This is an old page so some of the links may no longer work!

Latest News: May 2005

______________________________

National Award Ceremony Proves Learning Works

An award ceremony to be held in London on Thursday 26th May 2005, as part of Adult Learners’ Week, will prove that learning really does work. The Learning at Work Day Awards Ceremony, organised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), will celebrate individuals who have learned either at work or to gain employment (Learning Works Awards), and projects that provide creative opportunities for adults to learn (Opening Doors to Adult Learners Awards).

Bill Rammell MP, Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning will be giving a keynote speech and presenting some of the awards. Moira Stuart, BBC News Presenter, will host the ceremony, which will be taking place at Cabot Hall, Canary Wharf in London.

The winners of the 2005 Learning Works Awards are, Christopher Cook from Accrington, Peter Fewell from St Leonards-on-Sea, Balbira Sandhar from Leamington Spa, Gurpreet Kaur Singh from Bradford and Robert Williams from London.

The winners of the 2005 Opening Doors to Adult Learners Awards are, the Community and Family Learning PALS Project and the Intergenerational Computer Project, both from London, Enable from Birmingham, Newcastle College Trade Union Learning Centre, North Glasgow Housing Association Project and Sheffield Gypsy Driving Theory Project.

Moira Stuart said:

“The nervousness and exhilaration felt the first time I faced the camera is probably similar to what adult learners feel when they go back to learning. But we know through commitment, dedication and perseverance we are able to achieve through all odds, boosting confidence and encouraging us to carry on. I am pleased to support Adult Learners’ Week 2005 and would like to recognise the hard work of providers and learners that goes on around the country. I hope that many more adults will be inspired to learn something new during Adult Learners’ Week.”

Congratulating the winners of the Learning Works and Opening Doors to New Learners Awards, Minister for Lifelong Learning, Bill Rammell said:

 “Adult Learners Week is all about promoting the power of learning, the huge rewards it has on offer and the difference it makes. I can’t think of a better way of encouraging those who assume learning is not for them than highlighting real examples of people and communities that have benefited from learning.”

He ended, “These awards justly recognise both the achievements of individuals new to learning and groups for their new and innovative ways of encouraging new learners. But they are doubly important in showcasing the ways learning can lead to new-found confidence, better jobs and better quality of life. I wish the winners and all those who entered every success in their future learning.”

Top of page

______________________________

New survey offers mixed messages on participation in learning by adults

The annual Adult Learners’ Week survey of adults taking part in learning offers mixed messages. The survey commissioned by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) shows that, whilst there has been an increase, this year, in the number of adults participating in learning over a 3-year period, however the number of current learners has dropped.

At first glance, the report – Better News This Time? - offers encouragement. The decline in the number of adults participating in learning reported in 2003 and 2004 has been reversed - the overall participation rate is up to 42% from 38% last year. However the situation affecting current learners shows a sharp fall and is now 4% below the 1996 figure.

The survey also shows that social class, as ever, has a marked impact on participation. Professional and managerial groups (56%) are twice as likely to participate as unskilled and unwaged groups (26%), although the increased participation of skilled workers (40% up from 32% in 2004) is encouraging news.

As in previous years the age divide in participation is clearly shown, with a marked drop for people over-55 (22%). Given the demographic change facing the UK, this is worrying news. A reduction in the number of young people means they can fill only one in three vacancies for new and replacement jobs over the next decade. The other places will need to be filled by people currently outside the labour force, and by older people taking on new roles. On the evidence of this survey, these are the groups least likely to participate in learning.

Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE and co-author of the report, said:

“The results of this survey present some comfort for the Government but also a real challenge in securing a step-change in participation. The reverse in the decline in participation is welcome, but we will need to take active measures to sustain it. The current economic pressures on publicly funded adult learning opportunities make it likely that this trend will be difficult to reverse in the next three years. Yet the economic and social case for adult learning has never been more persuasive.”

