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Latest News: July 2003

NIACE Committee Elections 2003

Have you nominated yet?

If not, please remember to return your nominations no later than 1st August, and note that forms must be signed by your nominee(s) to indicate their willingness to stand. Nominations will not be accepted unless so signed, and should be accompanied with a brief biography of approximately 50 words.

If only the exact number of eligible nominations are received for places available, these nominations will be regarded as elected uncontested.

However, if there are more nominations than places, a postal ballot will be held between 15th August and 19th September.

NIACE is keen to revitalise and diversify its committees by bringing in new members with fresh commitment and a range of interests.

Your nominations should be sent to: Jenny West, NIACE, Renaissance House, 20 Princess Road West, Leicester, LE1 6TP

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Hard cash to back warm words

NIACE welcomes the decision by Government to include part-time students in higher education within its framework of grants.

Commenting on the news contained in the DfES press notice 2003/0149, NIACE Policy Officer Alastair Thomson said, “This is an important step forward. For the first time ever Government is going to back warm words with hard cash.”

This announcement shows a welcome recognition that higher education for adults increasingly means part-time study.

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NIACE publishes initial response to the government Skills Strategy White Paper

NIACE has published its initial response to the government skills strategy 21st Century Skills: Realising our Potential.

Alan Tuckett, Director of the NIACE, comments:

“NIACE warmly welcomes the Government’s Skills Strategy. The entitlement for adults to free education to foundation skills for employability; the prospect for older people having access to modern apprenticeships, the promises of an adult credit framework, and the new settlement for community based learning outside the colleges are all good news.”

He went on: “However, our major concern is how far Government has taken account of the implications of changing demography. An ageing workforce, new pensions arrangements, migrants and women returners joining the labour force in larger numbers all have implications for adult learning in Britain in 2010.”

“We look forward to contributing to the debate and building on a positive start”

NIACE, which has been invited to join the proposed national Skills Alliance, posted its initial response to the Strategy on its website on Thursday 10th July. View the response now by following the link below:

The Government White Paper “21st Century Skills: Realising our Potential” was issued on July 9 and can be downloaded on the DfES website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/skillsstrategy/ .

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Home Office ministers have indicated that they are keen for asylum seekers to be able to engage in useful activities whilst awaiting decisions as to whether they will be granted refugee status. Thus from June 2003, asylum seekers may now participate in pre-vocational activities funded by the ESF (European Social Fund ) including:

This change in England brings access to ESF supported projects in line with those administered by the Scottish Executive.

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A revolution in skills education?

The gap between skills and labour supply is one of the most pressing problems facing the UK economy. The Government will publish its long-awaited skills strategy White Paper on July 9, setting out its strategy for reaching and teaching adults with low skills. For the first time ever, Adults Learning - NIACE’s flagship journal - will publish a summer issue, a one-off skills special, offering the first concerted analysis of the strategy, with contributions from leading academics and stakeholders, including the TUC, the CBI and the LSC. This edition - which will be published on July 30 - will frame the agenda for debate about skills education in the coming months.

Readers can get the first reactions of key stakeholders, commentators, politicians and policy advisers, as they share their perceptions of the White Paper. These early reactions will help shape the consultative exercise, after which legislation is expected. By offering a uniquely broad perspective on how the skills strategy is seen at local, regional, sectoral and national levels, this issue of Adults Learning gives individual organisations a chance to frame and refine their own response to consultation and to understand the range of different agendas the strategy seeks to satisfy.

Adults Learning has invited a diverse array of writers, from across the spectrum of adult education and training, to offer their perspectives on the Government plans. Frances O’Grady, the recently appointed Deputy General Secretary of the TUC, and Pam Johnson, Head of Learning and Organising Services at UNISON, will give a trade union perspective, while Maniza Ntekim, Senior Policy Adviser at the CBI, will weigh up the Paper’s implications from an employer point of view.

This issue will feature an in-depth interview with Chris Humphries, Director General of City and Guilds, who has called for a demand-led system of vocational qualifications, one responsive both to change and to employers’ needs. Mr Humphries will offer his informed analysis of the Government’s strategy, while setting out what he believes still needs to be done.

We will have immediate reaction and comment from leading politicians from all the main parties. In addition, Councillor Ian Mearns of Gateshead will offer a Local Government Association perspective, and David Sherlock, Chief Inspector of the Adult Learning Inspectorate will contribute his reaction.

