Adults Learning Back Issues

Contents of issue (Autumn 2012):

Commentary

Download commentary: The case for public investment - [PDF]

The information

The future is flexible

Download The future is flexible - [PDF]

In March, a special issue of Adults Learning brought together voices from across the higher education sector to discuss the crisis in mature and part-time recruitment to HE. Here, universities minister David Willetts gives his response, identifying what he sees as the key challenges to embedding flexible learning in higher education

An agenda for action on vocational learning

First-class adult vocational education and training demands both a ‘clear line of sight to work’ and greater collaboration between employers and providers, argues Jenny Williams

'It's about getting people to talk to each other'

When the WEA in Northern Ireland launched its first anti-sectarian education project in Belfast in the early nineties, little attention was given to the role of adult
education in improving community relations. Now it is recognised as one of the key strands of the work, helping give people both a sense of where they have
come from and hope for a better future. Paul Stanistreet reports

A plan for professionalism in the further education sector

Download A plan for professionalism in the further education sector - [PDF]

The government has approved plans for a new guild for the further education and skills sector. David Hughes, who chairs the steering group which has developed the guild, explores some of the issues raised by the development

Career review: what works for older adults?

The Mid-life Career Review project will pilot and evaluate new approaches to reviewing life and career. With life expectancy rising and expectations of work
and life changing, it is more important than ever that people get the support they need during key life transitions. Stephen McNair and Jane Watts report

Time to change: a participatory approach to inclusion

Hackney’s Roma community is one of the most isolated in the borough, with few adults speaking English fluently or engaging with support organisations. A local authority adult learning project found that giving them the time and space to think about what they wanted to learn was critical in breaking down barriers. Alice Robson explains

Adult learning for the world we want

Adult learning has a critical role as a catalyst to the achievement of a range of social policy goals in countries around the world. Yet it is almost invisible in debate about wider development priorities and we face an ongoing challenge in ensuring that its role is recognised, locally, nationally and internationally, writes Alan Tuckett

Finding our own voice

Seva Mandir has been engaging the people of rural Rajasthan in literacy and community learning for more than 40 years. Since the 1990s the organisation has distanced itself from government and focused its efforts on strengthening the voices of communities, helping them see themselves as agents of change, says Ann Creed

Quantifying the unquantifiable

Quantitative evidence of the value of adult education that goes beyond success rates and satisfaction scores is difficult to obtain. However, a Social Return on Investment study at England’s four adult residential colleges shows that it is not impossible. Jill Westerman gives a brief background to the work, while Jonathan Schifferes and Rosie Maguire describe their research and what they learned

'Real opportunities for social benefit'

Margaret Thatcher's death prompted many to reappraise her contribution to different areas of public policy, education among them. Few considered adult education, but her attitude to the sector, first as Secretary of State and later as Prime Minister, tells us a good deal about her education priorities and the struggle ministers face in making a case for adult education in times of cuts, writes Paul Stanistreet

Only connect

Participation in the arts can make a huge impact on the lives of people with profound and multiple learning difficulties. The challenge for practitioners is to support them in making artworks that are authentically the creation of the artist, says Melaneia Warwick

Autumn 2012

Commentary

Download commentary: Why we need a European vision - [PDF]

The information

Supporting professionalism: see-saw politics and the paradox of deregulation

In the wake of the Lingfield review, Yvonne Hillier and Yvon Appleby survey the fast-changing and uneven policy landscape around professionalism in further education and reflect on how the sector might respond to conflicting signals from government

Lingfield: the future of professionalism in FE

The Lingfield review promises a major shake-up of professionalism in the FE sector. As the dust settles and ministers consider which parts of his vision to take forward and how, we ask a range of voices from across the sector for their thoughts on the emerging shape of professionalism in FE

Download sample article: Lingfield: the future of professionalism in FE - [PDF]

The skills minister’s in-tray

In our autumn issue we asked key players in the learning and skills sector what they thought should be at the top of new skills minister Matthew Hancock’s in-tray. Here is the minister’s response

Ofsted re-inspected

Ofsted’s revised inspection framework puts welcome emphasis on teaching and learning, but, despite improvements, it remains an overly complex and disproportionate document. Overall, writes Frank Coffield, I’d give it grade three – ‘requires improvement’

Localism: the changing picture for adult learning

The shifting policy scene on localism will have an impact on learning and skills providers across England. Penny Lamb outlines the key developments and explores what the changes will mean for the sector

Skills that make a difference

One reason jobs gained by people on the Work Programme are not sustained is that participants’ skills needs are not being met. A NIACE study reveals the often dramatic difference pre-employment skills training can make. Rob Gray explains

Things we didn’t learn at school

Despite a long tradition of community participation and campaigning, activism has been in decline in north Edinburgh. A group of long-time activists decided to do something about it, telling the story of their community and its struggles and showing the wider community that, together, they can make a difference. By Paul Stanistreet

More choice isn’t always better

Choice has become an important component of the drive to reform public services such as education. But to advance the degree of choice in education we need to better understand the factors that constrain it and take steps to reduce them, writes Tom Schuller

Richard: A blueprint for the future of apprenticeships?

The Richard review offers proposals for redefining and improving the quality of apprenticeships, and for focusing them more on the needs of employers. But
will the proposals work, if adopted, and what will be the impact on adults? We asked some of the experts

Download sample article: Richard: A blueprint for the future of apprenticeships - [PDF]

A European vision for adult education

NIACE is UK national coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning, with the challenge of creating a coherent message across the four countries to inform European cooperation on adult learning. To start the debate, we asked Sue Waddington, Alan Tuckett and Fiona Boucher why we need a European vision for adult education

Making the jump

The 2011 Green Paper on special educational needs and disability promised a new approach to transition into post-16 education for young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Yola Jacobsen reviews the reforms and their likely impact on further education, and reflects on progress so far in taking them forward

Autumn 2012:

Commentary

Download commentary: Is adult learning demanding enough? - [PDF]

The information

What should be at the top of Mr Hancock's in-tray?

With Matthew Hancock newly installed as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Skills, with responsibility for further education, adult skills, lifelong learning, informal adult learning, workplace training and apprenticeships, we asked some of the key players in the adult learning sector what they thought his priorities should be

Do inequalities in adult learning matter?

Fiona Aldridge reflects on the entrenched inequalities revealed in NIACE’s survey of adult participation in learning, while Iain Murray and Caroline Berry give their reactions, from the perspectives of unionlearn and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills

Download sample article: Do inequalities in adult learning matter? - [PDF]

Their objection was that if I got the job, I might actually do it'

Les Ebdon faced a campaign of vilification when news of his likely appointment as Director of the Office for Fair Access reached the press. It hurt, he tells Paul Stanistreet, but it only intensified his desire to do the job and to make higher education accessible to all who might benefit from it

Download sample article: Their objection was that if I got the job, I might actually do it - [PDF]

Making social mobility personal

The life stories of professionals from working-class backgrounds now working in higher education not only tell us things about community, school and university life, they chart the history of change in the social make-up of the UK, writes Mary Stuart

Learning to transform communities

In the midst of recession, we need to think hard about how we make the case for investment in adult learning as a means of community renewal and development, says John Field

A spotlight on vocational learning

The Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning is an opportunity to think ambitiously about the future of adult vocational learning. Jenny Williams reflects on the commission’s work to date and draws out some of the emerging themes

'I fell in love with this building'

When the University of Nottingham closed its venerable adult education centre in Shakespeare Street in 2010 and relocated its courses to its Jubilee Campus, Sarah Speight decided to find out what the centre had meant to people – and why place is such an important part of learning

Redrawing the boundaries

Part-time employment is no longer a marginal part of the economy, and that has some interesting implications for adult learning, and for part-time HE in particular, writes Tom Schuller

Getting our hands on history

Archaeology programmes remain largely the preserve of a well-educated, predominantly white student population. One WEA project, which used practical archaeology to overcome exclusion, has shown what can be achieved when prevailing assumptions about participation are challenged. Rob Hindle explains

Universities in their communities

Universities need to be more open and responsive to the needs of their local communities, particularly those facing disadvantage, argues Fred Robinson

Making space to think with others

A number of distinguished adult educators have died recently, among them former General Secretary of the Arts Council, Sir Roy Shaw. Their work and ideas, and the tradition to which they belonged, are a valuable guide for times of crisis, writes Linden West

Summer 2012

Commentary

Download commentary - Proving that we make a difference - [PDF]

The information

Still learning after all these years

Adult Learners’ Week, the UK’s annual celebration of the achievements of adult learners and the impact learning has had on their lives, is twenty-one this year. A survey of past winners demonstrates the long-term impact learning can have, not only on individual lives, but on families and communities, writes Paul Stanistreet

An idea whose time had come

As the twenty-first Adult Learners’ Week gets underway, Alan Tuckett reflects on the origins of the week and the elements that have made it a longrunning success

The confidence to make a difference

Ely is one of the most deprived areas in the UK, with a bad reputation for crime, poverty and educational under-achievement. But a group of mums from Ely’s most  disadvantaged neighbourhood have shown how learning can help grow the confidence and self-belief people need to change their lives and revive their communities. Paul Stanistreet reports

Download commentary - The confidence to make a difference - [PDF]

‘Reading Blake can change your life’

Dismissed as ‘brainless’ at school, Alan Markland’s one saving grace was his ability to read. It grew into a passion for books and reading which survived years of alcoholism and eventual homelessness. He was in his sixties when he began to realise his true vocation as a writer, he tells Paul Stanistreet

Download commentary - 'Reading Blake can change your life' - [PDF]

Helping ourselves, helping others

Jonathan Rose’s account of working-class adult education reminds us of the hugely impressive efforts of nineteenth and twentieth century adult learners, and of how they helped each other to learn, writes Tom Schuller

Making an adult careers service work

With the launch of the new National Careers Service, adult guidance appears to be getting the attention it deserves. But we will have to find ways to demonstrate its impact if it is to survive future Treasury scrutiny, warns Stephen McNair

Closing time?