He continued:

“Adults need an education and training system generous enough in its range and reach to overcome the learning divide, to support a learning culture accessible to all the communities that make up our society. That implies sustained public investment. It also implies that all employers need to recognise that training and development are a necessity, and that significant investment is required for the development of their workforce. And it implies a larger fee contribution from the individuals who can afford it. It needs a shared belief that learning is lifelong, lifewide and is everybody’s right.”

Top of page

______________________________

Adult Learners’ Week Award Winners – “Are Inspirations to us All”, says the Prime Minister

To mark this year’s Adult Learners’ Week (21st – 27th May), the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has issued the following statement:

“Strengthening families, building communities and promoting learning for life have been priorities for this Government. We have made good progress since 1997, but there remains much to do.”

“Now in its fourteenth year, Adult Learners’ Week is built on a simple formula, copied now in nearly 50 countries across the world. Existing learners in all their diversity inspire others to give learning a go. The key messages – that learning is good for your health, your self-esteem and your employability, whatever your age, stage or previous education – are backed by solid evidence. There is plenty of passion for learning once it is unlocked, and one person’s confidence spills over on to others.”

“Adults are untidy as learners – they start from different places, have different experiences to draw on, and learn in different ways. Some clear the decks for a period of single-minded study. Others squeeze time in after midnight, or early in the morning. Some learn in classes; others through contributions to voluntary organisations. Some learn at work; some whilst unemployed.”

“One thing is common, though, to all Adult Learners’ Week award winners. They have recognised the passion learning can unlock; the way it opens doors, transforms your life and touches other people.”

“One of the successes of Adult Learners’ Week each year has been in broadening popular understanding about how, why and what adults learn and we have been happy to work in partnership with NIACE, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, and a range of other organisations including the European Social Fund.”

“Right across Europe there is a determination by governments, including our own, to embed lifelong learning. The outstanding adult learners, families, groups and projects celebrated during Adult Learners’ Week are key ambassadors for the realisation of that vision and are inspirations to us all. I wish Adult Learners’ Week 2005 every success.”

Top of page

______________________________

Meeting the Skills Gap at the Workplace

Conference for employers and industry partners

‘The needs of the workplace should be paramount when defining training’, will be the key message at a conference discussing new approaches to workplace training, as part of Adult Learners’ Week, to be held in London on Tuesday 24th May 2005.

The Sectoral Approaches to Workplace Learning Conference, organised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), will be addressed by Phil Hope MP, the newly appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Lifelong Learning, who will endorse the need for increased skill acquisition by adults.

The conference will bring together policymakers, senior educationalists, employers and trades unionists to analyse and promote more, better and different adult learning at the workplace. Exemplary stories from the world of work, from employers, training intermediaries and unions, will illustrate how they are all pulling together to deliver better training for individuals, whilst meeting employers’ skill needs at the same time.

Anne Hansen, Development Officer for Workplace Learning at NIACE,

“Employers, trades unions, educators and other workplace intermediaries should attend this conference. It will be directional in developing policy on workplace learning. There will be clear indications of how industry needs to define future training routes, and will illustrate to employers how much adult learning counts towards developing tomorrow’s workforce.”

Minister for Skills, Phil Hope MP, said:

“I strongly support the theme for this conference of developing practical approaches to workplace training. It is essential for employers to be in the driving seat when it comes to the design and delivery of training that will close skills gaps. We need to provide flexible learning packages which fit in with the demands of people's lives and of the workplace of the 21st century.”

Top of page

______________________________

Media Literacy - an essential skill of the 21st century

The ‘digital revolution’ in information and entertainment along with rapid technological change make it hard for people to keep up-to-date and adapt. However NIACE -  in partnership with Ofcom, the Office for Communications - is encouraging learning providers to take up the challenge and organise events on media literacy for this year’s Adult Learners’ Week (21st – 27th May) and beyond.

NIACE has also produced a free guide called - And now press the red button…- which discusses what media literacy is and why we need to know more about it. There are also examples of projects across England and Wales which are enabling people to become more media literate.

In the foreword to the guide, film director and producer, Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, CBE, said:

“All of us share one thing in common, we inhabit a world literally saturated by media. An increasing proportion of that media is digital in nature. Media Literacy is about creating something positive – it is about empowering people by providing them with the cultural awareness, the critical knowledge and creative skills which will help them to understand the way in which we view the world.”

