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Latest News: July 2006
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One of the most distinguished adult educators of the post-war era
Professor Naomi Sargant, a formidable advocate of lifelong and life-wide learning for all and honorary life member of NIACE as well as a dedicated and enthusiastic member of the NIACE Company Board and Policy Committee, died peacefully on Sunday night at University College Hospital, London.
Her exceptional career included leading roles at the National Consumer Council, the Open University and the Advisory Council for Adult and Continuing Education. Her work on the educational output at Channel 4 included many broadcasting initiatives that have become common practice in the industry today.
She also had spells in local government, and held office with the national gas consumer council, and a leading role in the National Extension College. She was deputy chair of both the University of East London and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, and she chaired Gt. Ormond Street’s hospital trust, and the Open College of the Arts.
Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE, in paying tribute to her, said, "Naomi was one of the most distinguished adult educators of the post-war era. She has been a towering influence on the development of NIACE for the last two decades, leading its quantitative research, helping to create Adult Learners’ Week, insisting on a life-wide analysis of the issues facing adult learners, and prodding, challenging, encouraging, in her writing, speaking and forensic committee skills."
He continued, "With her husband Andrew, Lord McIntosh, Naomi led a life rich in ideas, rich in relationships, and one dedicated to the public interest. No one has done more for adults learners in her time. She has been exceptional, a polymath, and a dear dear friend. I will miss her."
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Provision for adults with disabilities
When monitoring changes in provision, NIACE pays special attention to the impact of changes upon adults with disabilities. Each piece of information on alleged cuts is forwarded to Rob Wye, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Director of Strategy and Communications, and Melanie Hunt, the LSC National Director of Learning. The LSC is surveying to gain an overview of the national picture and determine and understand immediate issues facing the sector, and any resulting adverse impact on learners. It will monitor the situation, respond appropriately and outline its position in the press.
NIACE is pleased that the LSC, and the Government agree that there should not be cuts in provision since adults with disabilities are a priority for the LSC and protected in law. FE colleges have a contractual obligation under the terms of the Financial Memorandum with the LSC, to have regard to the LSC’s legal responsibilities, including those for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
In addition, as a condition of funding FE providers should endeavour to provide for at least the same number of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities as it did in the preceding year, and at least to maintain the proportion of such learners in its overall enrolment total.
We have been asked to supply information to the LSC on cuts as reported to us, so that they can be investigated. The LSC anticipates that evidence will indicate that cuts are made or proposed where:
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provision is of weak quality; |
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provision needs to change in nature; and |
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more effective progression needs to be put in place. |
NIACE accepts this. However, cuts made to provision solely on the basis of funding allocation are of concern to us and we are happy to pass details on to the LSC.
If you would like to provide evidence of cuts to provision for adults with disabilities or learning difficulties, email NIACE at fundingprovision@niace.org.uk
An article, The wrong sort of learners, appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday 25th July 2006. It discussed the cuts in opportunities for learners with learning difficulties. Read the Guardian article here
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New Approach to Revitalise South East Communities and Economy Through Learning
An important step towards placing learning at the centre of community and economic well-being throughout the South East will be taken at an event in Slough on Wednesday. The proposed Action for Communities model aims to maximise opportunities for adults to learn in their communities in ways that suit their needs.
The Action for Communities Event – to be held at The Centre Conference Venue in Slough on Wednesday 19th July – will lay the foundations for an approach that will enable adults to plan a building block approach to their learning by ensuring access to learning and progression routes are effectively co-ordinated. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) has been working with partners in the South East on the development of a model for learning brokerage to facilitate learners’ journeys which will be consulted on at the event on Wednesday.
Skills Minister Phil Hope, who will be speaking at the event on Wednesday, said:
"We are committed to learning for its intrinsic value, for personal and self fulfilment and for community development. Learning gives people confidence with which they can achieve anything. It brings a wide range of individual, family and local benefits and can reach out to the most isolated people in our communities.”