Pubs often play an important role at the heart of their communities, offering spaces for social networking and civic participation. But with an average of 14 pubs closing in Britain each week, community pubs need more public support, argues Rick Muir

Continental drift

With little acknowledgement of demographic change or the role of non-formal education, the European Commission’s redesign of its education and training programmes looks like a bundle of missed opportunities, writes John Field

‘We need to make it easier for people to change their lives’

Ruth Spellman joins the Workers’ Educational Association with a reputation for driving change in the organisations she leads. But, she tells Paul Stanistreet, her first priority will be to listen to staff and to think about how the WEA’s founding mission can be revived for the twenty-first century

Download commentary: We need to make it easier for people to change their lives - [PDF]

Helping neighbourhoods help themselves

There is renewed political interest in helping communities do more for themselves. New research shows that bringing neighbourhood working and learning together can  strengthen active citizenship and help make the localism agenda a reality, writes Liz Richardson

To grade or not to grade

The grading of lesson observations is a burning issue in further education. While tutors accept the need for accountability, grading lessons can undermine professional relationships and create a climate of fear in institutions, where even experienced staff can be reluctant to take risks in their teaching, says Frank Coffield

Download commentary: to grade or not to grade - [PDF]

The trouble with professionals

A sense of vocation and the ability to work autonomously should be at the heart of being a ‘professional’ in the further education sector. Yet, all too often, institutions are unable or unwilling to do more than pay lip service to their tutors’ professional autonomy, writes Bea Groves

Inspiring a life full of learning

Secrets and Words, the BBC’s daytime drama series exploring issues related to adult literacy, is part of the corporation’s long-term commitment to literacy

learning. Its multi-disciplinary approach provides an exciting model for future work, says John Ludlam

It’s about more than getting a job

An innovative HE employability award, which looks beyond narrow vocational definitions of skills and encourages participants to become ‘career researchers’ rather than passive recipients of information, demonstrates the benefits of a wider, more personalised approach to skills development, argues Wayne Clark

Volume 23, Issue 3, Spring 2012

Commentary

Download commentary: Learning that transforms lives - [PDF]

The information

What’s the point of adult apprenticeships? There’s no reason to think older workers wouldn’t benefit from apprenticeships that helped them learn new skills and progress in their careers. But converting existing workers into apprentices to increase the numbers with qualifications is unlikely to help them fulfil their aspirations, say Alison Fuller and Lorna Unwin

An economic necessity and a vital social and cultural good The power of adult learning is recognised by politicians of all parties. But, as the government’s ill-conceived plans to introduce FE loans demonstrate, we are still some way from getting the balance right between individual, state and employer funding, argues Gordon Marsden

University isn’t just for young people For those who really care about social mobility, it is the decline in applications by mature students, and not the appointment of Les Ebdon as Director of OFFA, that should be setting alarm bells ringing, says Pam Tatlow

'Anyone can teach, everyone can learn' Tent City University has been one of the most remarkable experiments of the Occupy London protest, but, as Paul Stanistreet discovered, it is just one of a number of radical alternatives which are emerging to challenge current educational convention

Download sample article: Anyone can teach, anyone can learn - [PDF]

Does work experience actually work? The government’s work experience scheme for jobless people has been widely criticised, but does work experience actually work – and what more can be done to meet the needs of older unemployed people, asks John Field

Learning for life outside Offender learning can be transformational, but evaluating the work can be tricky, particularly when it comes to tracking ex-offenders in the wider world they encounter on release, writes Tom Schuller

A curriculum for curiosity Michael Gove is right to criticise the way in which information and communication technologies are taught, but his response will do nothing to create the sort of curriculum we will need if we are to produce a generation of thoughtful users and co-creators of ICTs, argues Mike Cushman

A challenge we can’t afford to shirk Welsh ministers have an opportunity to look again at how best to coordinate efforts to meet the needs of ESOL learners. Concerns raised by practitioners in the field suggest they need to take it, writes Cerys Furlong

The joy of reading groups Reading groups have a cosy, suburban image – but NIACE, through its Quick Reads outreach work, has been working to challenge the stereotype, says Sue Southwood

Big books and small marvels The Reader Organisation’s Get into Reading programme is all about getting people together in groups to engage with serious books. The groups are mixed and the participants sometimes challenging, but the outcomes are often remarkable, writes Paul Stanistreet

Download sample article: Big books and small marvels - [PDF]

Making open educational practices a reality The concept of open educational resources has gained ground in the last decade but they are still not being used extensively. Grainne Conole and Eta De Cicco ask how we can ensure a better uptake and enhance the quality of shared resources

Learners need face-to-face advice In times of economic hardship, it is crucial that adults and young people alike get the impartial and informed support they need to make the right choices. Professional, face-to-face guidance is essential in making the most of the information available, writes Lynne Sedgmore

Volume 23, Issue 2, Winter 2011

Commentary

 Download commentary: Reasons to be cheerful - [PDF]

The information

Colleges at the heart of local communities The Commission on Colleges in their Communities found many colleges already deeply embedded in the lives of their communities. The commission’s final report sets out actions to support all colleges in living up to the practice of the best, writes Margaret Sharp

 Download sample article: Colleges at the heart of local communities - [PDF]

Adult learning for social justice The Welsh Government’s new agenda sets out a number of aims to which adult learning can make a contribution. It falls to those involved in adult learning in Wales to make the strongest possible case for its wider relevance, writes Cerys Furlong

Too narrow a vision Some of the measures in the Scottish Government’s reform of post-16 education have been widely welcomed. What is missing, however, is the offer of a broad curriculum beyond the need to find work for a narrow age range, says Jim Crowther

Minding the generation gap With youth unemployment high on the political agenda, the fortunes of the ‘jobless generation’ are being contrasted with those of the ‘golden generation’ of baby boomers, but is one generation really being mugged by the other, asks John Field

Only connect We need a new approach to dealing with social problems such as addiction and low aspiration. Greater integration between social care programmes and learning would be a big step in the right direction, writes Alex Meikle

From exam factories to communities of discovery The current model of education has turned our colleges and universities into skills factories for British industry. The policies of the three main parties will push us further in the same direction, but there is an alternative, argue Frank Coffield and Bill Williamson

We need better democracy, not better citizens Investment in the production of better citizens will not produce the kind of civic learning we need. We do better to ask what opportunities exist for the enactment of the experiment of democracy, writes Gert Biesta

Death and lifelong learning Lifelong learning has a crucial role in enabling us to handle key transition points in our lives, but what can education do to prepare us for the final, inevitable transition, asks Tom Schuller

Helping women into work With women bearing a disproportionate share of economic hardship, their poor representation on training designed to tackle barriers to work is a critical concern. Jane Ward asks what can be done to improve women’s access to this sort of learning

State or society? We need both The Big Society can only be realised with the support of public servants committed to working with local residents to bring about positive community change, argue Jane Taylor and Victoria Appleton

Room at the top An overall increase in learning and skills providers rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ masks a more mixed picture, with too many colleges remaining stubbornly ‘satisfactory’, says Ofsted’s Matthew Coffey

Getting the message across Most employers would like to employ ex-offenders, but often lack confidence in the education they receive in prison. We need to raise awareness of prison education and the attributes offenders can bring to the workforce, writes Richard Goss

Social value and adult learning Penny Lamb examines the current debate on social value and asks what significance the socialvalue approach which runs through much of the government’s public-service reform could have for adult learning

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Volume 23, Issue 1, Autumn 2011

• News

• Commentary

   Download commentary: New term, new vision - [PDF]

• The Information

• Lifelong literacy: an economic, social and moral imperative The experiences of other countries suggest that there are some essential truths about what makes for successful adult literacy policy and practice. Attending to them is not only economically desirable, it is a moral imperative, writes Jan Eldred

   Download sample article: Lifelong literacy: an economic, social and moral imperative - [PDF]

• ‘Peter, you are a writer’ Peter Fewell was assessed as ‘illiterate’ when he was jailed aged 45. Prison education helped him overcome his fear of learning and become a writer
• Learning that opens doors The government’s review of informal adult and community learning is not just about delivering equity and value for money. It is also about demonstrating the contribution informal learning can make to a range of government objectives, says John Hayes
• Building skills to build communities Colleges and other providers are already engaging with their communities in support of the government’s Big Society agenda. Building the skills of communities will be critical to the Big Society’s success, writes Geoff Russell
• Learning our way out of crisis The summer’s riots highlighted the importance of education in showing young people that their futures matter to the rest of us. Unfortunately, scrapping the EMA and slashing funding for youth services send the opposite message, argues John Field
• The student movement must change Toni Pearce, the NUS’s new head of further education, is determined to challenge what she sees as the sector’s obsession with full-time 16 to 18-year-old students. She told Paul Stanistreet why engaging adult students is one of her priorities
• A world worth living in Converging global crises demand radical and creative solutions to which adult educators can make a critical contribution, argues Jane Ward
• Slow train coming The government’s commitment to the development of an all-age national careers service promises a better service for adults than ever before. Sadly, the same can’t be said for young people, writes Stephen McNair
• Put yourself in my place As the summer’s riots demonstrated, lack of empathy is a key factor in explaining people’s readiness to commit crimes. How we acquire empathy is a major challenge to our learning, says Tom Schuller
• The unfinished revolution The government’s efforts to free colleges to respond directly to local need are welcome. The problem is that, just as these restrictions are being dismantled, another apparatus of central control is being erected, argues Lynne Sedgmore

• ‘I run my classes along the lines of Dad’s Army’ One of Britain’s best known painters and sculptors, Maggi Hambling is also a passionate teacher who takes her teaching as seriously as her painting. She told Paul Stanistreet why jokes, silence and cross- dressing all help to make her classes work

   Download sample: I run my classes along the lines of Dad's Army' - [PDF]

• Two steps back Women and black and ethnic minority learners will be disproportionately affected by planned cuts to adult provision over the next four years. Are we in danger of going backwards on equality, ask Sally Dicketts and Robin Landman
• We need a joined-up approach to basic skills Data on adult basic skills in Wales reveal significant challenges, particularly in adult numeracy. They also demonstrate the danger of abandoning an all-age approach to basic skills, says Cerys Furlong
• Getting better all the time City Lit has been on a journey to achieve an overall Grade 1 at inspection. Deputy Principal Nick Moore reflects on the milestones along the way and looks ahead to the college’s next challenges
• Learning for life The success of adult learning courses for people with mental health problems demonstrates the huge scope for collaboration between education and health services, writes Dan Robotham
• ‘I know I’ve made a difference’ Jenny Harriman retired this summer after 23 years leading one of the country’s most creative and enterprising adult learning services. She departs convinced that adult and community learning needs not only tenacity, passion and imagination but also professional management and support if it is to thrive

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Volume 22, Number 10, June 2011

• News
• Commentary: The times they are a-changin'
  Bob Dylan's concern to find more, better and different forms of self-expression has resonance in the lifelong learning sector. But, faced with an uncertain political and economic climate, it remains to be seen whether the soundtrack for the period ahead will be ‘New Morning'
  or ‘Mixed Up Confusion', says ALASTAIR THOMSON
  

   Download commentary: The times they are a-changin' - [PDF]

• Unfinished business
  The wider challenges facing Britain in the years ahead all point to a need for lifelong learning. But, as he prepares to leave NIACE after 23 years at the helm, Alan Tuckett finds there is much still to do to realise the potential of adult learning in helping us rise to these challenges
  

   Download sample article: Unfinished Business - [PDF]

• New strategy, same old problems
  Despite the coalition's commitment to the value of an expansive and inclusive system of lifelong learning, there is little in its strategy to suggest a radical change in direction from the previous government's flawed policy on skills or to address the needs of the least skilled who continue to get the fewest chances to learn through work, writes Bob Fryer 
• Lifelong learning for the Good Society
  In a response to Bob Fryer, Ken Spours argues that lifelong learning is not only education at its most ambitious but an integral part of education for the ‘Good Society'

