping of Family
Learning Sector
NIACE, the UK's leading non-government organisation promoting adult learning,
and PAULO, the standards-setting body for community-based learning and
development, are working with the DfES to conduct preliminary research into the
skills and training required by those working in the family learning sector.
Tenders are invited to undertake an occupational and functional mapping of the
family learning sector.
For an information pack write to the Development Officer (Family Learning), NIACE, 21 De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE (label envelope 'Information for Tender'), or telephone 0116 204 4247.
Information can also be found on the DfES website, www.lifelonglearning.dfes.gov.uk (see 'Latest News').
Deadline for the submission of tenders is noon, Friday 26 April 2002.
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BASIL Training Dates Announced
The dates of the training courses for the BASIL (Basic Skills for Inclusive Learning) National Training Project have been announced.
The training will take place in all nine English Regions between May and September 2002.
There will be two separate strands of training - each strand will focus on one of two curriculum documents:
| The Adult Pre-entry Curriculum Framework for Literacy and Numeracy (Strand A) |
| Access for all - guidance on making the literacy and numeracy core curricula accessible to all learners (Strand B) |
Each training course will comprise 3 linked days, over a period of 6-8 weeks, to allow essential coursework to be carried out in between each session.
Courses are open to existing full and part time teachers employed to teach literacy, numeracy or ESOL for at least six hours a week to adult learners with learning difficulties or specific learning disabilities.
| Show me the dates of the Strand A Training Programmes |
| Show me the dates of the Strand B Training Programmes |
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New look NIACE website
The New NIACE logo was launched on Wednesday 3 April 2002 and the website has received a face-lift to reflect the new changes.
Although the website looks slightly different, the information content and navigational structure have remained the same (if you have any pages bookmarked in your favourites folder these will still function correctly).
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Partnerships for Progression
A consultation paper ‘Partnerships for Progression’ (reference 01/73) was published in December 2001 by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on behalf of itself and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The document, available electronically at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2001/01_73.htm, contains proposals for a joint initiative on widening participation and raising attainment in order to meet the government’s target that, by the year 2010, 50% of those aged between 18 and 30 should have the opportunity to benefit from higher education.
The proposals are based upon the belief that the target will only be met by raising attainment at levels 2 and 3, in order to encourage retention of learners in education at age 16 so that they go on to HE. It also acknowledges the need to provide better routes for those already in work to increase skills levels and entry to HE through workplace learning. The document calls for a significant investment to be focussed on:
| Supporting and extending HE/FE partnerships to work with schools and providers of education and training in the learning and skills sector, and a programme of activities including summer schools, mentoring and shadowing; |
| Raising quality standards in FE to increase attainment and retention, especially among lower socio-economic groups; |
| Incentives for workplace learning and progression routes into HE |
| A national programme of research, evaluation and dissemination. |
The document does not contain costings for the proposals and neither does it give a timescale. This is because the level of resources which government allocates to the achievement of the higher education participation target will be decided as part of the overall Comprehensive Spending Review. Departments of State submitted their proposals in mid-February and the outcome of the Review will not be known until July. It is understood however that the two Councils are bidding for funds of £60 million in the first year, rising to £100 million per year. It is also understood that as soon as funding is known, the Councils will issue a publication in autumn 2002 inviting regional (or sub-regional) action plans for funding from April 2003.
NIACE has published a briefing and response to this consultation document which can be viewed by following the link below.
| NIACE's Response to the HEFCE / LSC proposals on Partnerships for Progression. |
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New on the Site - April 2002(A list of pages which have been recently added or updated on the NIACE website) Conferences Section:
Publications Section:
Campaigns & Promotions Section:
Projects / Programmes
Influencing Public Policy / Advocacy
Information Services Section
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