He continued, "Learning available must meet the changing needs of local communities. We are supporting the development of new local partnerships led by local Learning and Skills Councils to enable communities to set their own priorities and engage in a coherent way. Action for Communities will help build a strong platform for revitalising Personal and Community Development Learning in the South East."
Jenny Williams, NIACE Regional Development Officer for the South East, said:
“There is considerable research which illustrates how diverse adults’ motivations to learn are. The wider benefits that learning can offer, not only in terms of our employability and earning potential, but also in relation to improved health and well being, lead to a greater sense of security and confidence, and considerable more engagement in community activities.”
She continued, “There is a great opportunity with the Action for Communities approach to explore new ways of working together with communities through networks and partnerships to get the best from a joined-up approach to planning and delivering learning. The more silos that Action for Communities breaks down the more communities will be able to get the best deal for themselves and embed a culture of learning with benefits for learners, communities and the economy of the South East.”
Henry Ball, Regional Director of the Learning and Skills Council South East, said:
“The LSC five year vision is of a well planned and highly responsive system of learning and skills provision in the Region. We look forward to working with partners to develop an Action for Communities model to ensure a wide range of accessible learning provision in the community and to align our funding with others to ensure we reach those most in need, including people who aren’t working but who want to.”
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and NIACE have been leading developments over the last 12 months. The event has been jointly sponsored by the LSC, South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). There has been widespread interest in the proposed Action for Communities approach from public and voluntary and community sector partners, across the learning and skills sector and beyond. Strong partnership working at regional and local levels will be key to success.
The Action for Communities Regional Stakeholder Event will be taking place at The Centre Conference Venue, Farnham Road, Slough SL1 4UT on Wednesday 19th July 2006. Journalists are invited to attend. More information is available from Ed Melia, NIACE Press Officer, on 0116 204 4248 or 07795 358 870.
Source: NIACE Press Release: "New Approach to Revitalise South East Communities and Economy Through Learning" Released On 18/07/2006
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Say What You Like!....and they did
Three new publications to support the campaign are now available - OK here goes, Hang on in there, and Go for it! - are all packed with learners’ testimonies. The publications identify many of the barriers that learners face, and how they have responded to them. Their words will inspire new learners to follow in their footsteps.
A learner-focused DVD to accompany the campaign is also available, it aims to give potential adult learners a taste of what it's really like to take part in learning.
You can use the publications and the DVD to:
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Attract new learners at open day events; |
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Encourage existing learners to become 'learning champions"; |
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Use the icebreakers and classroom discussion ideas with your learners; |
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Encourage your students to write about their learning experiences to share with others; |
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Spread the word about the benefits of adult learning. |
You can order free sets of the publications on our website at www.niace.org.uk/saywhatyoulike or contact Claire Woodward on 0116 204 7072 or email claire.woodward@niace.org.uk
“People like me (who are dyslexic) don’t come ‘cause of the stigma most of the time … I tried for years to do it … over the years attitudes towards people like me have changed … Now that I can come here to get help it is absolutely brilliant”. (Jane)
Why and how adults are motivated to learn and what barriers need to be overcome was the idea behind a major project called Say What You Like!
NIACE spent six months contacting a wide range of providers and front-line practitioners, to seek out expertise and knowledge of existing learners who know from their own experience about the difficulties and triumphs involved.
There were no right or wrong answers, we encouraged all the learners to speak freely, and in their own words.
The first thing I can remember is coming up the stairs and looking around the door and everyone saying, ‘hiya, hiya’ and I thought, ‘yeah!’. (Sarah )
NIACE collected evidence through direct contact with learners. Researchers hosted lively focus groups in and invited the learners to tell us about their own unique experiences.
Through interactive discussions we encouraged people to tell us what they like about what they are learning and what has made the difference.