• Informal learning and the voluntary arts
  Few of the millions of people involved in the amateur arts would think of themselves as engaging in informal learning. Yet, explains Robin Simpson, Chief Executive of Voluntary Arts, in continuously striving to develop and learn from one another, amateur arts groups and the individuals who take part in them embody much of what is best in informal adult learning

• ‘For a lot of people, radio is a lifeline'
  Up for Arts is a unique social action project which uses radio as a means of increasing public engagement in the voluntary arts and crafts. Its success has depended not only on the commitment of its partner organisations but also on the willingness of volunteers to get involved, writes Paul Stanistreet

• All the world's a stage
  Open Stages is Britain's biggest amateur theatre project, a hugely ambitious scheme to bring the professional and amateur theatre worlds together. It is a learning project but, as the Royal Shakespeare Company's Ian Wainwright tells Paul Stanistreet, it is not only the amateurs who are learning

   Download sample article: All the world's a stage - [PDF]

• ‘We're fighting for the heart and soul of education'
  Reductions in further and higher education spending, combined with cuts to helping-hand schemes such as the Education Maintenance Allowance, present a fundamental threat to everything educators stand for. We need to build a credible alternative that puts tertiary education at the heart of a strategy for economic growth and social justice, says Sally Hunt

• Put learning at the heart of community planning
  At their best, adult community learning partnerships not only offer the least educated adults a second chance, they can motivate a whole community by developing a culture of learning. Critical to success is careful planning to meet the needs of individuals and groups of learners, especially those who have been away from learning for many years, writes Estyn's Enid Hankins

• ‘It's about helping people learn to fly'
  For Melaneia Warwick, NIACE Dysgu Cymru's Inspire Higher Education Tutor of the Year, understanding the needs of adult students is an indispensable part of creating a learning environment in which students can find their own individual voices. She told Paul Stanistreet why helping learners find a voice is so important

• Rising to the numeracy challenge
  An Ofsted report highlights the key features of good practice in numeracy teaching and identifies the most common weaknesses seen by inspectors in visits to colleges, prisons, community settings and workplace training. The best provision helps learners see the relevance of numeracy to their work or everyday lives, explains Matthew Coffey

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Volume 22, Number 9, May 2011

• News
• Commentary: The power of stories
  Research can help build the case for adult learning, but when it is supported and illuminated by the inspiring stories of learners you have a powerful force for change, writes RICHARD SPEAR
  Download commentary: The power of stories - [PDF]
• Tough times for adult learners
  NIACE’s 2010 survey of adult participation in learning showed the largest rise for a generation among the least skilled, with current or recent participation rising to 30 per cent. This year, just 23 per cent report current or recent study – the lowest rate recorded over 20 years. It’s clear that cutbacks to provision are hitting those who have benefited least from education the hardest, write Alan Tuckett and Fiona Aldridge
   Download sample article: Tough times for adult learners - [PDF]
• ‘At 75 you don’t expect to become a radio star’
  A Bolton community radio project has been using broadcasting to reach out to and transform the lives of a growing community of learners, of every age and background, for more than a decade. Paul Stanistreet met Dorothy Martland, one of the founders of the project, and learner Margaret Corston, to find out what the recognition of an Adult Learners’ Week Award meant to them
• ‘Adult education is about human being in all its aspects’
  When Derek Legge became Western Europe’s first lecturer in adult education in 1949 few people expected the experiment to last. But his Manchester department proved hugely influential, training educators the world over. In an interview marking Legge’s 95th birthday, Paul Stanistreet asked him about the legacy of his work
• ‘It’s an important moment for colleges’
  The coalition’s skills strategy promises to free further education colleges from the burden of ‘excessively bureaucratic control and centrally determined targets’ so that they can respond more effectively to the needs of both employers and individuals in their communities. Baroness Sharp, Chair of the Colleges in their Communities inquiry, told Paul Stanistreet why she believes a wider vision of the role of colleges is needed
• The road less travelled
  Very few Advanced Apprentices progress to higher education. As the burden of funding higher education shifts from the state towards individuals and employers, it is increasingly important to learn from the minority of employers that support the progression of Advanced Apprentices, argues James Kewin
  

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Volume 22, Number 8, April 2011

• News
• Commentary: Making sense of difficult times
  Download commentary: Making sense of difficult times - [PDF]
• 'The craft so long to lerne'
  Ministers have taken to speaking of teaching as a craft. But is the description valid and, if it is, what are the implications for the way in which we think about teaching and organise teacher training and development, asks Jay Derrick
• Rethinking the boundaries
  The splintering of the public domain makes the development of a coherent lifelong learning system less likely. But while we might want to resist plans to dissolve the boundaries between the public, private and voluntary sectors, debate about the relationship between professionals and volunteers in adult education suggests those boundaries might usefully be rethought, writes Tom Schuller
• How tax relief for training can make a real difference
  Little of the £5 billion companies received last year for training reached those who most need it. The tax relief system should be reformed to focus on the most effective training courses and target the low-paid and lowskilled, says Tom Wilson
• What does the Big Society mean for us?
  Adult education should be an essential element of David Cameron's Big Society project. But providers will need to work hard to demonstrate the wider benefits of all adult learning, writes Peter Davies
• The Learning Age and after
  Labour's 1998 Green Paper seemed to herald a new dawn for adult learning in the UK but by 2010 it had become a marker of how much Labour's ambitions for the sector had diminished. In the fourth article in a series marking 90 years of NIACE support for adult learning, Paul Stanistreet reflects on the Labour years and looks forward to the challenges facing the Institute in the second decade of the twenty-first century
   Download sample article: The Learning Age and after - [PDF]
• Thinking inside the box
  The 'men's sheds' movement is a grassroots phenomenon that has engaged and inspired men from communities across Australia in hands-on, workshop-based social activity. With men's sheds spreading to other countries, including the UK, Barry Golding asks what adult educators can learn from the movement
• 'It can change your life'
  The Get Digital programme aims to deliver digital inclusion for residents of sheltered housing. A NIACE study asked how older people about to take part in the project felt about learning computer and internet skills and what they hoped to gain from it. Sara Bosley reports

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Volume 22, Number 7, March 2011

• News
• Commentary: Adult learning and the Big Society
  Download commentary: Adult learning and the Big Society - [PDF]
• Big Society, big deal?
  Is the Big Society a big deal or is it in big trouble? Alastair Thomson looks at the challenges for adult educators working with one of the central strands of David Cameron’s political project
• Build the Big Society on what we know works
  The Big Society may open up opportunities for the voluntary and community sector, but it will be critical to build on what is already there and not allow good voluntary work to be lost, writes John Low
• Cuts threaten the voluntary sector’s contribution
  David Cameron’s bold plans for a radical transfer of power to citizens and communities are in real danger of being squashed by short-sighted council cuts to the funding of voluntary and community organisations, says Stephen Bubb
• Public libraries and the Big Society
  Volunteers already enrich the public library service but the full value of their contribution is reliant on the presence of skilled and knowledgeable staff working within the direction of a professionally managed service, writes Brian Hall
• The Big Society? It’s already here
  The government’s localism agenda will return real power to local communities. But it is in danger of damaging the excellent work already being done by the huge numbers of volunteers working in almost every sector, argues Richard Kemp
• Meeting the ambitions of our communities
  Current changes to the learning and skills landscape present opportunities and a clear role for local government in ensuring that all communities, including those that are most disadvantaged, have access to a wide curriculum, high-quality, responsive provision and progression in learning, writes Peter Box
• A tough year ahead for women at work
  As the social costs of the cuts to public spending emerge, it is clear that without a radical reassessment of government economic policy, the livelihoods of women across the country will be put at risk, says Nicola Smith
• ‘From worthy margin to lively mainstream’
  The seventies and eighties saw the adult education movement renew and reexamine its commitment to opening up learning opportunities to ‘disadvantaged’ groups. In the third article in a series marking 90 years of NIACE support for adult learning, Paul Stanistreet looks at the Institute’s role in taking these ideas into the mainstream and the challenges it faced in defending them
  Download sample article: 'From worthy margin to lively mainstream' - [PDF]
• Firms still training despite recession
  The recession was expected to deter UK firms from training their staff, but rather than prompting employers to slash training, the downturn has forced companies to concentrate on ‘must-have’ skills and to offer more in-house training to save money. Alan Felstead, Francis Green and Nick Jewson report
• We need to rethink what it means to be a student
  Economic and social prosperity in the knowledge age rest not only on adults learning throughout their lives, much of the time in higher education, but also on universities’ willingness to think radically about the changing needs of their students. Adult access to part-time and flexible study is simply non-negotiable, argues Christine King
• And now for something completely different
  Terry Jones is best known for his work on Monty Python. But he has written books on medieval history as well as a series of children’s stories. Now he has turned his hand to writing a Quick Read, one of the short, fast-paced books for people who are out of the habit of reading. It’s a work that is close to his heart, discovers Ed Melia

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Volume 22, Number 6, February 2011

• News
• Commentary: It's too high a price
  The impact of spending cuts on poorer families will undermine the ability of women to access the sort of learning that will enable them to change not only their own lives, but also the lives of their children and their communities, says CAROL TAYLOR
  Download commentary: It's too high a price - [PDF]
• Women, education and the big, bad society
  The achievements of the women’s movement of the seventies and eighties are in danger of being forgotten – yet, with women set to bear the brunt of cuts to public services and the welfare state about to be sold off to the cheapest bidder, they have never been more relevant, says Jane Thompson
• Every woman’s right to learn
  International Women’s Day marks its 100th anniversary on 8 March. It is an opportunity to reflect not only on what women have achieved through education but to look to the future and the challenges that still face women campaigning for full equality, write Jane Ward, Cheryl Turner, Jane Watts and Jan Eldred
• Taking the fear out of maths
  One clear finding of NIACE’s inquiry into adult numeracy learning is that more classroom learning for adults will not bring about a more numerate society. We need to create a culture in which maths is perceived as worthwhile and even enjoyable, writes Sue Southwood
• A force to be reckoned with
  In the second article in a series marking 90 years of NIACE support for adult learning, Paul Stanistreet charts the changing shape of adult education in the decades following the Second World War, and the Institute’s emergence as a ‘major non-governmental force’ in the development of adult education
  Download sample article: A force to be reckoned with - [PDF]
• ‘We may have to rely on volunteers‘
  A lack of clear information and changes to funding rules restricting fee remission to learners in receipt of active benefits are causing concern among providers of learning for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, reports Yola Jacobsen
• Why investing in ESOL makes sense
  Courses in English for speakers of other languages make a critical contribution to the economy and to community cohesion, but changes to ESOL funding will put much of this important provision under threat, writes Patricia Sullivan
• Resources of hope
  Across the country, public libraries are under threat of closure and with them vital community spaces in which adults can take their first steps back into learning. The impact of these cuts will be devastating, says Lauren Smith
• ‘I‘m fascinated but I don’t have the confidence’
  Struck by the paucity of research into how older people use information and communication technologies, a group of ‘senior learners’ at Lancaster University examined older adults’ changing experience of technology and what motivates them to become engaged. Mary Hamilton reports