Senior figures from the Learning and Skills Council, the Learning and Skills Development Agency and the Department for Education and Skills will present their assessments. Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE will give his response. John Brennan, the Association of College’s Chief Executive designate and Ewart Keep, Deputy Director of SKOPE, the centre for Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance, jointly based at Warwick and Oxford universities will carefully analyse and reflect on the implications of the strategy. Tony Jowitt, Principal of Northern College, will also be writing for us.

Leading academics will offer their analyses of the key features of the strategy. These will include:

Alastair Thomson, Policy Officer for NIACE, will offer a detailed analysis of the strategy and summary of its main points. Other specially commissioned writers, including Professor John Field, of Stirling University, and John Graystone, Chief Executive of Fforwm, will reflect on the skills gap in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and consider the challenges facing the regional economies. In addition you will find all our regular features, including Agenda, Landmarks, Book Reviews, Q&A and Viewpoint, with Dr Ursula Howard, Director of the National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, at the Institute of Education.

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Family Finance Website Launched

NIACE, in partnership with Prudential and ANQ, has launched a brand new website which is a free, practical guide to family finance.

Money Matters To Me ( www.moneymatterstome.co.uk ) is a new and exciting  way to understand the different aspects of personal and practical, 'day to day' finance.

A MORI survey by the Basic Skills Agency explored what would motivate people to improve their skills (e.g. numeracy) and found that 77% would learn if it involved using a computer. A further 73% would be interested if the learning resulted in a qualification and 41% would prefer to learn at home.

This survey highlighted the potential of an online financial literacy resource, which could be used in a personal as well as in an educational environment. This encouraged NIACE to create a resource, which could be integrated into a course of study as well as being available for individual use.

Money matters to me is a partnership project by NIACE,  Prudential and ANQ. NIACE is responsible for the project management, Prudential for project funding and compliance issues and ANQ for web site development and design.

The main aims of the website are:

Money matters to me is based on the Adult Financial Literacy Advisory Group (DFEE, 2000) framework and is a free resource, which is available to everybody. We do not enforce copyright for educational use because we would like to encourage tutors to use our website as a resource and be creative in the further use of the material.

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Electrifying the learning experience for adults

Technology is an excellent way of making learning for adults more effective, more engaging and more enjoyable.

A conference hosted by NIACE will showcase some of the tools and funding opportunities available to Adult and Community Learning (ACL) practitioners to develop innovative approaches to using e-learning.

The conference, to be held at Coventry University TechnoCentre on 23 July, will highlight a three-year programme funded by the Learning and Skills Council which will encourage a greater use of technology in learning.

For example:

The event will provide delegates with details of the funding available and is aimed at managers and practitioners delivering ACL in both statutory and non-statutory organisations.

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NIACE Director, Alan Tuckett,  has given his backing to a new website called www.waytolearn.co.uk , which is a one-stop source of learning information to all adults in England.  It has been developed by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). The full DfES press release reads as follows:

Open new doors to learning with waytolearn.co.uk
Adult Learners’ Gateway is the First One-Stop Source for Information and Services

For the first time ever, adults in England can access all on-line learning information and resources they need from one place. waytolearn.co.uk, the adults learners gateway has been officially launched.

Aimed at 19 - 75 year olds throughout England, the national site links people to the best information on the web and encourages them to discover how they can benefit from learning.

Research has shown that learning offers many benefits to adults. Minister for Young People and Adult Skills, Ivan Lewis says: “waytolearn.co.uk has been developed by the Department of Education and Skills and partner organisations to provide a one-stop source of learning information to all adults in England. Whether via more formal classroom based learning or informal sessions and voluntary work, learning can enhance self-esteem, confidence, and health, as well as helping people make new friends, improve career prospects and develop new skills”

Dozens of sites exist to advise adults on learning opportunities, which has led to some confusion amongst users. waytolearn.co.uk solves this by bringing together all the information that exists on the internet and presenting it in a meaningful and useful way. It includes the latest news, case studies, course details and help and advice on the support available for adults. For the first time ever, adults can be confident that they are going to the right place for the information that they need.

Alan Tuckett, chief executive of NIACE says, “The development of waytolearn.co.uk is a crucial step in the provision of adult learning information. For the first time adults have a one-stop source of information that they can use whatever their personal circumstances and requirements for learning. Waytolearn.co.uk recognises that people have different needs and reasons to learn, from making new friends and learning new skills to acquiring volunteering work and furthering career opportunities. This provides a perfect fit with our philosophy and we are delighted that waytolearn.co.uk will assist us in encouraging people to fulfil their ambitions.”

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