Media literacy events planned for this year’s Adult Learners’ Week include –

The National Film Theatre in London is running an event on Stars. This will look at the way stars are created; at how audiences identify with them and at how the industry views them as marketing commodities. It will look at a range of stars including Marilyn Monroe, Julia Roberts, James Dean and Will Smith.

Channel 4's ORIGINATION:INSITE website-building workshop at the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford will enable people to create a website about how their culture or any culture has made England the place it is today. There will be 2 days of tuition plus contributors will have free web space for 2 years so that their sites can run and develop. It’s an opportunity for people to get their sites featured on the Channel 4 website.

The new BBC Open Centre in Coventry is holding a Eurovision Family Learning Day where you can celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest. There will be a Eurovision look-a-likes and Karaoke competition. New IT users can learn how to access the Internet for the first time to print your Javine (this years UK entrant) Masks and score sheets for the contest that takes place in the evening.

Ashfield Community Radio & Media Training’s Lets Go Surfing event will provide whatever you want to know about using the Internet: getting in touch with far-flung relatives; checking and paying bills on line; getting information; or helping your children with their homework.

Rachel Thomson, Senior Campaigns Officer at NIACE, said:

“The creativity and range of the events planned for this year’s Adult Learners’ Week illustrate the scope and potential for media literacy to become an absolutely necessary know-how for the 21st Century. This is an exciting time to be learning about digital technology - the Internet, I-Pods, video editing – things that can make our lives more fulfilling and help us access and understand the world around us.”

Ofcom, the communications regulator, is supporting NIACE during Adult Learners' Week. Tim Suter, Partner, Content and Standards, Ofcom, said:

"One of the key duties Parliament gave us in the Communications Act was to encourage broadcasters, mobile service providers and the internet industry to provide opportunities for people to develop media literacy skills. We welcome the opportunity to work with NIACE and other partners towards this goal"

Download the Media Literacy Guide here

Top of page

_____________________

Celebrating the richness of our cultural diversity

This year’s Adult Learners’ Week (21st – 27th May) will open with celebrations, across England, to promote the richness and diversity of cultures which exist in the country today. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), the organisers of Adult Learners’ Week, have designated Saturday 21st May 2005 as Cultural Diversity Day.

The purpose of Cultural Diversity Day is to highlight and celebrate our culturally diverse society and to promote racial harmony through learning and an enhanced understanding of how people from different cultures work and live.

Across the country events will be taking place to celebrate the positive impact that cultural diversity has had on our communities and our lives. This will be demonstrated in a range of ways through art, science, history, discovery and exploration, music, and literature.

Events for Cultural Diversity Day include:
Interculture Market in St Ann's Square, Manchester. The day will be launched by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra which will perform a newly commissioned 15-minute public participation opera. Manchester Libraries will be offering a range of activities including origami and story telling. There will be a Bhangra performance aswell as DJ workshops, MCs, and graffiti art. Ribble Steam Museum is hoping to bring a full size steam engine onto the site with interactive activities.

At West Green Learning Centre in London there will be Kurdish Folk Dancing, storytelling, pottery, mosaic and language taster sessions. Children will be able to take part in a Music Production Workshop producing a piece of music, which celebrates the differences in music and cultures. Free Kurdish and Somalian food will be on offer throughout the day and people will also be able to buy African jewellery; headwraps, etc. There will also be a showing of the Kurdish film ‘Hejar’.

Victoria Square in Birmingham will have taster sessions and demonstrations in aromatherapy, Bhangra, colour analysis, creative arts, genealogy, hair and beauty, lace making, motor maintenance, music and media, poetry, radio shows, robotics, salsa, software and textiles. Last year 15,000 people participated in Adult Learners’ Week’s Cultural Diversity day in the city.

St Johns Cathedral Parish Hall, Norwich. There will be a host of activities such as music, traditional dance and exhibits of interesting material from different countries. Organisations will be invited to talk about services available to minority ethnic communities.