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Volume 22, Number 5, January 2011

• News
• Commentary: Back to the future
  This year NIACE celebrates 90 years of supporting adult learning. Reflecting on its early history reminds us that, no matter what the social and political context, adult education can be a force for good for individuals, businesses and society more generally, writes PETER LAVENDER
  Download commentary: Back to the future - [PDF]
• A shared responsibility for skills
  Greater co-investment in workforce development won’t come about simply through government exhortation. It requires dialogue between employers and employees, within a framework of mutual trust and cooperation. Collective learning funds provide us with one such model, writes Bert Clough
• The quality of Mersey
  World-class organisations need worldclass skills, says Merseytravel Chief Executive Neil Scales. That’s why he’s embraced informal learning for his staff, recognising that when people gain satisfaction from personal development learning, they bring that satisfaction and an appetite for developing further skills with them into work
• The write stuff
  The use of creative writing in work environments is easy to mock but there is a strong case for creative learning at work, with clear dividends for both staff and employers, writes Christina Sanders
• Apprenticeships that work for adults
  Adult apprenticeships may not be the answer for all adults, but they are a significant part of the mix of what is on offer to adults. The challenge is to ensure that all the adults who can benefit do, writes Carol Taylor
• ‘We’re an educator, not just an employer’
  McDonald’s UK invests £36 million each year in training for its staff, offering everything from basic skills to foundation degrees. The result, says the company’s Jez Langhorn, is more engaged, fulfilled and motivated employees and more satisfied customers
• Small change, big difference
  The main obstacle to increasing the number of apprenticeships is getting employers to ‘buy in’ to the idea that investing in training and skills could make a big difference to their business and to the lives of their workers. Public procurement is the ideal tool to encourage organisations to develop their apprenticeship plans, writes Catherine McKinnell
  Download sample article: ‘Small change, big difference' - [PDF]
• A voice for apprentices
  Dave Thompson was an advanced apprentice when he decided to set up the Humber Apprentice Panel in 2007, to help apprentices communicate with each other and share their views with providers and other organisations. Jan Novitzky spoke to Dave about the work of the panel, its achievements so far and the challenges it faces going forward
• Making the transition
  How will vocational learners fit into a higher education system facing funding constraints and increased pressure to improve graduate employment? A study of the experiences of vocational learners making the transition from Level 3 to degree-level shows that universities have a key role in supporting successful vocational learner progression and career development, writes Wayne Clark
• ‘A centre for common thought’
  NIACE celebrates 90 years of support for adult learning this year. In the first of a series of articles marking the anniversary, Paul Stanistreet looks at the origins of the organisation, its founding values and some of its early activities
  Download sample article: ‘A centre for common thought' - [PDF]
• ‘I was very scared … now I am not scared’
  A Woman’s Place aimed to reach out to women with English language needs, engage them in learning and help them become involved in their communities. The lessons learned will be invaluable in reaching learners with the least English language skills, says Linda Dixon
• Looking for evidence
  With public funding in short supply, learning providers are under increasing pressure to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programmes. Practitioner researcher Sarah Housden considers some of the challenges facing this kind of research
• Technology in context
  The government-funded Capital project sought to develop understanding of how technology can be most effectively adopted to support learners. Nick Jeans, Andrew Manches, Eleanor Stokes and Kim Balmer report on some of the project’s findings and consider the implications for adult learning

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Volume 22, Number 4, December 2010

• News
• Commentary: Adult Learning in a cold climate
  Reductions in public spending mean difficult times ahead for adult learning, but they also represent an opportunity to think creatively about the sector’s contribution, says JANE WARD
  Download commentary: Adult Learning in a cold climate - [PDF]
• ‘Our aim is to put learners in the driving seat’
  The values of fairness, responsibility and freedom are at the heart of the government’s skills strategy, says John Hayes, with the greatest support going to those who need it most
  Download sample article: ‘Our aim is to put learners in the driving seat' - [PDF]
• ‘Look for the small print – even when it’s not there’
  There are things in the skills White Paper that those who care passionately about lifelong learning and the empowerment of adult learners will welcome. But as well as admiring the angels in the architecture we need to look for the devils in the detail, says Gordon Marsden
  Download sample article: ‘Look for the small print - even when it's not there' - [PDF]
• Encouraging employers to pay their fair share
  The government’s skills strategy commits to reforming skills funding by increasing the contribution of those who benefit. But in failing to set out how it will encourage employers to start seeing skills as their responsibility, the government risks a decline in skills investment, write Raj Patel and Steve Besley
• Blurring the boundaries
  Colleges are already a distinctive part of the mainstream higher education sector. Could the prospect of an increased role in the provision of HE prove the silver lining for colleges in an otherwise tough spending review settlement? asks Lynne Sedgmore
• Business as usual?
  It’s just not an option Sustainability literacy should by now be woven into the fabric of our educational culture. Our present ignorance and lack of engagement is nothing short of shameful, says John Blewitt
• ‘We’re empowering learners who feel disempowered’
  Climate change can be an intimidating subject, and those most likely to bear the brunt of it are usually the least engaged. Paul Stanistreet visited three projects that have broken down barriers to inspire people to get involved and make a positive difference in their communities
• Our vision for a sustainable Wales
  The Welsh Assembly Government is committed to putting sustainable development at the heart of all it does. Education has a vital role to play in delivering its vision of ‘one planet’ living, writes Jane Davidson
• ‘You have to be in the arena to score a goal’
  The Women Making a Difference programme has given hundreds of women in Wales the skills they need to become decision-makers in their communities. It has been a remarkable success, helping women involved in grassroots activism take up public appointments at every level. Paul Stanistreet found out why
• Libraries: what the public wants
  As local authorities grapple with difficult decisions about what services to cut in the wake of the spending review, a timely study shows the value the public attaches to libraries and what they would like to see from the libraries of the future. Silvia Anton reports
• Inspiring a life full of learning
  When Saul Nassé was appointed Controller of BBC Learning he took time to reflect on how the BBC had inspired his own love of learning. He realised that unlocking the learning potential of the full range of BBC outputs would be the key to inspiring a ‘life full of learning’ for all its audiences
• Eyes wide open
  The potential of Google Apps to support learning is significant but it will only be realised if learners and teachers have the skills and confidence to utilise it effectively, says Alan Clarke
• Room at the top
  While almost all adult and community learning providers inspected in 2009-10 were ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’, no provision was found to be ‘outstanding’. There is room for improvement, says Lorna Fitzjohn, but also plenty of evidence of the difference this form of learning makes to individuals, families and communities

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Volume 22, Number 3, November 2010

• News
• Commentary: Employers must commit to do more
  There was good news for adult learning in the spending review, but cutting Train to Gain could be dangerous if we can’t persuade employers to meet more of the cost of training, says Alan Tuckett
  Download commentary: Employers must commit to do more - [PDF]
• Adult learning and the new austerity
  The spending review produced mixed news for adult education, with a promise to protect adult and community learning set alongside swingeing cuts to further and higher education and local government. We asked some of the key players to respond
• University challenge
  The Browne review of higher education funding and student finance has been welcomed as ‘fair and progressive’ by some and condemned as ‘elitist’ and ‘socially disastrous’ by others. Some of the leading commentators and stakeholders from across the sector weigh up the implications
  Download sample article: University challenge - [PDF]
• A foot in the door of an uncertain future
  Browne’s recognition of the importance of fair treatment for parttime students is welcome – but with university lifelong learning ravaged by the withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower qualifications, and part-time fees set to rise steeply, the future for part-time study remains uncertain, writes Bill Jones
  Download sample article: A foot in the door of an uncertain future - [PDF]
• Winning the race to get online
  More than nine million people in the UK are still not online – could they really be only nine hours away from becoming fully digitally included? asks Alastair Clark
• Making sense of the future
  As working lives lengthen, it’s critical that older workers understand the risks of not continuing to learn to prepare for a longer, less predictable, future, writes Stephen McNair

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Volume 22, Number 2, October 2010

• News
• Commentary: Bringing it all back home
  Local Democracy Week is an opportunity not only to celebrate adult learning's role in supporting stronger, more cohesive communities, but also to think hard about how we can help adult learning that promotes democratic citizenship to flourish, writes MARK RAVENHALL
  Download commentary: Bringing it all back home - [PDF]
• Learning that makes sense in the Big Society
  'Localism' is high on the coalition's list of priorities. But what does this mean for local democracy and, with swingeing funding cuts in the offing, what can we do to ensure the relevance of adult learning to the localism agenda is recognised, asks Penny Lamb
• Help us to help ourselves
  The Adult Safeguarded Learning budget has been reported as under threat in the spending review. Yet much of the learning it funds is facilitating the kind of self-organising, grassroots activism the government says it wants to support. Paul Stanistreet visited two local authorities to see the often profound difference this sort of learning is making to communities
  Download sample article: Help us to help ourselves - [PDF]
• "A cornerstone of local democracy"
  Like the availability of effective local services, accessible, quality adult and community education is essential to local democracy, bringing people together and strengthening their sense of belonging, says Ken Thornber
• Learning to be powerful
  It's easy to be cynical about the Big Society but adult and community educators should seize the opportunity to help people develop the abilities, confidence, ideas and mutual support to take power, argues Titus Alexander
• Making the localism vision a reality
  A focus on adult learning has been quietly driving an increase in local activism among those who traditionally have had the least 'voice'. It is precisely this kind of grassroots activity that can realise ministers' vision for a 'Big Society', says Chris Minter
• Hitting a higher gear
  A local-authority led project to restore a rare classic car has brought together dozens of learners from  widely different backgrounds and stirred a real passion for both learning and social history. Paul Stanistreet found out why the project has been such a success
• Build the Big Society on what we know works
  The WEA's active citizenship learning programme demonstrates just how effective education with a social purpose can be in developing political awareness and overcoming civic disengagement. But will it find a place in the Big Society, asks Jol Miskin
• "I can influence change - I am part of the solution"
  A national scheme to train and support community learning champions demonstrates how modest amounts of funding can help transform the lives of learners and build communities' capacity for positive change, write Martin Yarnit and Liz Cousins
• Localism - the new spirit of the age?
  As political consensus emerges on the need for revitalised local democracy, Tom Schuller considers some of the developments likely to drive the agenda forward
• Not without a fight
  It isn't the first time City Lit Principal Peter Davies has had to weather a financial storm. But this time, he says, it's different - the proposed cuts to funding for adult learning are likely to prove disastrous

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Volume 22, Number 1, September 2010

