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Some file on this page are PDF files. Alliance for Lifelong Learning
 | Basic Skills Agency (BSA) merges into NIACE |
| NIACE and Tribal form Alliance for Lifelong Learning to support literacy, language and numeracy across all age ranges |
| Welsh Assembly Government to take forward the Basic Skills Agency’s work in Wales supported by NIACE |
The Basic Skills Agency (BSA) begins work as part of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) today - Monday 2nd July 2007 - and the expanded NIACE will work in alliance with Tribal in the field of literacy, language and numeracy to form the country’s leading concentration of expertise across all age ranges.
The BSA’s work in Wales will be assimilated into the Welsh Assembly Government in line with the Welsh Assembly policy with NIACE, working with Tribal, contracted to support that work.
The BSA began life as a NIACE agency in 1975 and became an independent charity with government support in 1991. The Agency’s work was critical for developing a strategy for literacy, language and numeracy and a range of work in the schools sector. In the light of changing circumstances the BSA’s board sought an effective partner to take forward its work with adults and young people. Following competition, NIACE, working with Tribal, was successful in offering a way forward.
Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE, said:
“We are delighted to bring together the rich experience BSA and NIACE staff have in supporting Skills for Life, and to work in alliance with Tribal to offer language, literacy and numeracy support across all age ranges to practitioners, policy makers and government alike.”
He continued:
“We believe our partnership work with Tribal, creating a distinctive not for profit and private sector alliance in pursuit of the public interest will provide a powerful base to take forward developments supporting the success of the Skills for Life and Every Child Matters Strategies in England. We are also delighted to be supporting the Welsh Assembly Government’s forward programme.”
Garry Hawkes, Chair of the Board of the BSA, said:
“The Basic Skills Agency has a great record of achievement in supporting basic skills teaching and learning across all age groups. We are pleased that the Agency is joining with NIACE, working in alliance with Tribal. This move provides the best way of ensuring that key elements of the Agency’s work – to support teachers, identify and disseminate best practice and raise standards - will continue well into the future.”
He added:
“In the short-term we have a detailed plan of work to deliver within England for the Department for Education and Skills. The Department will continue to provide funding until the end of March 2008 to enable us to deliver these projects.”
Barry Brooks, Director for Education and Skills Strategy at Tribal said:
“As a key provider of support for the Government’s Skills for Life Strategy since it was launched in March 2001 Tribal is delighted to have established this alliance with NIACE. We are a private sector company with a public sector ethos dedicated to transforming lives through learning and welcome the opportunity to ensure that the Basic Skills Agency’s legacy for developing cradle to grave support to improve literacy, language and numeracy continues to develop and flourish. Through the Alliance we are committed to making a major contribution to and impact on the Government’s focus on securing social justice for all its citizens and economic sustainability through the skills of its workforce.”
Source: NIACE Press Release: "ALLIANCE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING" Released On 02/07/2007
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Awards for projects that engage older learners
Projects and organisations who demonstrate innovation and good practice for older learners could have their work recognised and rewarded through the Fred Moore Institutional Awards.
Previous award-winning projects have:
| involved older people in the planning processes |
| undertaken programme development in collaboration or partnership with other agencies |
| clear opportunities for access to and personal progression from the programme |
| processes to target and reach normally excluded groups of older people, e.g. those from minority ethic communities, those with minimum income in retirement, those in care settings, those who have not benefited previously from post-school education |
| planned and evaluated to embed and extend the work |
| information tracking the numbers of older people involved |
The Awards are open to organisations in England. Entry is not restricted to formal education providers. Previous awards have been made across the voluntary sector, further and higher education, local authorities and self-help education groups.
The Fred Moore Institutional Awards are named after Fred Moore who was honoured by the DfES as the Oldest Learner in England in 2000 at the age of 104. The judges of the awards are particularly keen to highlight projects which work sensitively with older people by acknowledging the different ways older learners are reached and how their individual learning needs are provided for.
For further information and an application form please contact Gillian Aird by email: gillian.aird@niace.org.uk or by telephone: 0116 204 2843
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Reminiscence and Lifelong Learning
"People tend to see older people as a burden to society", says Sarah Housden author of the new NIACE publication Reminiscence and Lifelong Learning.
Drawing on her experiences working in nursing homes in Norwich, Sarah tells the remarkable story about how reminiscence work has had a dramatic effect on older people and their families and illustrates the immense resource that older people are to society and especially to any learning environment. Reminiscence and Lifelong Learning is an irreplaceable guide to ways of using learners’ personal memories as a resource in learning; a source of knowledge, ideas and experiences for tutors and learners to draw on.