The Guildhall Arts Centre in Gloucester is holding a pan-cultural event bringing together a mix of costume, culture and cuisine, alongside performance events featuring Asian and Caribbean music and dance.

Lenford White, NIACE Development Officer for Race Equality, said:

“England is culture-rich in all of its diversity and across the complete spectrum of human endeavour and achievement – from art to science from food to philosophy and from technology to religion – but we rarely take time out to recognise and celebrate this. So much good work in the field of challenging racism and promoting cultural diversity through adult education goes unnoticed. Cultural Diversity Day gives a platform for people to come together to share thoughts, experiences, practice and knowledge and to progress the agenda for community cohesion.”

Click here for more about Cultural Diversity Day

Top of page

_____________________

Official launch of Adult Learners' Week

The largest festival of learning in the UK, Adult Learners’ Week, will be officially launched next Monday, 23rd May 2005, with a celebration of adult learners at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, London.

Learners from across the country will celebrate their remarkable achievements, including families and groups who have learned and worked together to improve their own lives and the lives of others.

The Rt Hon. Ruth Kelly MP, Secretary of State for Education and Skills will give a keynote speech and present the National Senior Learner of the Year Award to Ted Rudge from Shirley in the West Midlands. Actor and TV Presenter Tony Robinson will also address the audience and present the Family Learning Awards to the Aktos family from Leamington Spa, and Linda and Chris Moller from Bristol.

Ruth Kelly said:

 “Over recent years, Adult Learners’ Week has become the single biggest event in the adult learning calendar, giving tens of thousands of people the opportunity to sample and sign up for learning that will improve their lives, transform their careers and help them to enjoy the many benefits that learning brings.

She continued, “It also gives us the opportunity to recognise and reward outstanding individual success in learning, often achieved in the face of great adversity. I have great respect and admiration for the learners, their tutors and advisers, as well as for the families and friends who have encouraged them in their learning choices and supported them along the way. We celebrate all their achievements during Adult Learners Week and hold them up as an example and an inspiration to others.”

She concluded, “For our part, the Government has set the strategy in our March White Paper, ‘Skills - Getting on in business, getting on at work’ but ultimately it is the learners, tutors, trainers and the many partner organisations who share our vision and belief in the transformative power of learning who will make it a success.”

Tony Robinson said:

“I’m very excited about coming to Adult Learners’ Week 2005 and it will be great to meet the winners who are such an inspiration to others. This year I’m helping Directgov launch its adult learning website, www.direct.gov.uk/adultlearning , which is a fantastic new online resource for information on all aspects of adult learning.

He ended, “I’ll also be presenting the Family Learners of the Year award. I know from personal experience that adult education is a great way to transform your life, open doors to new career opportunities and boost your self-esteem. I’m simply delighted to be part of the UK’s biggest celebration of adult learning.

Click here for Adult Learners' Week Website

Top of page

_____________________

Learning transforms lives for award winners

Learners and organisations from across the UK have been officially recognised for their dedication and commitment to learning by the organisers of the UK’s largest festival of adult learning, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). They will be presented with their awards as part of Adult Learners Week 21st – 27th May 2005.

This year’s winners include:

Desi Veeran from Hackney, who, despite a successful career in the city, felt dissatisfied. After obtaining a furniture-making qualification she set up a successful business making one-off commissions. However Desi noticed her sight was deteriorating, which made furniture making too dangerous. Desi developed an interest in glass and has set up her own business and also exhibited her work.

The Bournemouth Pregnancy Project is a group of single teenage mothers who wanted to share their experiences, successes and failures with others. “We want to help the local community by helping teenagers understand about sex, contraceptives, pregnancy and what having a baby involves.” Through learning about multi-media and drama, they have produced an inspirational film to illustrate their story.

Peter Songu from Bristol arrived in the UK from Sierra Leone in 1991. Peter learned English from scratch, qualified as a motor mechanic, before opening a garage in Bristol. Peter has achieved a Level 3 qualification in Improving Own Learning and Working With Others. He has even contributed to other employees’ college fees, and his support for learning extends to his home village in Sierra Leone, where his fundraising has helped to build and equip a school for children and adults.