• News
• Commentary: Make sure your voice is heard
  With the toughest public spending review in generations in the offing, the case for publicly supported adult learning needs to made, loudly and by as many people  as possible, says Alan Tuckett
  Download commentary: Make sure your voice is heard - [PDF]
• ‘We can deliver more and save money'
  The government’s consultations on skills policy and further education funding are an opportunity to build a system that harnesses the economic and social potential of lifelong learning. Those who care about adult learning should view it with excitement, not trepidation, writes John Hayes
• Getting the balance right
  The government is consulting the sector on a new skills strategy and a simplified funding system for FE. We asked some of the leading players what they made of the government’s vision and what they would like to see in the strategy
• The fees system is broken – so let’s fix it
  Reforming the fees system in further education in England requires not only a change of mind but also a shift in culture, with everyone in the sector thinking differently and seriously about co-investment, says Chris Banks
• Skills verdict: must do better
  The UK’s skills levels have continued to improve, but so too have those of other countries, often at a faster rate. We must do more, and quickly, if we are to continue to compete with the best in terms of productivity, employment and skills, writes Mark Spilsbury
• Big enough for everyone?
  David Cameron describes his plans for a ‘Big Society’ as ‘the biggest, most dramatic redistribution of power’ from state to individuals. But how can we ensure that the best of the vision is realised and the poor and powerless are not left behind, asks Anna Coote
  Download sample article: Big enough for everyone? - [PDF]
• Cuts threaten long-term vision
  Voluntary and community organisations must be properly funded and supported if they are to play their critical role in realising the Big Society vision, says Stuart Etherington
• The Big Society must be a learning society
  Creating a ‘Big Society’ demands that we see the merits of a wide range of learning programmes and ensure continued financial support for provision tailored to the disadvantaged, argues Stephen Bubb
• A right worth fighting for
  The government is consulting on the future of the right to request time to train. Not implementing the legislation in full would mean missing an opportunity to boost productivity and transform the work and life prospects of employees, says Richard Blakeley

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Volume 21, Number 10, June 2010

• News
• Commentary: Echoes of the Learning Age
• The new minister responsible for adult learning faces significant challenges in securing the resources he will need to deliver his generous vision. He could do worse than start by encouraging employers to do more to pay their way, writes Alan Tuckett
  Download commentary: Echoes of the Learning Age - [PDF]
• Breaking the age barrier
  Education can be a fantastic way of dealing with the life-changing transitions of the ‘fourth age’, says Jane Vass. Policymakers need to look closely at the benefits of learning for the over-75s
• Learning to manage change in the third age
  Natasha Innocent considers what lifelong learning – and museums, libraries and archives, in particular – can do to help people in the third age manage the transition from fulltime work to a mix of work, caring or volunteering
• We need radical new thinking on training
  With four out of five people who will be working in 2020 already in the workforce, we need to improve access to training now. The challenge is to create a framework of obligations, incentives and statutory rights which prevents bad employers undercutting the good, says Tom Wilson
• The future is theirs so let them have their say
  We need to create structures and systems which support young people’s participation and influence even if, in so doing, we diminish our own. They deserve the chance to shape their own futures, writes Fiona Blacke
• Where now for adult learning?
  With £6 billion of public spending reductions already on the table, and far deeper cuts inevitable, what are the prospects for adult learning in the new Parliament? We asked some of our regular contributors what they expected and what they would like to see Download sample article: Where now for adult learning - [PDF]
• Learning for a stronger society
  Education spending underpins social and economic progress. It’s vital that ministers recognise it as a solution to creating a fairer and more inclusive society in tough economic times, and not just another cost, says Tricia Hartley
• Making the good society work
  If David Cameron’s ‘big society’ is to embrace all our citizens, and not just the most articulate, confident and best-networked, it will present a challenging and exciting agenda for adult learning, argues John Field
• Learning for life
  In 10 years of supporting adult education and training, the European Commission’s Grundtvig programme has worked with hundreds of learning organisations in the UK and engaged thousands of learners. With Europe striving to be the world’s leading knowledge-based economy, it has never been more relevant, writes Jane Nimmo
• Learners at the heart of improvement
  On 1 July, Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, launches its new inspection framework for adult community learning, promising a more streamlined process with a new focus on learner voice. Enid Hankins, Estyn’s lead inspector for the area, considers the challenges and practical implications for providers

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Volume 21, Number 9, May 2010

• News
• Commentary: Inspiring others to learn
  Adult Learners’ Week provides a moment not only to celebrate the inspirational achievements of learners but also to think about how funding for adult learning can be re-balanced to restore lost opportunities and re-engage individuals and communities affected by the recession, writes Rachel Thomson
  Download commentary: Inspiring others to learn - [PDF]
• Change for the better
  Adult participation in learning has risen to its highest level in a decade, with the biggest increases in groups underrepresented in formal education. Is this the start of the ‘learning revolution’ heralded in last year’s informal learning White Paper, ask Fiona Aldridge and Alan Tuckett
  Sample Article: Download: Change for the better - [PDF]
• Lifelong learning in challenging times
  As the dust settles on an eventful general election campaign, Alastair Thomson sets out NIACE’s agenda for David Cameron’s new government
• ‘Adult learning and the way it inspires people is crucially important‘
  In the run-up to the general election NIACE came up with a list of six questions which voters could    usefully put to prospective parliamentary candidates. We put the questions to new Prime Minister David Cameron
• ‘Don’t give up, ever’
  Zara Roberts was 18 and planning a career in teaching when a horrendous car crash left her in a coma, with severe injuries to her brain and body. Doctors rated her  chance of survival at five per cent. Yet, just six years later, she is well on the way to becoming a support worker for special needs children, and, this month, is being recognised for her remarkable achievements as a learner
• ‘Never be afraid to give it a go’
  When ill health forced Julie Davies to leave her job 10 years ago she thought she was unemployable. But a series of short courses based in the community gave her a taste for learning and, armed with a first-class degree and a prize from the British Psychological Society, she is now on the brink of a career as a clinical psychologist
• It makes you think
  Philosophy for Children has been offering schoolchildren the opportunity to engage with philosophical ideas since the 1970s. Age Concern North Tyneside had the idea of running sessions with older people mentoring the children. It’s been a huge success, benefiting both the children and the volunteers, and encouraging each to see the other in a different light.
• Going back to school
  The Cambridge Primary Review is a monumental achievement, a comprehensive and far-sighted review of the primary school system in England. But what lessons does it hold for the post-compulsory sector, asks Frank Coffield
• Every day I write the book
  A new project aims to get older people learning by encouraging them to write their life stories. Bookbite provides the ideas, resources and motivation, and is already tapping into a rich reservoir of enthusiasm for writing among the over-60s. Paul Stanistreet visited the project and met two writers in their 80s who have just published their first books.

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Volume 21, Number 8, April 2010

• News
• Commentary: It's time we joined up education spending
  With the squeeze on public spending threatening to further compartmentalise policy thinking on education, the challenge is to convince politicians and the public of the need for a more joined-up approach across the life stages, argues Richard Spear, Director of NIACE Dysgu Cymru
  Download commentary: It's time we joined up education spending - [PDF]
• It’s a matter of principle
  Plans to review the cost of administering education in Wales are welcome, but the promised ‘quick wins’ mustn’t involve a narrowing of the purpose of education or a further move away from the Welsh Assembly Government’s principled commitment to social justice, argues Cerys Furlong
• Getting better all the time
  Work-based learning in Wales has been transformed over the past four years, with providers driving up quality and challenging public perception of its value. Arwyn Watkins describes how they got there
• Ways of working together better
  The Welsh Assembly Government has an agenda to transform post-16 education in Wales. Collaboration – rationalising provision and sharing facilities – is at the heart of the change, but the acid test will be whether students, communities and businesses see the benefit, writes John Graystone
• Tall tales and ripping yarns
  As we approach the general election, Britain is as unequal as it has been for at least 40 years. Why, with plenty of resources to go around, does inequality persist, and what can education do to challenge it, asks Danny Dorling
  Sample Article: Download: Tall tales and riping yarns - [PDF]
• Shifting power to the learner
  Decades of reform have resulted in a system of further education that treats adults like children, with limited control over the qualifications they choose to pursue. Learning accounts – operating like any other bank account, but used only to pay for learning – would shift power back to the learner and help create a genuinely demand-led system, argues Alison Wolf
  Sample Article: Download: Shifting power to the learrner - [PDF]
• The Union Learning Fund: a genuine success story
  Criticisms of the Union Learning Fund are ludicrously ill-informed. The fund has been a genuine success story, helping hundreds of thousands of workers access training and education, and contributing significantly to the country’s economic competitiveness, writes Tom Wilson
• ‘I throw myself into everything – we all do’
  Ed Melia visits Tansley House Care Home in Derbyshire to see firsthand the remarkable impact learning can have on the lives of people living in care settings and on the staff who work with them
• Think before you cut
  With the main political parties set on reducing public spending, you might be forgiven for supposing that ‘savage’ cuts are the only way forward. But there are alternatives, writes economist Ann Pettifor, and that is why public education about the financial system is so important
• This act of cultural vandalism
  The decision to prioritise higher education spending on so-called ‘STEM’ subjects is having a deplorable impact not only on arts and humanities but also on social sciences. Both are vital to our social and economic future, argues Mike Cushman
• Making a connection
  Whether you are teaching adults or children, the best way of engaging learners is to respond to their interests and experiences. Greater emphasis on accreditation shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way, says Peter Leyland

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Volume 21, Number 7, March 2010

• News
• Commentary: We want a fair deal, for learners as well as employers
• Only around four per cent of learners currently co-fund their learning with their employers. A future system could see individuals managing their own learning accounts, co-investing with government and employers in the learning they want to do, writes Mark Ravenhall
  Download commentary: We want a fair deal, for learners as well as employers - [PDF]
• Changing the way we work
  A ‘normal’ working week of 21 hours could help address a range of problems, from overwork and unemployment to low wellbeing and over-consumption. The challenge is to make sure that everyone benefits, not just those who are already relatively privileged, says Anna Coote
• Thinking outside the box
  Britain is not only more diverse than ever before, but that diversity itself is growing more diverse. Our simplistic ‘tick-box’ approach to identity is in danger of inhibiting the very equality it seeks to promote, say Simon Fanshawe and Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah
  Sample Article: Download commentary: Thinking outside the box - [PDF]
• A challenge to do things differently
  Superficial targets and a ‘tick-box mentality’ have contributed to low skill levels and exclusion among society’s more disadvantaged groups. We need a different approach that focuses on real outcomes for individuals and provides better access to education and training for society’s most vulnerable, argues Jacqui Henderson
• Getting the point across
  With an election looming and big cuts to public spending on the way, policy proposals that involve spending large sums of new money are unlikely to be well received by politicians. What questions might we more usefully put to prospective parliamentarians, asks Tom Schuller
• Always changing, always the same
  Over a quarter-century of turbulence and erosion, university lifelong learning has had no choice but to adapt to survive. While some departments have been forced to close, others have found ways to thrive, and the founding principles of the old extra-mural system remain as relevant as ever, writes Bill Jones
• Earning and learning
  Higher education has changed in the past decade, as more flexible, workrelated opportunities to study have become available. Making a success of these changes depends on improving the quality of the advice and guidance on offer to working adults, says Lesley Haughton
• Not all learning is the same – inspections shouldn’t be either
  Under new inspection arrangements for adult and community learning, subject areas will be inspected differently, according to the context and objectives of the learning in question, writes Melanie Hunt
• Reviews