“ It’s like freeing your mind. It’s like opening up doors. It is a new experience.” (Kim)
The Findings
The final research report contains information gathered from the 256
learners we talked to in the 27 focus groups, it includes:
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Context and background to the Skills for Life strategy |
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What is already known about barriers to participation and learning |
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Action-research methods used and the things that learners told us about their experiences |
The other publications associated with the report – OK here goes, Hang on in there, and Go for it! – are packed with learners’ testimonies, sometimes recorded in conversation with researchers and tutors or written in their own words in response to lively classroom discussions. A learner-focused DVD to accompany the campaign is also available, it aims to give potential adult learners a taste of what it's really like to take part in learning.
“I come to the Adult Education Centre because of how it makes me feel. I have moved from having low self esteem, making excuses for myself regarding writing, spelling and all-over-confidence, to someone who chairs meetings regularly. I soak up everything around me, look at everything in a new light and from a different point of view. I now try spelling and with some success. If I see something lovely, like a frosty morning for example, I go and write a poem about it.” (Ginny Spence.)
The publications identify many of the barriers we know learners have to face, and the ways in which they have responded to them. Their words will inspire providers and practitioners to try harder, and new learners to follow in their footsteps.
Contact
To order free sets of the publications and the DVD, please visit our
website at:
www.niace.org.uk/saywhatyoulike
If you have any feedback on this campaign or any learner stories you you’d like to share with us, please contact:
Claire Woodward, Say what you like!, Campaigns & Promotions, NIACE, Renaissance House, 20 Princess Road West, Leicester, LE1 6TP, ' 0116 204 6432
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VCS National Learning Alliance
NIACE has start up funding from the UK Workforce Hub for the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) to develop and pilot a National Alliance for VCS providers of adult learning and training in England.
The work is supported by a reference group consisting of the UK Workforce Hub, National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), Federation of Community Development Learning (FCDL), the Foyer Federation and the Learning Curve (VCS learning and training consortium).
We are consulting widely about this development over the next 12 weeks. Please tell us what you think by clicking on the link below
Why have a National Learning Alliance for the VCS?
We feel that VCS providers need a strong and influential national
‘voice’ to represent their views to government, alongside those of other
advocacy organisations supporting private training providers, FE colleges
and local authorities. This would complement the role of the UK Workforce
Hub as a ‘voice’ for learners’ views across the range of VCS learning and
training opportunities.
What’s happened so far?
The reference group has started to create a vision of what a VCS
National Learning Alliance might become:
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a powerful national voice on learning and training issues, influencing government thinking, and ensuring VCS providers are treated fairly; |
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credible with the VCS and with relevant government departments and agencies, and other important organisations - in other words, not a talking shop but a group that makes a real and demonstrable difference; |
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a core decision-making group of about 20/30 members, reflecting perspectives across VCS providers and the range of VCS learning and training - from skills and workforce development and qualification-based programmes through to informal, community-based and lifelong learning; |
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well connected to VCS providers through links with relevant networks and supported by a communication plan, website and administrative and research services; |
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able to gather together, analyse and circulate relevant information so Alliance discussions and interventions happen at the right time and are well informed. |
How do you have your say?
We are consulting widely about the VCS National Learning Alliance over
the next twelve weeks. Please tell us what you think by answering a few
questions which you can access via the link below. It should take you
about 15 minutes. Deadline for responses is Thursday 21st September 2006.
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Tell us what you think about the VCS National Learning Alliance |
Please remember, our funding for this year is limited to developing and testing out ideas and supporting a launch and early meetings. This means we might not be able to respond immediately to all ideas produced through the consultation! But those that can’t be acted on now might still be useful for future funding bids.
We can send you the questions in alternative formats (e.g. paper-based, electronically as a word document). Please contact lorraine.casey@niace.org.uk
The results of this survey will be used, along with information from other parts of the consultation process (including focus groups and telephone interviews), to help develop the VCS National Learning Alliance. We’ll use VCS networks to keep people in touch with progress and to report on the consultation outcomes.
Thank you very much for your help and interest in this exciting development.