Lucie Lees from Nottingham, working as a part-time cleaner in 2001, took a chance comment from her daughter saying, “I want to be a cleaner like you mummy” to spur her into action and she has now attended 17 different courses through Sure Start. She is now inspiring others through her new job in the Sure Start Community Team where she supports other local parents.

Mark Ellis from Liverpool was born with cerebral palsy and was unable to read or write until he was 32. This was due to a lack of education - his parents were told that he was ineducable. His remarkable journey from starting his first course at 32 to his graduation with a BA Hons Degree in Sociology and American Studies is a testament to his determination. He has since given speeches in Dublin, Leeds and to The Royal College of Nursing Representatives to help increase awareness on disability.

The Intergenerational Computer Project was started in response to a survey, which discovered that older people wanted to learn about IT from the young. Older learners are matched with young volunteers who teach them IT skills in their own homes. Many of the learners progress to develop more complex skills, including using their PCs for starting small businesses.

Rachel Thomson, Senior Campaigns Officer at NIACE, said:

“Every year, our Adult Learners’ Week awards celebrate the achievements of learners young and old and in all their diversity. Often, these learners need to address challenges, overcome struggles and carve out time for learning from crowded lives – but as a result their lives are transformed. All of our Adult Learners’ Week award winners are inspiring to the thousands of new and existing learners who follow in their footsteps.”

Mark Haysom, Chief Executive, Learning and Skills Council, said:

“My warmest congratulations are extended to this year’s award winners. They are living proof that learning can be enjoyable, enriching and life-changing. I hope their inspirational stories will encourage more people than ever to follow their lead.”

Gordon Pursglove, Head of European Social Fund (ESF) Division, at the Department for Work and Pensions, said:

“I am delighted that this is the fourteenth year European Social Fund money will be used to support Adult Learners’ Week. I hope that the success of all of this year’s winners will inspire many more people to develop their true potential.”

All the winners names and profiles can be found here.

Top of page

_____________________

The DfES e-learning strategy, “Harnessing Technology” (March 2005) identifies the development of a ‘good quality training and support package for ICT for practitioners” in order to build “a professional workforce which can collaborate and innovate in e-learning”, and for the Post-16 sector, emphasises the need for enhancing “practitioner e-learning pedagogical skills”. One way in which this staff development need has been addressed in ACL is through the E-Guides training programme, which is now entering its final phase. This programme has already engaged over 130 Local Authorities whose staff have attended events and are now delivering ‘cascade’ training, sharing skills and knowledge with colleagues across the ACL curriculum. The programme and the extensive materials, provided in hard copy and electronic format so they can be downloaded and repurposed, have met with substantial acclaim.

The Adult Learning Inspectorate's (ALI) recent report (March 2005) “E-Learning: Fulfilling its potential in the adult learning sector?” finds “The adult and community sector has experienced a rapid expansion of the extent of e-learning”, and “ Many adult and community learning providers have recently implemented strategies to develop e-learning. Pathfinder projects and e-guides sponsored by NIACE are beginning to have a positive effect.“

Many factors contribute to the effective introduction and sustained use of e-learning, but staff skills and motivation are clearly critical to the process, and the E-Guides training programme has undoubtedly made a significant contribution. Up to 14 places were made available to each Local Authority to enable staff to attend from across the curriculum. To date approximately 19% of attendees have been part-time staff and some curriculum areas are under represented. However, there is still opportunity to apply and places can also be made available for Voluntary and Community sector organisations delivering ACL. For further details and to view the schedule of events, see www.niace.org.uk/Conferences/TrainingCourses/Eguides2.htm

Top of page

_____________________

Political life is returning to normal following the General Election but, as many of the contributions to May’s Adults Learning attest, there remains a great deal to fight for as ministers settle back into the routine of government. We asked some of the leading players in our territory – and some of our regular contributors – to tell us what they wanted from the new Government. The responses show just how rich a territory it is – and how much there is to be done.