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Volume 21, Number 6, February 2010

• News
• Commentary: Goal of a learning society as remote as ever
  Adult learners look set to lose out no matter which party wins the election. As the storm clouds gather, those engaged with the sector are making the case for a radically different approach, writes Alastair Thomson
  Download commentary: Goal of a learning society as remote as ever - [PDF]
• Where now for university lifelong learning?
  Most universities have cut part-time ‘extra-mural' provision while some have dropped lifelong learning altogether as a concept. What's gone wrong and where do we go from here, asks Gary Holmes
• A university for the people
  These are hard times for university lifelong learning. Survival demands that departments not only adapt to what is valued by the public, politicians and the institutions themselves, but that they retain a principled approach to the purposes of higher education, argues Sue Webb
• Generation crunch
  Research shows that the recruitment of recent graduates by small and medium-sized businesses is a minority pursuit. Government attempts to boost demand will need to be grounded in the day-to-day reality of running a business, says James Kewin
• Not for the likes of you
  The Hills report’s findings on education demonstrate the extent of inequality in British society. Unhappily, the student finance regime introduced by the Government is making matters even worse, writes Sally Hunt
• Trust us to do what we do best
  The £200 million cut to funding for adult students is bad enough but, with no flexibility to transfer money from one pot to another, colleges are having to face up to course closures and the threat of redundancies. It’s time ministers trusted colleges to know what their communities need, Pat Bacon tells Paul Stanistreet
  Sample Article: Download commentary: Trust us to do what we do best - [PDF]
  
• Learning to learn
  Many negative experiences of education are a result of individuals not knowing how they learn most effectively. Giving students the skills to be independent learners can help them develop their learning in a way that is right for them, argues Dominic Roberts
• We need a genuinely demand-led skills system
  A succession of new policy initiatives and quangos has left the skills system with a serious case of reform fatigue. More fundamental change, dramatically paring down the role of the state and boosting the Adult Safeguarded Learning budget, will be needed to break out of the cycle, argues Ralph Hartley
• Putting the vision into practice
  The future of the Government’s longterm vision for informal adult learning lies in the hands of local authorities. Success will depend on linking informal adult learning both with other public services and with the rest of the learning and skills sector, writes Mark Ravenhall
• Lifelong learning at the heart of all we do
  The move to make local authorities ‘lead accountable bodies’ for informal adult learning is an opportunity not only to extend the reach of learning services to those who need them most but also to reinvigorate the founding vision of lifelong learning, argues Ross Willmott
• Speaking up for lifelong learning
  With a general election looming and, with it, the prospect of savage cuts to public sector funding, advocates of lifelong learning need to make their voices heard to ensure the next government recognises the value of our work, says Richard Bolsin
• It’s the journey that really matters
  Accountability is important, especially in publicly funded learning. But how do we go about achieving ‘intelligent accountability’ in informal adult education, asks Sheila Dainton
• It’s all about the learners
  E-technology played an important role in helping Gloucestershire adult education service improve its processes for recognising and recording achievement – engaging teachers and producing a more learner-centred service in the process. Jane Griffiths explains how it worked.

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Volume 21, Number 5, January 2010

• News
• Commentary: What's it got to do with us? Everything
  CONFINTEA VI, the world adult education conference, resulted in a new framework for adult learning to which the UK Government, among many others, has signed up. Just as important, though, it cemented the UK’s place at the heart of efforts to make adult learning central to the biggest issues on the global agenda, says Jan Eldred
  Download commentary: What's it got to do with us? Everything - [PDF]
• It’s in our hands now
  The failure of the world’s political leaders to agree emissions targets at the Copenhagen climate change summit makes grassroots action all the more important in combating global warming. Adult learning will have a key role to play, argues Jane Ward
• People get ready
  Adult education will have an important role to play in addressing the challenges facing the world in the wake of the Copenhagen climate change talks. But what can providers do to make a difference – and what is already being done? Peter Templeton, Elaine McMahon, Jane Wilkinson and Ruth Brook give their perspectives
• It depends on how you look at it
  CONFINTEA VI, the sixth world adult education conference, had notably less senior representation from governments and the United Nations than its predecessor, but, despite evidence North and South that adult education is more marginal now than in the 1990s, there were glimmers of hope, writes Alan Tuckett
  Download: It depends on how you look at it - [PDF]
• A framework for inaction?
  The final framework for action agreed at CONFINTEA VI shows that some advances were made, but it would have been much stronger had delegates been prepared to set clear benchmarks or targets for investment or to make the link between adult education and major crises such as climate change, says David Archer
• Alive and Kicking
  The Street Life Soccer project gives homeless and vulnerably housed people a chance to change their lives through football. Paul Stanistreet found out how the programme works and how football is kicking open the door to work, education and self-fulfilment
• Thinking big, aiming high
  Partnership working underpinned by flexible funding streams and knowledgeable staff will be critical in ensuring that provision for disabled learners continues to  challenge and stimulate in times of reduced public spending, argues Viv Berkeley
• Connecting the classroom
  Becta’s second survey of the use of technology in adult and community learning finds providers thinking strategically about information and learning technology and teachers increasingly convinced of its benefits, writes Nigel Ecclesfield
• Not-so-soft skills
  In times of economic recession and increased pressure on public expenditure, the adult and community learning sector needs to produce evidence of the contribution it makes to the economy as well as to the personal development of its learners, writes Mary Curran
  Download commentary: Not-so-soft skills - [PDF]

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Volume 21, Number 4, December 2009

• News
• Commentary: Skills, yes, but growth? Not really
  With levels of provision for adult learners set to decline yet further we are as far as ever from the sort of coherent education strategy that is essential to a flourishing democracy, writes Peter Lavender
  Download commentary: Skills, yes, but growth? Not Really - [PDF]
• New strategy, same old story
  The Government’s latest skills strategy has met with a muted response, not least because, once again, the Government has failed to recognise the breadth of the contribution education makes to creating a good society, writes Alastair Thomson
  Download "New strategy, same old story" - [PDF]
• Whatever happened to opportunity for all?
  Train to Gain has made employers the gatekeepers for accessing public funding for adult learning – and left low-paid workers firmly stuck at the bottom of the educational ladder, argues James Rees
• Beyond public spending
  Bringing the deficit under control will require higher taxes and lower public spending. Where will we find the funds to help the unemployed remain employable and to develop workers for new industries, asks Mark Corney
• Is everybody happy?
  Last year’s Foresight report on mental capital and wellbeing has prompted much debate on the emergence of wellbeing as a key aim of public policy. For adult learning, obliged for so many years to justify its existence in economic terms, this should be good news, but it will be hard to shift ministers away from a narrow notion of ‘skills’, writes Stephen McNair
• Recession in the regions
  National policy stresses the key role of adult learning and skills in securing economic recovery. But how has the recession impacted on policy and provision in the regions – and what are the implications for learners, asks Helen Plant
• ‘A vital role in uncertain times’
  In a challenging economic environment, the learning and skills sector needs to build on the strengths of its most successful providers and work closely with employers to make its programmes more relevant, more motivating and more productive, writes Ofsted’s Melanie Hunt
• Three cheers for the Government? Well, almost
  Higher Ambitions, the Government’s new framework for higher education, puts welcome stress on more flexible forms of provision, and looks forward to the abolition of the distinction between full-time and part-time study. But there is little recognition of demographic change or of what universities can do for older learners, says Tom Schuller 
• It’s broken, so let’s fix it
  The current system of student fees isn’t working. That’s why the NUS is calling for a radical overhaul of the system that would see graduates contribute to the costs of their degree once in work, according to their income, writes Aaron Porter
• Ofsted inspected
  Ofsted’s new handbook for the inspection of further education and skills promises a ‘fresh approach’ to inspection. But the new framework’s excessive and unreasonable requirements are more to do with controlling colleges than promoting improvement, says Frank Coffield 
• Why it pays to think global
  As delegates from across the globe converge on Brazil for CONFINTEA VI, the world adult learning conference, Jan Eldred reflects on the emerging themes and why they matter to adult educators, providers and learners in the UK
• Get up, stand up
  Ignorance about dyslexia meant a miserable school experience for Barrie Hughes. He was in his 50s when he found the courage to stand up in front of a classroom of learners and admit he couldn’t read. And, as he tells Ed Melia, he hasn’t looked back

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Volume 21, Number 3, November 2009

• News
• Commentary: Learning - it's a family affair
  NIACE is beginning to think about what a new model for family learning in the coming decades might look like. Whatever the social policy challenges we face, it is vital that we build on the core values and well-understood impact of family learning, writes CAROL TAYLOR
   Download commentary: Learning - it's a family affair - [PDF]
• Imagining a different life
  Britain is a less equal society now than it was in the 1960s. It is too early to assess the impact of current initiatives to improve social mobility by widening participation in education, but their long-term success depends on our changing the way we think about these issues, says Mary Stuart
• Learning to fail
  Young people from working-class backgrounds are being let down at every stage of their lives, but mentoring - good support and guidance from an adult who doesn't judge them - can be the key to turning things around for them, argues Fran Abrams
   Download "Learning to fail" - [PDF]
• The education gap is widening
  Despite well-funded attempts to widen university participation, where you live is still a major determinant of educational success, with constituencies with the lowest levels of participation doing progressively worse, writes Sally Hunt
• Learning for life and work
  The main report of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning poses a number of key policy challenges for the development of union learning. The forthcoming White Paper on skills should take note, says Richard Blakeley
• Learning to cope with an ageing society
  Adult education has much to contribute to policy debate on the ageing of society. But making the most of adult learning's potential contribution requires both joined-up government and real engagement at a local level, writes Stephen McNair
• ‘Mind to mind, heart to heart'
  Over the past two decades there has been a huge growth of interest in the art of storytelling, with people in all sorts of different settings recognising its value as a tool for teaching and communication. Paul Stanistreet travelled to Scotland, with its centuries-old tradition of oral storytelling, to find out why
• Reading for life
  A focus on reader development is changing the way public libraries work, and transforming people's lives in the process. The Reading Agency has led many of these changes but they are only the start - with better, sustained funding, there is so much more that libraries could do, writes Miranda McKearney
• ‘They just don't get it'
  Young adult carers experience significant disadvantage as a result of their caring responsibilities - not least in education. While there is some creative and flexible provision out there, too often providers fail to take account of the specific needs and responsibilities of young carers, says Nicola Aylward
• It's about putting service-users first
  As the Government finalises plans for its universal Adult Advancement and Careers Service, Tony McAleavy considers what can be learned from services currently offering holistic support to disadvantaged groups

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Volume 21, Number 2, October 2009

• News
• Commentary: The battle for hearts and minds starts here
  Early responses to the main report of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning have been encouraging but getting the report's key messages across - to  politicians and, most importantly, to the public - will be challenging, writes Tom Schuller
  Download commentary: The battle for hearts and minds starts here - [PDF]
  
