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Expert Seminar to Roll-Out New Skills for Life Initiative
Kick-starting a major DfES-funded development programme to improve literacy, language and numeracy for adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, NIACE is holding an expert seminar to allow providers to find out more about the programme and how they can become Pathfinder sites.
The event on 1st July 2004, marks the beginning of the Pathfinder phase of the Learning for Living programme – which aims to develop access to Skills for Life for adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The seminar aims to encourage relevant projects specialising in different aspects of learning difficulty and disability in the community, colleges, prisons and the workplace to learn more about Learning For Living and decide how they would like to take part in the Skills for Life Pathfinder projects, as a pathfinder site, starting in September 2004 and running until July 2005.
Joyce Black, NIACE’s Project Manager for Learning For Living said, “We will give guidance and support to staff, managers and learners to enable them to develop and test what works best in the learning and teaching of literacy, language and numeracy skills. What is essential is to ensure each learner has the right learning environment, one which is relevant and appropriate to their own individual needs. By finding out and sharing what works best when working with adults with learning difficulties and /or disabilities, where-ever and however they are learning, will be the secret to the success of this project.”
Barry Brooks, Deputy Director, Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit said, “Skills for Life aims to provide every adult learner with equal opportunity and access to high quality provision for communication, literacy, language and numeracy skills. We intend this project to be a significant step towards achieving this.”
The Expert Seminar will take place on Thursday, 1st July, at One Whitehall Place, London. The event will start with a keynote presentation by Barry Brooks, Deputy Director for Standards and Achievement at the DfES, who will give an overview from the Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit (ABSSU), followed by an introduction to the Pathfinder Project by Joyce Black, Project Manager at NIACE. To book a place on the Expert Seminar, please contact Narzny Khan at NIACE on narzny.khan@niace.org.uk
Source: NIACE Press Release: "Expert Seminar to Roll-Out New Skills for Life Initiative" (PDF file) , released on 22/06/04
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Celebrating the Contribution made by Asylum Seekers and Refugees to Leicester.
As part of Refugee Week 2004 in Leicester, the Asylum Seekers, Skills, Empowerment and Training Project (ASSET-UK) is holding an awards ceremony to celebrate the individual educational and career achievements made by asylum seekers and refugees and the considerable contribution they make to Leicester through their integration within it.
Spearheaded by Leicester-based educational charity NIACE, the ASSET-UK Project is designed to identify the skills, qualifications and experiences of asylum seekers and refugees with the aim of securing employment for them in the future. Tailor-made opportunities are arranged for the asylum seekers and refugees so that they can access work-based placements - incorporating additional learning support - with a variety of employers and voluntary organisations.
Rob Gray, Leicester Project Worker for ASSET-UK said, “We offer refugees and asylum seekers a series of individual interviews in which careers guidance is provided and then an action plan and a CV are created. The next step is to assist them in accessing more practical help like vocational courses and tailor-made volunteering placements which are designed to keep their skills fresh and to enable them to learn UK methods for the occupation they carried out in their country of origin.”
He continued, “Whilst wishing to acknowledge the success of every one of the participants of the ASSET-UK project, we thought it was appropriate to give awards to some of the participants who have made exceptional achievements or who have been successful in particularly adverse circumstances.”
The host of the award ceremony will be Kevin Ncube, a television and radio broadcaster from Zimbabwe who came to Leicester in May 2002 after fleeing the country due to considerable personal danger. Kevin said
“ASSET-UK has supported me by re-building my confidence and providing advice to help me return to my field of expertise - broadcasting for which I have overwhelming passion and through which I am dedicated to serve the community”.
The Refugee Week Awards Ceremony 2004 will be held at Voluntary Action Leicester on Thursday 17th June at 7pm.
Source: NIACE Press Release: "Celebrating the Contribution made by Asylum Seekers and Refugees to Leicester." (PDF file) , released on 11/06/04
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NIACE responds to new Mental Health report
NIACE has welcomed the recommendations of a report, published on Monday 14 June by the Social Exclusion Unit, to increase the number of adults with mental health problems accessing adult, further and higher education and ensuring the quality of their learning experience.