Many reflect not only a concern over policy priorities in Labour’s third term – with Brendan Barber, Secretary General of the TUC, among those calling for a cultural revolution in our approach to skills – but a demand for a new vision of learning, one in which principles and ideas other than labour market targets have weight and where adult learning enjoys something approaching parity of esteem with schools and universities.

Jane Thompson imagines a Secretary of State, fresh in the job and with a renewed enthusiasm for adult learning, reclaiming ‘the kind of adult education that releases people’s energy so that it becomes concentrated and fertile’, that can help them challenge the constraints of the market and overcome the ‘politics of fear’.

Other contributors to this special issue include: Mike Campbell, Director of Strategy and Research at the Sector Skills Development Agency; Brenda Gourley, Vice-Chancellor of the Open University; Alan Wells, Director of the Basic Skills Agency; Kathryn Ecclestone, Senior Lecturer in Post-Compulsory Education at the University of Exeter; Richard Bolsin, General Secretary of the WEA; John Brennan, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges; and Paul Mackney, General Secretary of NATFHE, the university and college lecturers’ union.

May 2005 Issue of Adults Learning

Top of page

_____________________

Will adult learning get your vote?

As voters head to the polling stations, there is one incontrovertible argument for raising the profile of lifelong learning in the new parliament - the changing demographic profile of the UK, writes NIACE Senior Policy Officer Alastair Thomson.

NIACE stakeholders expect a rapid reaction to White Papers and there are certainly things to be said about how adequately the current Government is resourcing its policies, given the flawed drafting of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 which privileges 16-19 year-olds above adults when it come to allocation of resources.

However, the skills White Paper is primarily a matter for England - and it's no secret that the need for such a document at this time owes more to the priorities of Downing Street rather than pressure from the Skills Alliance partners - or even the Department for Education and Skills. On the other hand, the General Election affects the whole of the UK and its relations with the rest of the European Union.

It's unlikely that candidates' and parties' policies on lifelong learning will tip the balance for many voters - even among NIACE members and staff! Economic competence, security and stability, health and crime are the doorstep issues - along with trust and credibility. Even when education features, the debate is invariably about schools and full-time university study.

Nevertheless, regardless of how readers will vote, the election campaign provides a real opportunity to raise the profile of lifelong learning. In marginal constituencies, readers may find if they co-ordinate campaigns alongside those with whom they learn, teach or work, that they acquire some leverage.

As a charity, NIACE must ensure that its campaigns are not overtly partisan and it is bound, in respect of public funds received through Government contracts, by the same 'purdah' rules that ensure that the civil service stays above party politics. This does not mean, however, that NIACE cannot campaign at all.

We will analyse the different manifestos and draw attention to what they say, or do not say. We will suggest that our supporters ask challenging questions of candidates in their constituencies and write to their local papers and call local radio phone-ins. We will also invite all voters to assess how well the education policies and resources set out by candidates meet their expectations for lifelong learning in the 21st century and campaign for a re-balancing of the legislation.

Of course, the diversity of adult learning means that there will not be a single message. Some will want to protect a range of classes that are affordable and accessible in their community or through a particular voluntary body; others will want to ask whether candidates favour protecting the Open University from damage by a higher education funding system that takes insufficient account of part-time study. Some will want to promote the needs of particular groups of learners - whether pensioners or people with learning difficulties or disabilities. Some will want to ensure that the range of popular provision in their local college is maintained while others will call for paid educational leave and statutory workplace training committees.

For all the different voices, which strengthen rather than weaken the case for public support for adult learning, there is one powerful and incontrovertible argument on our side - the changing demographic profile of the UK.

There will, quite simply, not be enough young people entering the labour market to fill all the new and replacement jobs needed over the next decade so it is imperative for the UK to increase the employment rate. If only one in three new jobs will be filled by young labour market entrants, the UK will need to concentrate on attracting into the workforce women from minority ethnic communities, older people delaying full retirement and people moving from benefits into work as well as from inward migration. Furthermore, by 2012, two thirds of new and replacement jobs are expected to require skills at level 3 or above. This represents a massive education and training challenge that extends way beyond a narrow skills agenda concerned with productivity and competitiveness - it also plays out in issues of culture change, quality of life, citizenship and social inclusion.