• Rebalancing the system
  The main report of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning calls both for a basic rethink of the way we divide up our adult lives and a rebalancing of resources to enable people to take control at every stage. Tom Schuller and Jenny Williams report
  Download "Rebalancing the System" - [PDF]
  
• Realising the vision
  The Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning proposes a strategy for lifelong learning for the next quarter-century. Here, four of the Inquiry’s commissioners – Leisha Fullick, John Field, Teresa Rees and Helen Gilchrist – reflect on some of the report’s key themes
• All we are able to be
  Effective citizenship in the twenty-first century requires that everyone be afforded opportunities, throughout the life-course, to develop their potential. Learning’s role lies in turning the potential into the actual, writes Bob Fryer
• The family way
  This month’s Learning Revolution Festival celebrates, among other things, the transformational power of family learning. It’s time its value was recognised across Whitehall, especially in the schools sector, write Tricia Hartley and Julia Wright
• An experiment in adult education
  The Swarthmore Educational Settlement was founded in Leeds in 1909. A century on, with thousands of students having passed through its doors, it remains an inspiring centre for innovative adult education with a social purpose. Tom Steele reflects on an experiment that has endured against the odds
• Resources of hope
  The Christian church can boast a long – and exceptionally varied – tradition of engagement with adult education. Joanna Cox reflects on the roots of this commitment and describes some of the ways in which today’s church contributes to encouraging adult learning
• Perfect weather to fly
  Failure to finish university left Hannah Ostermeyer depressed and suicidal. It was only through adult learning that she began to put the broken pieces of her life back together again. Ed Melia meets a remarkable learner as she prepares for university for a second time

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Volume 21, Number 1, September 2009

• News
• Commentary: Another year of living dangerously
  The last 12 months have been tumultuous ones for adult learning. With a new government department responsible for post-school education, and escalating pressures on the public purse, the next 12 months may be no less dramatic, writes Alan Tuckett.
  Download commentary: Another year of living dangerously - [PDF]
  
• Towards a digital future
  An estimated six million people in Britain are both socially and digitally excluded. What will the much-vaunted Digital Britain White Paper do to reach them and why does it matter to adult learning policy, asks Rachel Thomson
   Download "Towards a digital future" - [PDF]
• The revolution will be digitised
  The Digital Britain White Paper outlines the Government's vision for the digital future of the country. We asked a number of industry experts, stakeholders, politicians and commentators how they viewed the report and its likely repercussions
   Download "The revolution will be digitised" - [PDF]
• Learning through life
  Beginning from the premise that the right to learn is a human right, the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning has set out a ‘framework of opportunity' for lifelong learning for the next quarter-century. Inquiry chair David Watson describes how his team went about its task and sets out its main proposals
• 'Only a wall - but what a wall!'
  Bill Jones revisits Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure, a novel often identified with the movement to democratise educational opportunity, and wonders just how much has changed
• Part-time learners need support too
  Alan Milburn and Lord Mandelson talk eloquently about driving social mobility, but the Government's unfair treatment of part-time students makes such rhetoric seem hollow, argues Anna Fazackerley
• Time out of mind
  The ELQ policy may well prove the final nail in the coffin of lifelong learning courses in archaeology. Pretty soon it will need a Time Team-style excavation to remind us of what we have lost. Richard Lee and Adam Longcroft explain
• What did Lifelong Learning Networks ever do for us?
  Lifelong Learning Networks were established in 2004 to increase the number of vocational learners progressing into higher education. Five years on, Jill Ward asks whether they have succeeded either in widening participation or in effecting culture change in HE

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Volume 20, Number 10, June 2009

• News
• Commentary: We need an all-age learning contract
  The Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning is proposing a new model of the education lifecourse - it should help us get to grips with how investment in learning at each life stage helps those in other stages, writes Tom Schuller.
  Download commentary: We need an all-age learning contract - [PDF]
  
• Raising our sights
  Making serious headway on the skills and jobs agenda during the current recession will be exceedingly difficult. But unless we take immediate and concerted action we will fall further behind our international competitors, argues Chris Humphries.
   Download "Raising our sights" - [PDF]
• Changing the way we work
  Learning should not be seen as something separate from work. By reorganising working practice to recognise that all work involves and generates learning we not only improve opportunities to learn, we prepare the ground for economic recovery, write Alan Felstead, Alison Fuller, Nick Jewson and Lorna Unwin.
• Investment in skills must be long term
  In the recession of the 1980s, government schemes to improve people’s skills often provoked hostility and resentment among those who took part in them. This time around, can we avoid creating a generation of people condemned to a life of poverty and depression, asks John Field.
• Power in a union
  The work unions do in providing and supporting learning for their members rarely makes the news headlines, but it will be essential if we are to engage those workers who most need to acquire new and better skills to cope in the economic downturn, writes Pam Johnson.
• How should we fund adult learning?
  A funding system that trusted individuals and employers to make decisions about their own learning needs would not only be fairer – it would ensure we get better value for the money we spend on learning, says Stephen McNair.
• Taking learning to the community
  These are tough times for adult and community learning, with many providers struggling to sustain a broad curriculum offer that includes a wide-ranging adult learning programme. South Devon College was determined to keep its flourishing adult offer alive but realised that, with funding increasingly scarce, it had to find innovative ways of ensuring that the wider benefits of learning are available for all. Paul Stanistreet reports.
• More than bricks and mortar
  The 1875 Group was formed by volunteers in 2007 to restore and reinterpret a back-to-back house at Bradford Industrial Museum. The project has provided the museum with a wealth of new research material, objects for display and written and audio information for visitors, as well as inspiring a passionate interest among the volunteers. Paul Stanistreet found out what motivates a remarkable group of learners.
• In their shoes
  At the end of March adult educator Jane Mace travelled to Palestine to take part in a church programme to monitor human rights abuses and support peace efforts in the region. Nearing the end of her three-month stay, she reflects on the role adult learning can play in increasing understanding and promoting justice.
• Learning from the future
  Even before the revelations about MPs’ expenses there was widespread concern about a democratic deficit. Whatever the future holds for our society, adult education will have a key role in sustaining both self and citizenship, writes Kate Watters.
• Letters

Volume 20, Number 9, May 2009

• News
• Commentary: It's not just about marketing
  Campaigns such as Adult Learners’ Week are much more than exercises in marketing. They draw people back into learning, engage employers, and challenge popular prejudices, says Richard Spear
  Download commentary: It's not just about marketing - [PDF]
  
• Adult learning matters
  The original funding proposal for Adult Learners’ Week pointed up the need to challenge the indifference to education of many British adults. Eighteen years on, campaigns such as Adult Learners’ Week still have a critical role to play in engaging more and different adults, writes Rachel Thomson
• ‘There’s light at the end of the tunnel’
  In Touch, a volunteer programme run jointly by the Manchester Museum and Imperial War Museum North, does more than teach individuals about the museums and their collections, it gives them skills and experience they can transfer to their lives and future employment
• ‘Suddenly, I had a little bit of hope’
  By the time she was 17 Lucy Bryson was hooked on crack cocaine and heroin, working the streets to fund her addiction. Her future looked bleak when she was imprisoned four years ago but a project that builds trust and responsibility in young people by teaching them to work with animals has transformed her life
• ‘It opens doors you thought were closed’
  For 10 years, Liverpool University’s Go Higher programme has been helping adults with few or no formal qualifications gain access to university-level study. The standards of learning and teaching on the course are uncompromising – proving, for some, a springboard to postgraduate study – but the only criteria for entry are enthusiasm and a desire to learn
• ‘If at first you don’t succeed ...’
  Adult participation in learning has clear benefits, to individuals, to communities and to the economy, but, with the learning gap between the educational haves and have-nots widening, it remains a minority activity among adults in the UK, write Alan Tuckett and Fiona Aldridge
   Download "If at first you don't succeed..." - [PDF]
• A question of priorities
  The closure of university public programmes across England is a direct result of ministers’ decision to withdraw funding from students studying for a qualification at a level equivalent to or lower than one they already possess. It signifies the end of lifelong learning as an object of mainstream government policy, says Ian Ground
   Download "A question of priorities" - [PDF]
• Getting our hands on history
  When the Leicester branch of the WEA wanted to mark its hundredth anniversary there seemed no better way than to get a class of adult learners to research and write the branch’s history. The process proved both challenging and hugely rewarding, write Cherry Heinrich and Cynthia Brown
• Never too old?
  Although policy objectives for older people are well aligned across government departments, in practice their needs are almost always overshadowed by those of other groups, reports Jay Derrick

Volume 20, Number 8, April 2009

• News
• Commentary: You say you want a revolution...
  While the new money on offer is modest, the rhetoric of The Learning Revolution, the Government's informal adult learning White Paper, is a welcome echo of David Blunkett's preface to The Learning Age and in marked contrast to the language of the skills strategy, writes Alan Tuckett
  Download commentary: You say you want a revolution... - [PDF]
  
• The revolution’s here
  There is consensus across the three main parties that adult learning, in all its forms, matters. As the Government publishes its White Paper on informal adult learning, we ask what they think needs to be done about it
• Revolutionary road
  Last month, the Government published The Learning Revolution, its long-awaited White Paper on informal adult learning. We asked some of the key players and commentators whether they thought the paper lived up to its optimistic title
  Download "The revolution's here" and "Revolutionary Road" - [PDF]
• Mind the funding gap
  The Government’s decision to withdraw funding for students who already have a qualification of equal status has resulted in the closure of lifelong learning courses across England, with some universities shutting down their public programmes altogether. As the full extent of the damage becomes clear, the clamour for ministers to reverse the policy is growing ever more intense, reports Paul Stanistreet
   Download "Mind the funding gap" - [PDF]
• A perfect storm
  The withdrawal of funding for students studying for an ELQ has created a near ‘perfect storm’ for university lifelong learning. The Government should reverse the decision and allow HE lifelong learning centres to focus on more than just survival, says Bill Jones
• Credit where it’s due
  The Credit for Patients project gives people with a long-term illness the opportunity to get credit for learning they do to cope with their condition. The positive results for both patients and carers demonstrate the strong links between health and education, writes Steve Johnson

Volume 20, Number 7, March 2009

• News
• Commentary: Still out of reach
  Practitioners used to pray for the kind of attention adult learning now receives from government but much more will be needed to reach those who still do not think learning is for them, writes Sue Meyer
  Download commentary: Still out of reach - [PDF]
• A university of the air
  Next month the Open University, one of the most significant educational innovations of the twentieth century, turns 40.Paul Stanistreet reflects on its origins and early development.
• Still imagining the future
  As the Open University hits 40, shifts in Government policy are prompting it to reassess one of its founding principles, to widen access to university-level education to adults with few or no qualifications, writes Chris Baker.
• Coming down from the hill
  Lancaster University's Department of Continuing Education has a long tradition of engagement with older learners. Its latest innovation aims to reach out to older people sometimes suspicious of the ‘university on the hill'. Fiona Frank explains.
• ‘We risk failing to invest in the day after tomorrow'
  More than 500 people from across the country attended the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning's February lobby of Parliament. They made sure their voices were heard, lobbying their MPs and ensuring politicians from all parties got the message that the loss of over a million adult learning places is unacceptable. Paul Stanistreet reports.
  Download "We risk failing to invest in the day after tomorrow" - [PDF]
  