Adults with mental health problems are among the most excluded groups in society - with fewer than a quarter in employment and many of whom spend much of their time in isolation which is a significant risk factor in deteriorating mental health and suicide. The report’s recommendations - which aim to support this important group of adults - cover all government departments and are particularly timely given the recent passing of the Disability Discrimination Act (Part 4) and the imminent publication of the Learning and Skills Council’s Equality and Diversity Strategy.
Commenting on the report, Alan Tuckett, Director of the NIACE, said,
“Adults with mental health difficulties have traditionally been under-represented in post-16 education, yet participation in education promotes social inclusion by building self-esteem and confidence. It provides opportunities for friendships and social activity, improving employment prospects and increasing participation in other civic activities - all resulting in improved mental health and well-being. We welcome this report which provides some effective levers to support the inclusion of learners with mental health difficulties to access much needed education.”
He continued, “We hope now that the Department for Education and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council will support the sector to respond to these recommendations by encouraging partnership working between education providers, mental health services, service user groups and Local Learning and Skills Councils and supporting their development work. NIACE will be taking an active part in supporting education providers to meet these challenges.”
Source: NIACE Press Release: "NIACE responds to new Mental Health report" (PDF file) , released on 14/06/04
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Widening Adult Participation Action Fund Guidelines
The new Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Widening Adult Participation Action Fund (WAPAF) is one of the measures introduced to support implementation of LSC’s ‘widening adult participation’ strategy launched last year. The aims of the Action Fund are to:
 | distribute funds for developmental projects in order to discover what works in widening adult participation, with a particular focus on teaching, learning, and learner progression; |
| support the LSC regionally and locally in developing, evaluating and embedding approaches to widening participation; and |
| identify effective practice and make best use of its impact locally, regionally and nationally by sharing ideas through activities that will increase the capacity of provision. |
The Action Fund is run through LSC, with each region agreeing its own overarching theme and commissioning local activity to deliver objectives. WAPAF guidelines were issued to LSC Regional Executive Directors on 14 May 2004 and have been posted on this website for information only. Please note that the guidelines do not invite bids to the Action Fund. Any organisation wanting to know what is planned in its area should contact its local LSC.
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Changing and Improving the World of Adult Basic Skills
Innovative National Conference Speaks to Policy Makers and Practitioners
Over 100 basic skills teachers, managers and policy makers attended a conference in London on the 24th May - organised by NIACE and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) - to address the challenge of how they might want to change and improve the world of adult basic skills.
Delegates arrived at the conference with a clear set of expectations about what they had come for: issues from wanting to improve and change the world to sharing what works and what doesn’t were common but one delegate summed up the general mood, ‘I want to be inspired when I leave, sharing with many others the good practice I know about and taking away with me many new ideas.’
All of the delegates were charged with setting their own agenda for the day through the concept of ‘Open Space’ - a way of organising a meeting or a conference so that there is maximum participation, self-management, energy and focus.
Annette Zera, the conference’s facilitator, said, “The delegates devised and ran 45 different workshop sessions and came up with over 140 recommendations. The key priorities to emerge from the day included the need for funding flexibility, the importance of writing skills in a coherent curriculum and a determination to market to, and hear the voices of, ‘hard to reach’ students.”
Chris Taylor, NIACE Basic Skills Development Officer said, “We often hear people refer to 'hard to reach' learners. But sometimes the teachers may feel the policy makers are 'hard to reach'. This event today has given us a chance to reach the policy makers and to have our voices heard.”
A full report on the day is available to journalists on request, please contact Philippa Cattell on 0116 204 4245 or email: philippa.cattell@niace.org.uk
Source: NIACE Press Release: "Innovative National Conference Speaks to Policy Makers and Practitioners" (PDF file) ,
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Prime Ministers statement on ALW
Adult Learners’ Week Award Winners – “Are Inspirations To Us All”, Says The Prime Minister
To mark this year’s Adult Learners’ Week (15-21 May), the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, issued the following statement: -
“Giving every adult the opportunities they need to learn has been a priority for this Government. We have achieved a great deal, but there is much more to do.”
“Since 1992, Adult Learners’ Week has been a celebration of learners – young and old, and in all their diversity. The testimonies of the learners the Week celebrates reflect the richness, challenges and sheer breadth of adults’ experiences as learners and encourage others to get involved too.”