Cheryl Turner (NIACE Development Officer, VCS)
Lorraine Casey (NIACE Research Assistant)
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The Big Conversation grows louder |
Concerned about the future of adult learning?...See details of rally.
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The momentum is growing as a huge amount of evidence has been sent through to NIACE from people across the country who are concerned about the future of adult learning.
On Friday 30th June FE Focus published a column by NIACE Director, Alan Tuckett, about the Big Conversation.
Read it here…
| Creative workers come at a price View Point, TES, 30th June 2006, Alan Tuckett Alan Johnson’s speech to the recent Quality Improvement Agency conference shocked me. I was delighted when he came back to Education and Skills as Secretary of State. As minister for further and higher education he had been straightforward, open-minded, tough, and good with people. The day after he got the new job he was heading the Skills Alliance of ministers, quangos and leaders of national associations. He demonstrated a grip on the economic and social challenges facing the country by making lifelong learning a reality for many. At the heart of his contributions was a desire to discover what works best. No one argues with the substance of the case he made to the conference. He insisted: “There must be a fairer apportionment between those who gain from education and those who pay for it – state, employer or individual.” Few would disagree. Indeed, we have waited for decades for employers to take their share. And government’s share in funding adult learning surely cannot continue to vary wildly from year to year, depending on the level of demand from younger learners. There is, however, less agreement about what the balance of funding should be – which is why the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education launched a big conversation in Adult Learners’ Week, asking how much adult learning should be on offer, and who should pay. Governments are elected to make their priorities clear, and Mr Johnson’s were straightforward: “We must rebalance tax-payer’s money towards the subjects where there is greatest need.” My problem lay with his illustrations. “More plumbing, less Pilates” makes for a good headline – it is alliterative, and rolls of the tongue. “Subsidised precision engineering, not over-subsidised flower arranging” – government apparently wants hard vocationalism, not soft leisure courses. Then, remembering that there is more to the British economy than manufacturing, he backpedals: “except of course where flower arranging is necessary for a vocational purpose.” Just in case we have missed the point, he concludes: “Tai Chi may be hugely valuable to people studying it, but it’s of little value to the economy.” And here is the rub. Anyone looking at the statistics on days lost to the British economy through bad backs will conclude that more Pilates might lead to more productivity. And if Tai Chi has little to offer the economy, why is the Government campaigning to limit obesity? But the real point is that you don’t need to denigrate learning for personal and community development to make the case for a skilled economy. Employers endlessly tell government that “soft skills” are what the system fails to develop. The skills of team working, communicating effectively, problem solving, working flexibly and applying creativity are at the heart of good working practice in the modern economy. Such skills can be developed in liberal-education classes at least as well as in vocational ones. And learning is not a neat business; learning leaks. Skills and confidence acquired in one place apply elsewhere. Managers know this, which is why so much money is spent on executive awaydays building castles in the air. And, for young people and adults alike, you cannot tell the purpose of the student from the title of the course. There is, alas, a deep-seated prejudice in British education. Just like the academic-vocational snobbery that has bedevilled initial education here, there is a long-standing administrative and political scepticism about the value of adult learning that learners choose for themselves. It has a common theme. In 1980, in Sussex, the mantra was that people didn’t want tap dancing on the rates. In 1991 it was flower arranging again, until we found a merchant banker who had retrained to become a florist at Lambeth evening classes. Under-water basket weaving and Australian cake decorating have had their moment of opprobrium. When the Foster review was launched, willow weaving took centre stage – though 80 per cent of the tiny number of willow-weaving courses on offer are vocational. These illustrations fail to do justice to provisions that prolong active life for pensioners; offer a space for rebuilding relationships to people recovering from mental health problems; offer a route to learning languages; a chance to overcome obesity for people who can’t afford the gym; opportunities for rehabilitation for offenders; and stimulus for people stuck in dull jobs. In substance Mr Johnson’s speech was about re-balancing. In tone, it endorsed the loss of one in three adult places in further education over three years. It needs an act of faith now to believe the Government still wants learning that is life-wide as well as life-long. Alan Tuckett is Director of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education. |
Now is a crucial time for the future of adult learning. One million adult learning places are threatened over the next two years and there's already been a drop of 23% of people over 60 learning. However, two in three of the jobs of the next decade will need to be filled by adults, including migrants, older people and women returners - because there will simply not be enough young people to fill their parents' shoes when finally we retire. More and more of tomorrow's jobs will require higher-level know-how. Adult learning is not an option - it's an economic necessity. Learning also contributes to community wellbeing, cultural creativity and social solidarity - in ways that can be quantified.