• What's become of lifelong learning?
  Sheila Dainton's father left school aged 13 at the start of the Great Depression. When he finally found work the wealth of educational opportunity he encountered inspired him with a lifelong love of learning. What happened to all that opportunity?
• Listening to employers
  When staff at Bishop Grosseteste University first tried to involve employers in course design they received only one response. A more innovative approach was called for, write Jan Machalski, Alison Riley and Karl Aubrey.
• Serious games
  The number and range of virtual worlds is growing exponentially. Sara De Freitas explains why adult educators should be interested.
• Why awards matter
  The Association of Colleges' Beacon Awards were set up 15 years ago to recognise the best teaching and learning practice in further education. As well as raising the profile of the sector, they provide organisations with models of improvement, writes Alice Thiagaraj

Volume 20, Number 6, February 2009

• News
• Commentary: What's become of 'learners' voice'?
  The Government has championed the idea of learner voice and providers have been quick to respond, but what difference has it all made, asks Peter Lavender
  Download commentary: What's become of 'learners' voice'? - [PDF]
• ‘We're laying down a marker'
  Almost 200 organisations have joined the Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning, and more than 90 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion supporting it. On 25 February the campaign culminates in a lobby of Parliament. Paul Stanistreet found out what its organisers and supporters hope it will achieve
• Adult learning matters
  The Campaigning Alliance for Lifelong Learning is to lobby parliament for the restoration of the 1.5 million adult learning places lost over the past two years. The campaign has attracted supporters from an astonishingly wide range of backgrounds. We asked some of them why they believe the campaign matters
• ‘I'm about giving power to those without it'
  A Conservative government would want to see a ‘massive growth' in adult learning, countering the loss of 1.5 million publicly funded places over the past two years, says shadow minister John Hayes. But beating the recession will inevitably mean prioritising employability, he tells Paul Stanistreet
• Achieving all our ambitions
  Policymakers remain fixated on fulltime higher education for young people. But to maximise the contribution of HE, and achieve our ambitions for both economic
  prosperity and social justice, it is vital that we broaden our thinking, says Tricia Hartley
• Re-planning our contribution
  With the UK economy facing its worst downturn in more than sixty years we urgently need to rethink the contribution adult learning can make in mitigating the worst effects of the recession, argues Tony Uden
  Download "Re-planning our contribution" by Tony Uden - [PDF]
  Ready to launch?
  What more can be done to ensure the successful implementation of the Foundation Learning Tier, asks Viv Berkeley
• ‘My award is for my students'
  Award-winning ESOL tutor Lynn Evans has a simple recipe for success - make your teaching as relevant to the lives of your learners as possible. It's an approach that has transformed her department and the lives of many of her learners
• ‘A new world in our hearts'
  John Payne reflects on the legacy of Francesc Ferrer, an anarchist and founder of Barcelona's influential Modern School, who believed that education could create ‘a revolution in people's hearts' 

Volume 20, Number 5, January 2009

• News
• Commentary: The great FE robbery
• The Government has had some success through its Train to Gain programme, but increases in work-based provision have been bought at the cost of a continuing decline in opportunities for adults overall, says Alan Tuckett
  Download commentary: The Great FE Robbery - [PDF]
• Know your place
• While the virtues of lifelong learning continue to trip from the tongues of ministers, modern-day Jude Fawleys are no less likely to find the only forms of publicly  supported adult learning available to be those that make them do their current jobs better, writes Alison Wolf
  Download "Know your place" by Alison Wolf - [PDF]
• The skills paradox
  As the jobs market becomes more competitive adults with poor basic skills will suffer most. Yet the least skilled workers remain the least likely to receive training. A responsive training system will put public money into the hands of individuals and not their employers, say Beatrice Karol Burks and Richard Reeves
• The feeling's mutual
  The idea of a learning ‘bank' or ‘mutual', floated in the Dearing Report on higher education, is helping shape the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning's thinking about entitlement, writes Tom Schuller
• A life of learning for all
  As we begin 2009, the European Union is looking forward to the next phase of its strategy to create a ‘knowledge-based' society. The big challenge will be to ensure that people who currently have only basic skills are not left behind, writes Ján Figel
• Skills for the future
  The economic restructuring of the 1980s claimed many casualties. Only by overcoming resistance to continual learning can we forestall the same fate for those hit by the current economic disintegration, says Judith Armitt
• A learning democracy
  Adult learning has a critical role to play in the changing landscape of local government, not least in developing the essential tools of participative and representative
  democracy, argues Lucy de Groot
• A right to be different
  The European Union has to accommodate difference not just in theory but in lived reality. Adult learning is critical to meeting the challenge of living in a heterogeneous environment, argues Mary McAleese
• A duty to protect
  As a nation we have a duty to ensure that those forced to seek protection in the UK are properly supported to live integrated, safe and fulfilling lives. You cannot achieve this without learning English, says James Lee
• The way we write now
  Computer technologies have brought tremendous benefits to learners, but we are in danger becoming over-dependent on them. Maybe it's time we went back to the basics, says John Arnett
• Towards a health
  literacy curriculum Recognition that health and education providers share a number of important agendas will be key to the successful development of a health literacy curriculum, argues Jan Novitzky

Volume 20, Number 4, December 2008

• News
• Commentary: Together we stand
• A right to a voice
  Many asylum seekers overcome unimaginably horrific experiences to rebuild their lives in the United Kingdom. Their success often depends on having ready access to English language training, writes Chris Taylor
• Tough, but where's the love?
  Every government wants to appear to be tough on asylum seekers. But in failing to offer newcomers immediate access to English language learning we run the risk of missing out on significant economic and social cohesion benefits, Mary Coussey tells Adults Learning
• ‘A virtually limitless resource'
  With skills such as flexibility and originality increasingly required by an economy struggling to adapt to sudden and seismic change, there is renewed interest in what engagement in culture and creativity can offer. The difference such engagement can make to people's lives has long been recognised at Morley College, discovers Paul Stanistreet
• Our people, our culture
  Liverpool's emphasis on its people helped the city become 2008 European Capital of Culture. Bryan Biggs describes the key role public participation has played in making the process a vital and inclusive one
• Our great journey
  The work the Bluecoat does in giving people with learning disabilities access to art and artists is not therapy - it's about giving people freedom of thought and action, says Bec Fearon
• A rare vocation
  Since becoming artistic director of Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral in 1981 Sister Anthony Wilson has seen creativity make a positive difference to the lives of many of her volunteers. She told Paul Stanistreet why she sees people as the prime subject matter of her work
• Seize the day
  When the health of her son deteriorated Sarah Milne was forced to give up a good job and work part-time from home. She had no choice but to become more creative, grasping the opportunity to revive her passion for writing
• Our creative futures
  Digital media offer many new opportunities for learning and creativity but we need to make sure that those currently furthest away from engagement are not left behind, Screen WM Chief Executive Suzie Norton tells Adults Learning
• Mind the reality gap
  Can the Welsh Assembly Government deliver a new approach to adult and community learning that will work for Wales? Only if budgetary resources are there to match the ambition, writes Richard Spear
• Out of reach
  Ofsted's Chief Inspector has offered a hopeful message of general improvement for learners, but much more will have to be done to ensure that those with the greatest needs get the best deal, reports Kate Watters
• Making the most of ourselves
  The Foresight report on mental capital and wellbeing demonstrates that capitalising on the mental resources of older people could actually save the country money. Brian Groombridge takes a closer look

Volume 20, Number 3, November 2008

• News
• Commentary - We must invest in the future
• Where do we go from here?
  The Government's informal adult learning consultation attracted 5,500 responses. Last month it published a reaction promising to work closely with partners to develop a strategy. We asked some of those partners what they wanted from the strategy
• Daring to dream
  When NIACE examined the low participation rates among Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali women in Britain, it found a significant gap between the aspirations of some of these women and the opportunities open to them. Jane Ward reports
• Finding common ground
  There are some positive messages in an Ofsted survey of the role of adult learning in community renewal. Let's hope it leads to greater policy cohesion in relation to neighbourhood learning, writes Kate Watters
• Bridging the digital divide
  As the Government publishes its action plan for consultation on digital inclusion, Alan Clarke, Helen Milner, Terry Killer and Genny Dixon consider some of the challenges and opportunities for the delivery of digital inclusion
• Building communities, transforming lives
  The first-ever Colleges Week took place this month. Here, David Collins reflects on the themes of the week and why they matter
• A busman and his holiday
  Philip Healy describes how seeing the summer school from the perspective of both tutor and learner confirmed his faith in adult learning and its role in civil society
• Softly, softly
  As we move into a period of economic uncertainty, ‘softer' skills are becoming increasingly important for families, communities and employers. Informal adult learning in the workplace represents the best way to cultivate them, writes Abigail Diamond
• Change for the better
  The LSC's new consultation to refresh its national mental health strategy represents real progress and a positive challenge to much else that is written about meeting the needs of learners with mental health difficulties, writes Catina Barrett

Volume 20, Number 2, October 2008

• News
• Commentary - Ready, Steady, Change
• Get happy
  The evidence for the contribution adult learning can make to wellbeing and mental capital is robust, but learning is only one of many possible interventions in policy, writes John Field
• Whose evidence is it anyway?
  When governments and pressure groups attend only to research that suits their political purposes, it makes a mockery of the idea of evidence informed policy and practice, says Stephen Gorard
• Money, money, money
  Mapping spending on lifelong learning - one of the key tasks of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning - is proving highly problematic, writes Inquiry director Tom Schuller
• You live, you learn
  One of the key findings of the Learning Lives project is that learning means much more to individuals and their lives than is acknowledged in policies that focus on the economic function of lifelong learning. Learning is not only more complex, it is also much more intimately connected with our sense of self-identity, argues Gert Biesta
• The future is grey
  By 2020, a third of working people will be aged over 50. Their skills needs will have to be met throughout the learning offer, writes Bill Rammell
• The secret of our success
  By embedding Skills for Life across the whole organisation, Stoke-on-Trent College dramatically transformed performance among its adult learners. Head of Faculty at the college Maggi Rowland describes how they did it
• Quick, quick, slow
  As Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens, Will Johnson takes his first slow, slow, quick, quick, slow steps into the world of ballroom dancing
• Doors open
  Ed Melia finds out what made bestselling author Ian Rankin write a Quick Read - and gets a glimpse into the mind of a writer who retains a childlike appetite for new ideas
• High hopes
  When the Scottish Government decided to commit new money to adult literacy it made working in partnership a condition of funding. The approach has been hugely successful in the Highlands where a ‘literacies partnership' enables providers to take learning to learners, wherever they are. Paul Stanistreet reports
• Books