It is a compendium of good practice for tutors, other professionals and carers who are using older people’s memory work in a learning context. It includes many examples of projects and learning situations where, beginning with the sharing of memories, older people have gone on to develop skills in forming and sustaining relationships, oral and written communication, arts and crafts and literacy, and the use of modern information technology.
Sarah Housden discusses her remarkable work in an interview with NIACE Press Officer, Ed Melia, which can be downloaded below.
| Listen to
the Sarah Housden interview here - [Mp3 file,
1 MB] (If the audio file does not start playing in you browser, right click and save it onto your computer and then play it back through your usual media player) |
Reminiscence and Lifelong Learning, priced £9.95 (US$20.00 €17.00) can be purchased from the NIACE online book shop.
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Refugees need tailored routes to employment
For refugees to play a more significant role in the UK labour market and increase their chances of integrating more fully into the country, systems are needed to recognise their prior learning, skills, experience and qualifications. Refugees should also have the opportunity to learn occupationally-specific ESOL and employers need access to improved information that will demonstrate the benefits of employing refugee workers. These are interim findings from Progress GB to be presented at the Routes to appropriate employment briefing at the Welfare to Work conference being held in Birmingham on Thursday 21st June 2007.
Progress GB is a Development Partnership which aims to address the barriers to employment for refugees and migrants. Working with 650 beneficiaries through eleven separate projects, other findings include:
| access to tailored, specialist and integrated information, advice and guidance (IAG) delivered by personal advisors on an ongoing basis is essential; |
| refugees can offer a unique set of skills and strengths to the labour market; |
| refugees benefit from careers guidance, labour market orientation, mentoring, and information about employment rights in the UK; |
| information materials should also be made available for UK employers, including examples of good practice, and support with documentation requirements to encourage employment of refugees; |
| a national scheme for work experience is needed; |
| Further Education providers should be supported to develop and establish occupational specific ESOL provision alongside vocational training; |
| local authorities would benefit from opportunities to draw on national funding sources to enable them to make provision to support the integration of new communities; |
| Europass and the European Qualifications Framework need to be extended to include new arrivals from outside the European Union. |
Jane Watts, Progress GB Project Manager, said:
“Refugees often need extra support in finding work which is appropriate to their previous experience and qualifications. That support needs to take into account all their needs and should be intensive, timely, and provided over months rather than weeks. This provision should be ‘integrated’ – in other words, offered through a network of providers through the use of 'expert signposters' as developed by Progress GB partners. Refugees need individual face-to-face support which can be supported through web-based information. Some refugees need considerably more time in the IAG process, which should include full skills audits and advice on recognition of previous skills, experience and qualifications.”
She continued, “Many of the current recognition systems mean little to employers; Progress GB has developed models for recognition through work experience which are proving successful in helping refugees progress into the labour market. It would be excellent if guidance, learning and employment providers would take the opportunity of this Refugee Week to review their systems to ensure that they are able to take advantage of the considerable skills and strengths which refugees have to offer the UK and its labour market.”
Source: NIACE Press Release: "Refugees need tailored routes to employment" Released On 19/06/2007
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Reaching Out: Think Family
NIACE welcomes the latest report from the Social Exclusion Task Force: Reaching Out: Think Family. The report is the first stage of the analysis of the themes for the families at risk review.
Penny Lamb, NIACE Development Officer for Family Learning, says:
"We welcome the re-enforcement of the positive impact of intergenerational learning and the clear messages that the level of parental interest in a child's education from a very young age has a significant impact on ensuring the development of literacy and numeracy skills and raising attainment from a very early age right into adolescence."
"We support the proposals to extend the multi-agency approach of Every Child Matters beyond Children and Young People's Services to all services."
"This will provide a supportive structure to enable providers of intergenerational learning programmes to work closely with colleagues with the most vulnerable families."
She concludes, "The latest NIACE research on the links between family learning and parenting skills programmes shows that there is not always a common vision, common understanding of terminology or effective information sharing when working with families at risk."
| The Social Exclusion Task Force report can be viewed here - [external link] |
The NIACE research - The Links between family learning and parenting programmes: a discussion document for local authorities - can be viewed at: www.niace.org.uk/Research/Family
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EAEA seeking new Secretary General
The European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) are recruiting for a Secretary General. The post will be based in Brussels with international travel required.
