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Latest News: August 2005

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Sign Up Now To a Life Changing E xperience

A nationwide campaign to encourage adults into learning will start in September 2005. Sign Up Now, organised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), encourages more and different adults to sign up to a whole range of new learning opportunities.

Throughout September thousands of adults, will be embarking on - or continuing - their learning journeys. Local colleges, adult education centres and community and voluntary organisations across the country will be opening their doors to enable adults to enrol on the courses which they have always wanted to do.

Learners who have had a life-changing experience through learning include winners of this year’s Adult Learners’ Week Awards:
 

Peter Fewell, from St Leonards on Sea, said:

“I firmly believe that adult education opens many doors – doors that were once shut to the more unfortunate. Once an adult learner starts in a learning curve, their self-belief and confidence blossoms to such an extent that one might say, ‘the world is my oyster’”.

Donna Sherwin, from Stoke-on-Trent, said:

“Learning has built my self-esteem which helped me to get where I am today. It has made me completely confident and proud of myself and I will still be learning when I’m very old.”

Robert Mallows, a former Adult Access Into Higher Education student at Derwentside College in County Durham, said:

 “Learning means to me a way forward,it has increased my self-confidence and proven to me I am capable of learning to a high standard, regardless of age and the length of time I have been out of education.”

Balbira Sandhar, from Leamington Spa, who’s recently completed a chemotherapy
module at Coventry University, said:

“I am more confident, I have been encouraged to continue learning to my heart’s content and not allow anyone to stop me as in the past.”

Francisca Martinez, Campaigns Officer at NIACE, said:

“The difference learning can make to your life is enormous. It can give a boost to your confidence, your career, your health and your social life, culminating in a much happier and more fulfilled you.”

She continued:

“If you’ve ever wanted to learn something new, September is the best time to do just that. To find out what's on offer where you are, call learndirect free on 0800 100 900. That call could change your life for good.”

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Financial Education - Unplanned and Patchy

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published a valuable addition to the growing body of knowledge on Financial Education – Financial Education – A review of existing provision in the UK.

The report was commissioned for presentation at the recent US/UK Dialogue on Pensions organised in Washington recently by the AARP (American Association of Retired People – an association with a staggering 36 million members across the US!) but attended by high-level representatives from Government, the academic world and non-Government organisations from both countries.  DWP presented their report at this conference as part of a wide-ranging section on Financial Education.

In preparing the report, DWP acknowledges that they were only able to obtain information from the main players in the field and this leads to one of their conclusions that more investigation is required about what is actually occurring on the ground...

Read the full Commentary

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Leitch review of skills

NIACE has issued an extensive response to the independent review of skills commissioned by the Treasury from Lord Sandy Leitch.

The review, which will report in the spring of 2006 in time to influence the next public spending round, is examining examine the future skill needs of the UK economy.

The context for the Review was set out in the 2004 Pre-Budget Report. The document ' Skills in the global economy ' describes the social and economic problems caused by the stock of adults in the UK without basic skills such as literacy and numeracy; the need for a highly skilled workforce to confront the challenges posed by global markets; and evidence of the UK’s relatively poor international position in intermediate level skills.

NIACE’s response highlights the organisation’s view that there is a powerful economic and social case for investing in learning throughout life, and for avoiding too narrow and utilitarian a focus on future investment.

Download NIACE Response here (PDF)

Further information on the Leitch Review can be found on the Treasury's website.

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