We've decided that now is the right time to have a grown-up conversation about grown-ups' learning. Over the next few weeks we are calling on people who recognise the vital importance of lifelong learning in joining us to question:
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What principles should determine how limited amounts of public funding are best used? |
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What should employers pay for? |
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How much should individuals be expected to contribute to their learning? |
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What has the government got right and where it is going wrong? |
Learners, teachers, lecturers, college staff, and other groups and organisations in the sector are encouraged to consider these questions and report back to us and your MP. We will collect your responses and submit a dossier of evidence, opinion and analysis to the government.
Please contact us at: bigconversation@niace.org.uk
A letter about the Big Conversation appeared in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday the 13th May 2006.
It was signed by the following:
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Alan Tuckett, Director, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education |
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Kat Fletcher, National President, National Union of Students (NUS) |
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Paul Mackney, General Secretary, National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) |
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Christine Lewis, National Officer, UNISON |
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Jennifer Adshead, Head of Education & Training, National Federation of Women's Institute |
Further coverage about the Big Conversation has appeared in local and regional newspapers across the country, including:
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Bedworth Echo |
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Bracknell & Ascot Times |
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Bristol Evening Post |
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Burton Mail |
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Chew Valley Gazette |
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Congleton Chronicle |
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Cornish Guardian (Newquay) |
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Crediton Gazette |
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Cumberland & Westmorland Herald |
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Droitwich Spa Advertiser |
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Frome & Somerset Standard |
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Goole Howden and Thorne Courier |
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Hartlepool Star |
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Hemsworth & South Elmsall Express |
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Henley Standard |
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Ilkley Gazette |
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Lancashire Evening Post |
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Lytham St Annes & Flyde Express |
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Melton Times |
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Meon Valley News |
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Morley Observer & Advertiser |
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News Post Leader (Blyth Valley) |
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News Post Leader (Wansbeck) |
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North Devon Journal |
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Rochdale Observer |
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Solihull News |
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Shields Gazette |
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Shropshire Star |
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South London Press |
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St Albans Observer |
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Western Morning News (Cornwall) |
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Western Morning News (Devon) |
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Western Daily Press (Bristol) |
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Wallsend News Guardian |
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West Briton (Truro) |
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Welwyn & Hatfield Times |
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Wigan Evening Post |
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Whitchurch Herald |
Accessible Version
NIACE has produced the literature for The Big Conversation in an accessible version for people with learning difficulties.
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LSC Publishes Fourth National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS)
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) published its fourth National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS) online on Friday, 23 June. For 2004/05 the survey is based on over 41,000 learners receiving tuition or training through further education, work based learning and adult and community learning providers.
The survey found that nine out of 10 learners are satisfied with the quality of teaching they receive, and the number of learners who feel ‘extremely’ satisfied with the teaching they receive is at its highest level on record.