The Secretary General represents the interest of the EAEA and acts in close cooperation with the President; works on behalf of the Board; and reports to the General Assembly, which is the ultimate decision-making body.
| The are looking for an enterprising and creative manager who demonstrates: |
| knowledge and experience in the field of adult education |
| the ability to promote the work of the EAEA to key stakeholders |
| high levels of competence in leadership and in financial management |
| skills in responding to tenders and writing applications for funding |
| strategic thinking with sound operational achievements |
| confidence and skills in working with an NGO Board |
| capacity to deliver the professional services of the Association |
| university level education or equivalent other lifelong learning experiences |
| good language and communication skills (at least in English, French and/or German) |
| good relationship building skills and competence in networking |
| familiarity with politics and policy in the European Union and the Council of Europe |
| good international contacts, perspectives and understanding |
The EAEA offer:
| a comprehensive remuneration package |
| an initial contract for 18 months with a view to this being made permanent based on the performance of the candidate |
| a lively association with 120 member organizations in 41 countries |
| a dynamic work setting |
| main office in Brussels with link offices in Madrid, Budapest and Helsinki |
| a small, well-motivated staff team |
| a supportive Executive Board |
For more information see: www.eaea.org/secretarygeneral
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ICAE Academy of Lifelong Learning Advocacy III
The International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) has announced that its third edition of the Academy of Lifelong Learning Advocacy will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, from September 24 to October 12, 2007.
The ICAE Academy of Lifelong Learning, was first launched in Buskerud, Norway in 2004. Its second edition was also held in Norway in 2005 and it was not possible to hold the third edition in 2006, despite the great interest raised.
Therefore, with renewed energy and an updated programme according to the changing global context, they are launching this third edition that aims to give emerging leaders in adult learning and social movement activists the opportunity to empower themselves and acquire the skills to advocate for and support adult learning for active citizenship.
Their objective is to help them generate a broader vision of adult education and lifelong learning within the framework of human rights, developing linkages with the most important globalization issues that are currently affecting the world, and support the emergence of a new leadership, for the global network of adult educators, to secure the regeneration of ICAE and the movements for lifelong learning in general.
This space for mutual learning will be key in the preparatory process towards next international adult education conference, CONFINTEA VI, to be held in Brazil in 2009.
The course will be in English and will involve lectures and discussions, case study presentations and analysis, as well as debates. Participants will be trained to work as a global team, by experienced and high-level experts from different regions who will give their perspectives on advocacy issues.
| Call for Applications - [PDF], |
| Application Form - [PDF] |
Deadline to apply is June 30, 2007. Documentation must be sent to: icaeialla@gmail.com
For more details visit www.icae.org.uy
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Do try this at home – science for adults
NIACE has formed a major new partnership to promote and develop science provision for adults.
Working in partnership with the National Science Learning Centre, NIACE hopes to extend science learning to adults who have benefited least from science learning, establish what kinds of science adults are interested in and support providers to develop appropriate provision.
A major residential conference – to be held at the prestigious National Science Learning Centre in York on the weekend of 15th – 17th June – will spearhead this work and give delegates the opportunity to develop new ideas and strategies to provide more science learning opportunities for adults and their families.
Joan O’Hagan, a NIACE Development Officer, says, “Interest in academic science is falling. The number of university students studying science continues to drop every year. This has massive implications for the future as does the number of science teachers who will soon retire with insufficient numbers ready to fill their lab coats.”
“However science in wider forms is a huge part of our culture. Interest in the weather and the environment – particularly climate change and global warming – health, psychology, science fiction, electronics and gadgetry and even forensic science is widespread and commonplace.”
“While people may not actively seek out formal learning opportunities knowledge is acquired mostly through necessity. The impact climate has on sport, leisure, holidays, transport, travel and popular pastimes like gardening is impossible to avoid. Learning more about how your body works is part and parcel of going to the gym, can sometimes be the difference in helping a smoker to stub fags out for good and one of the most popular debates of recent times – led by Jamie Oliver – has been the effect junk food has on our children.”
“However new passions can also be stirred in other ways. The recent David Attenborough series Planet Earth on BBC television was watched by millions of dedicated and fascinated viewers. As is the US series CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) which many believe has contributed to the growing interest in forensic science courses with adults.”
“Does Echinacea fend off colds? Should schools teach creationism? Should schools teach about creationism? Will turning off your TV save the planet? What careers open up if you or your children have Science A-levels? Scientific knowledge and scientific thinking can help adults make decisions and choices about issues which affect them as parents, as individuals and as citizens. There is a huge thirst for scientific knowledge among adults – this conference will examine the best way we can quench that thirst.”
The partnership between the National Science Learning Centre ( www.sciencelearningcentres.org.uk ) and NIACE will combine renowned expertise. The NSLC (funded by the DfES and by the Wellcome Trust – an independent research charity) has been created with the specific intention of giving science teachers and technicians a high quality professional development experience; and NIACE has a strong track record of supporting providers of learning opportunities to extend adult learning to ”more and different” learners. NSLC already has a strong focus on and presence in schools and colleges, and the partnership with NIACE will help NSLC develop a focus on adult learners in a range of provision. The residential event will be held at the NSLC’s prestigious, new, purpose-built, high-tech venue which includes science laboratories and state of the art ICT facilities.
| More information on the conference is available here - [PDF] |
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