“Anyone at any age can feel as if they are too old to make changes in their lives. But learning is something which can transform your life at any age or stage. It is never too late to start. With events taking place across the country – in shops, cafes, museums, libraries, colleges and parks – Adult Learners’ Week provides a chance to take the first step and try something new.”
“We have been happy to act in partnership with NIACE, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, and a range of other organisations. The campaign to encourage more and different adults to engage in learning of all kinds is an important means of showcasing the ways in which we can create and maintain a more skilled and knowledgeable workforce. At the same time we can build learning communities which can help break the cycle of low aspirations and low achievement which afflict whole communities.”
“I wish Adult Learners’ Week 2004 every success and thank all of the participants for their enthusiasm, commitment and creativity. I send my sincere congratulations to the individuals, families, groups and projects who have won Adult Learners’ Week Awards: they are inspirations to us all.”
Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE said, “NIACE coordinates Adult Learners’ Week to celebrate adult learners in all their diversity so that they can inspire other people to join in. We are delighted that the Prime Minister has recognised the tremendous value of learners’ achievements in this way.”
Source: NIACE Press Release: "ALW Award Winners – “Are Inspirations To Us All”, Says The Prime Minister" (PDF file) ,
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New Research on Why Men are Reluctant Learners
New research from NIACE, published as part of Adult Learners’ Week has found that there are still some clear differences between men and women’s motivations to learn and their patterns of participation in learning.
‘Men Earn, Women Learn: Bridging the gender divide in education and training’, is written by NIACE Principal Research Officer Veronica McGivney, (as a sequel to her previous research Excluded Men, published in 1999). It explores the reasons why many men are reluctant to learn outside the workplace and suggests some ways in which they might be persuaded to enter other forms of learning. The book looks at current strategies which could help providers and practitioners who wish to attract more male learners.
Veronica McGivney said, “Some of the strategies I outline do not come from traditional educational sectors but from other sectors, such as work with fathers and early years education, health and youth work.”
She continued, “’Ask the wife, she might be interested’, is a typical comment if you ask men about anything to do with adult learning. Engaging in education after the age of 25 is seen by many men as a female rather than male activity, and as increasing numbers of women enter further, higher and adult education, the more this situation will become self-perpetuating.”
| Men Earn, Women Learn: Bridging the gender divide in education and training, written by Veronica McGivney, is published by NIACE (ISBN 1 86201 198 2) and is priced £16.95. It is available to buy online. |
Source: NIACE Press Release: "New Research on why men are reluctant learners." (PDF file)
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MPs Speak 22 Foreign Languages finds new survey
In a survey to mark 10 new countries joining the European Union and as part of this year’s Adult Learners’ Week (15-21 May), MPs were set a ‘Parliamentary Languages Challenge’, by NIACE.
Over 100 MPs responded to the challenge and the results show that they speak a total of 22 different languages. 19% of the respondents said they were bi-lingual (French being the most popular ‘other’ language after English) and a further 8% claim to be multi-lingual (again French being the most popular ‘other’ language).
Whilst only a small number of MPs (6%) are currently learning a foreign language, a healthy majority of them (65%) are enthusiastic about learning to speak more languages if they had the time and opportunity, including one Downing Street-based MP who would like to learn Italian.
Alan Tuckett Director of NIACE said, “In a population that has a poor reputation for speaking foreign languages, MPs compare well against the national picture and deserve full credit. Speaking other languages is one of Britain's vulnerabilities, whether you are managing a building site in central London, where there's no doubt that a few words of Polish or Hungarian will help, or if you are going on a trade visit as a member of parliament, if you have a smattering of the language you get a better quality of experience."
Martin Linton, Labour MP for Battersea, came out on top of the survey with the ability to communicate in six languages - English, Italian, Swedish, French, German and Welsh - and he can also read in another two languages, Danish and Norwegian.
He said, “If you're going to spend anything more than a few days in a country, you should make an effort to learn a bit of the language. You're more likely to enjoy it. You're less likely to be ripped off. And it's also a matter of courtesy and respect. I find it embarrassing when English people assume that they can make themselves understood abroad just by speaking loudly and slowly to waiters.”