In summary:
| of the 90 per cent of FE learners who are satisfied to some degree, over a quarter (27 per cent) are ‘extremely’ satisfied – the largest number since the survey was launched in 2001 and a rise of four percentage points from 2003/04; |
| one third of the 93 per cent of satisfied learners in LSC-accredited adult and community learning are ‘extremely’ satisfied with the teaching they receive; and |
| 90 per cent of work-based learners are satisfied with the quality of teaching they receive and almost a quarter (23 per cent) are ‘extremely’ satisfied. |
As well as reporting high levels of satisfaction with teaching, FE learners also feel positively about the wider aspects of learning:
| Nine out of 10 learners are satisfied with the overall learning experience. |
| 67 per cent of learners are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ satisfied with the overall learning experience, a rise of four percentage points from 2002/03 and 2003/04. |
| 79 per cent of learners feel their experience has given them skills they can use for their job, which suggests that the FE sector is helping to bridge the skills gaps frequently reported by employers. |
Melanie Hunt, National Director for Learning said:
“The findings of the National Learner Satisfaction Survey are a tremendous achievement for the FE sector. The LSC is delighted that learners’ experiences are improving year on year: these improvements suggest that agenda for change and initiatives like Success for All are delivering significant benefits for learners.
“The FE White Paper stressed the importance of placing learners at the heart of the system, and it is encouraging to find that the sector’s efforts to listen and respond to learners’ needs are already improving satisfaction levels.
“We must now push even harder to make sure students get as much as possible out of learning. There are still areas for improvement and it is important not to become complacent, but the research results are excellent news for the sector and promise an exciting time ahead, both for learners and for the sector as a whole.”
Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State, Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education said:
“This increase in learner satisfaction marks another step forward in the Government's drive towards excellence. Everyone in the sector who has been involved should be justifiably proud. It is important that we ask learners what they think about their teaching and learning and the majority have told us that we are responding to their needs and aspirations.
“Through the sweeping reforms announced in our recent FE White Paper on Further Education, we will eradicate poor provision and ensure that a high quality, personalised learning experience is provided for every student. The new Improvement Strategy announced as part of the reforms will be published in the next few days, which will also ensure skills needs are met and colleges work ever more closely with employers.”
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The Challenge of Inclusion
The June 2006 issue of Adults Learning reflects on the impact and continuing relevance of Inclusive Learning, the landmark 1996 report of John Tomlinson’s committee of enquiry into provision for adults and young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Co-authors of the report, Pat Hood and Peter Lavender, contribute reflective, forward-looking pieces, while Deborah Cooper, Viv Berkeley, Yola Jacobsen and Kathryn James consider, from their different perspectives, how far we have come in the ten years since publication – and where we now need to travel.
For Deborah Cooper, the report offers a model for learning much wider than its original remit called for, ‘a tool to ensure that for an individual, a course, an institution or a planning authority there is a match between the needs and interests on one side and the provision and support on the other’. In the preface to his report, John Tomlinson argued that everything proposed therein was ‘within the grasp of the system if we all want it enough’. But how many of us are ready to sign up to that? Cooper asks.
While there has been much to celebrate over the past decade, Pat Hood argues, there are nevertheless some worrying trends, not least where adult learning is concerned. Adult and community learning – lifelong learning that is truly inclusive, with committed staff working with some of the most challenging learners – comes last in the funding race every time. Adults’ entitlement to lifelong learning is debated as if it could be moved up and down the priority ladder, rather than being seen for what it is: ‘an absolute human right’.
Viv Berkeley and Yola Jacobsen share their insights from the field. Berkeley reports practitioners working with learners with learning difficulties feeling demotivated and tired of finding themselves and their learners bottom of the funding heap. According to Jacobsen, the Government’s policy of prioritising learners working to gain a full level 2 qualification is leading to the exclusion of people with learning difficulties: ‘Several providers have cut courses for individuals working below entry level, namely people with severe learning difficulties. This is because no matter how significant their progress in learning may be it will not count towards Government targets … there is a real danger of people with learning difficulties being disproportionately affected by the current funding pressures in FE.’
This, Jacobsen continues, is not to say that there hasn’t been real progress over the past ten years, only that those achievements need to be built on if we are not to start going backwards. As Peter Lavender argues, more joined-up government is called for – and an appreciation that education cannot play its role while funding policies ‘endlessly favour the young’ – but this will only happen once disability – long the invisible in policymaking – is made visible.
Find out more about Adults Learning here
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