In an ageing society, the political challenge of ensuring dignity in retirement for every pensioner assumes heightened political significance (not least because pensioners' propensity to vote is greater than that of other sections of the population) and here we have a rallying point from which to defend the full range of learning opportunities for adults.

Readers of Adults Learning need no reminder of the work of the DfES-funded Centre for Research into the Wider Benefits of Learning at Birkbeck College and the Institute of Education that has demonstrated the quantifiable contribution which adult learning makes to health, social cohesion and well-being. Now is the time to disseminate those messages more widely and to call upon politicians to develop policies that nurture a culture of learning which is not only lifelong but also life-wide - and one that inspires more and different adults to realise their potential in their communities and society, as well as in the labour market.

As we do so, it may be worth reflecting on an observation from former cabinet minister, Tony Benn, at the recent lobby of parliament to defend adult learning. He reminded a packed meeting that even more than resources, political will is imperative and pointed out that when the decision was taken to establish a National Health Service, free at the point of delivery, the UK was exhausted and near-bankrupt after the Second World War. Perhaps, most of all, we need to remind parliamentary candidates that the sort of lifelong learning provision they support and resource says something more about sort of society in which they want to live.

This commentary is taken from the NIACE Journal Adults Learning

Top of page

_____________________

What works well for learners and practitioners?

Skills for Life conference from NIACE and NATFHE

The Government’s Skills for Life target requires providers to improve the literacy, language and numeracy levels of 1.5 million adults by 2007. As a preview to this year’s Adult Learners’ Week (21 to 27 May 2005), a conference from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) will make an important contribution towards the debate surrounding the delivery of this target.

The Skills for Life: what works well for your learners and you? conference will be held on Thursday 19th May 2005, at the Britannia Street Conference Centre in London. It will address how providers can work towards attracting more of the harder to reach groups of adults with literacy, language and numeracy needs and give practitioners the opportunity to talk about their own plans and priorities.

Rachel Davies, a Development Officer from NIACE’s Literacy, Language and Numeracy Team, said:

“Hundreds of thousands of learners have so far achieved Level 1 and Level 2 qualifications in literacy, language and numeracy. But the big issue now facing practitioners at the moment is how to engage adults with the most challenging needs and that is not simply going to be a mopping-up exercise. However this conference will give adult learning practitioners the chance to spend a day thinking about what matters most around teaching and learning, to share strategies for engaging learners and get new ideas from colleagues.”

Annette Zera, the conference’s facilitator, said:

“The NIACE & NATFHE Basic Skills conference has a reputation as the most invigorating event of the year.  This years' conference will be no different.  There will be many opportunities for people to talk to each other on the issues that really matter.  And instead of speaking on platforms, policy makers will work alongside practitioners in groups so it is a real opportunity to influence what happens in the future.”

Apply online for this event here

Top of page

_____________________

Joint NIACE/OECD Conference Offers International Perspective on adult learning in the UK

Some of the leading figures in adult education will be assembled at a conference in London on Monday 9th May 2005.

Organised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), the International Trends in Lifelong Learning and their Implications for the UK, Conference will provide an opportunity for policy-makers and practitioners to reflect on the implications of international developments for adult learning policy and delivery in the UK.

Alan Tuckett, Director of NIACE, said:

“This conference is a key development for everyone involved in adult learning. The OECD wants to promote its view of lifelong learning in the UK and the UK’s comparative performance against other OECD countries. This is going to prove critical in defending adult learning over the next 3 or 4 years. This will be one of the most important conferences of the year.”

The conference will review the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation’s (CERI) recent work on recent work on lifelong learning, looking specifically at its development of futures thinking, the implications of brain science for lifelong learning, and its work to strengthen evidence based policy-making. Research into the benefits of learning will also be discussed.

Conference speakers include:

The International Trends in Lifelong Learning and their Implications for the UK Conference will take place at One Whitehall Place, Whitehall, London SW1A 2HD.

Click here for more information or to apply online

Top of page

_____________________

________________________________

Top of page