He continued, “I had a head start because I was brought up bilingually in English and
Swedish because my mother insisted that I should keep up my Swedish even though we left that country when I was four. I do occasional interviews for French and Swedish TV, so they must think I'm at least relatively fluent, and I think I could still get by in German. My other languages are pretty basic. But if that's good, it shouldn't be. My language skills would hardly even rank as average in some other European countries, especially the smaller countries, where it's not unusual for people to speak four languages fluently.”“We English are far too lazy at learning languages. We're spoilt by the corrosive and hugely exaggerated notion that everyone speaks English. This is an arrogance that can be our undoing. We need foreign languages if we are going to understand what is going on in other countries.”
Source: NIACE Press Release: "MPs Speak 22 Foreign Languages finds new survey" (PDF file)
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Kennedy: Seven Years On
NIACE Conference Asks ‘What Has Happened Since?’
Seven years ago Baroness Helena Kennedy published Learning Works, a report on the challenges of closing Britain’s learning divide. Kennedy: Seven Years On – a conference organised by NIACE - will address what has happened in the past seven years, how Kennedy’s concerns detailed in Learning Works have been met, whether the values set out are still informing work and what still needs to be done.
The Kennedy – Seven Years On conference will take place at the Grange City Hotel on Coopers Row in London on Wednesday 9 June 2004. Keynote speakers include Baroness Helena Kennedy and the Minister for Skills and Vocational Education, Ivan Lewis MP.
Colin Flint, Associate Director for Further Education at NIACE said, “What Learning Works did was to respond to the challenges of closing Britain’s learning divide. It reflected on the values and importance of further education, principally on widening participation and on the creation of a better-educated, fairer and more just society. More than anything else, Learning Works pointed the way for FE to become the inclusive service it needs, and ought, to be.”
Colin Flint added, “For many people, Learning Works remains the best and most challenging work ever written about FE and this NIACE conference will be a great opportunity to reflect on its impact and evaluate how we are progressing towards the vision of ‘a self-perpetuating learning society’. We will also take the time to celebrate the many achievements in widening participation over the past seven years and to highlight the outstanding challenges that remain.”
| Full details of the Kennedy – Seven Years On conference can be found in the Conferences section of this website.. |
Source: NIACE Press Release: "Kennedy: Seven Years On." (PDF file) , released on 26 May 2004
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Call for Learning Materials for ESOL Citizenship!
NIACE and LLU+ have been commissioned to develop ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) citizenship learning materials by the Home Office and DfES (Department for Education and SKills).
This is a development project, running from April to August 2004. We are preparing ESOL citizenship learning materials, possibly to be piloted later in the year, by bringing together existing work already done by ESOL tutors and writing new materials where appropriate. These materials will support ESOL citizenship at Entry levels 1, 2 and 3.
Many ESOL tutors have been teaching citizenship for years. We are also aware that there are lots of citizenship initiatives running parallel to our own.
In this project, we have used the Crick recommendations as the basis for our work and broadened the syllabus to 11 proposed topic areas. Lots of the material must be authentic ‘realia’ and will need to be locally relevant. As well as our sample materials, ESOL tutors will use authentic and local sources, as they’ve always done.
This is where we need your help!
We have produced a
Scoping Document which has a brief introduction, a citizenship syllabus and
an ESOL citizenship syllabus. The ESOL citizenship syllabus is on pages 18 –26.
Please look at the ESOL citizenship syllabus. It proposes 11 areas. These are
topics that ESOL tutors can pick and choose from to suit the needs of the
learners.
Please send us any ESOL citizenship materials you have designed in any of these 11 areas. We will acknowledge all the contributions we use.
Please send your materials to: Jo Smith, Citizenship Project, LLU+, London South Bank University, 103 Borough Road, London, SE1 0AA
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Refugee Week
Celebrate Life. Celebrate Sanctuary. Celebrate Refugee Week
Refugee Week - 14th-20th June 2004 is a unique opportunity to celebrate the enormous contribution that refugees make to this country and promote understanding about the reasons why people seek sanctuary here. It remains the only UK-wide event that attempts to counter negative perceptions of refugees and asylum seekers.
Refugee Week will be marked by hundreds of arts, cultural and educational events across the UK, from those at community centres to world famous arts venues.
Posters and postcards are now available free of charge. Balloons, T-shirts and banners are also available at cost price.
For background information, resources or to find out about what is going on in your area, go to www.refugeeweek.org.uk or contact the central Refugee Week team on 020 7820 3055 or info@refugeeweek.org.uk
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