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The National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS), undertaken by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), provides an overview of delivery and satisfaction with education and training among learners aged 16 or over in England. The NLSS 2004/05, carried out between February and June 2005, looked at a range of programs and interviewed learners about their perceptions of the delivery of education and training and their satisfaction levels in relation to the quality of teaching, management of learning, pre-entry advice and guidance, learner support, benefits and impacts of learning. The focus of this report is on adult and community learning (ACL) provision. Key messages include: 33 per cent of learners were 'extremely' satisfied with their overall learning experience; male learners were more satisfied than female learners and younger learners and learners from minority ethnic groups all displayed lower levels of satisfaction; learners with disabilities were more satisfied overall than those without; and the most common reasons given for leaving the course early were health reasons, excess workload, wrong course and problems with the quality of teaching. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; Overall satisfaction with the learning experience; Overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching/training; Information and guidance prior to entry; Support for learners; Impact of learning and attitudes to learning.

Reports from the 2004/05 NLSS are indexed at TD/TNC 86.393 and from TD/TNC 87.439 to TD/TNC 87.443. Show less

The National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS), undertaken by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), provides an overview of delivery and satisfaction with education and training among learners aged 16 or over in England. The NLSS 2004/05, carried out between February and June 2005, looked at a range of programs and interviewed learners about their perceptions of the delivery of education and training and their satisfaction levels in relation to the quality of teaching, management of learning, pre-entry advice and guidance, learner support, benefits and impacts of learning. The focus of this report is on work-based learning (WBL) provision. Key messages include: nine in 10 learners reported some level of satisfaction with their experience overall; in terms of quality of delivery, eight per cent thought that the provider/college was badly run/disorganised and eight per cent mentioned specific problems with tutors/trainers or assessors; female learners appeared to be more satisfied with their overall learning experience; learners with disabilities were slightly less likely to state that they were either 'extremely' or 'very' satisfied with their experience overall; learners in minority ethnic groups were less likely to state that they were either 'extremely' or 'very' satisfied with their learning experience; and the most common reason cited overall for leaving the course early was that the course or program was wrong for the learner. The contents are: Executive summary; Introduction; Overall satisfaction with the learning experience; Overall satisfaction with the quality of teaching/training; Information and guidance prior to entry; Support for learners; Impact of learning and attitudes to learning.

Reports from the 2004/05 NLSS are indexed at TD/TNC 86.393 and from TD/TNC 87.439 to TD/TNC 87.443. Show less

This report is one of a series of resources from the project, The Disability Discrimination Act: taking the work forward 2003-05, managed by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA) in partnership with NIACE and Skill, supported by the Disability Rights Commission and funded by the Learning and Skills Council.

National guidance ‘Disclosure, passing on of information and confidentiality; guidance for post-16 education providers on implementing the DDA Part 4’ was published in October 2003 and subsequently released to all post-16 education providers via local LSCs. The purpose of this report is to discuss how the sector has responded to this national guidance, the challenges that providers face in implementing the requirements of legislation and to provide some examples of practice in the sector. This report builds on, rather than repeats, the information contained in the national guidance, so you may find it useful to read this report in conjunction with the guidance document.

Published summary with additional information reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for people over the age of 16 in England, except those in higher education. A key goal for the LSC is to widen participation in learning. This consultation document outlines the LSC approach to a strategy for widening adult participation in education and training. The strategy applies to all LSC-funded providers engaged in the education and training of adults. It has been developed by the LSC with key partners at national, regional and local level. The strategy identifies ways in which more adults could be attracted into learning and how they may be positively engaged and retained in the learning process. The key purpose of this document is to seek advice and comment from stakeholders on the effective development of the strategy in terms of the actions proposed. The document summarises the recommended actions within five areas: a partnership approach; appropriate provision; targets and research; equality and access; and funding. The contents are: Summary recommendations; Rationale; Background; Strategy implementation: Summary of consultation issues. A number of annexes are included: DfES Public Service Agreement Targets; Key recommendations for the LSC; Steering Group; English Local Labour Force Survey 2001 - Adult Participation in Learning; Adult learning and social division: a persistent pattern. The NIACE (National Institute for Adult Continuing Education) Survey on Adult Participation in Learning 2002 (report indexed at TD/TNC 69.655); 'Learning works: widening participation in further education' (Kennedy Report, 1997) (indexed at TD/IRD 88.23); LSC strategic objectives for workforce development; Widening adult participation: ways to extend good practice. Research summary and recommendations; Response to consultation; Bibliography. Show less

This report presents findings from a research project carried out in the East Midlands between January and June 2002 under the remit of the regional Learning and Skills Research Network (LSRN). The project focused on researching the extent of alternative educational provision for young people aged 14-16 years and on both their experiences and those of the practitioners involved. Alternative provision was defined as that which was provided by schools, colleges, training providers and employers of young people aged 14-16 who were not attending mainstream school full-time and following the National Curriculum. The primary aim was to determine the modes and levels of provision on offer. In addition, the project sought to gain views as to the provision’s effectiveness from young people and practitioners involved in the planning and delivery of programmes.

Published summary with additional information reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Sharing good practice, and learning from the experiences of others, is becoming an increasingly valued way of improving quality and raising standards in post-16 education and training. This report investigates ways in which colleges are sharing good practice as a means of improving quality, and looks at five particular colleges who are doing so with the support of the Further Education Standards Fund. These colleges form the five major case studies of the report, with each also outlining another two colleges with which they share a partnership. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 college staff, as well as two group discussions. The five case studies outline different ways of sharing good practice, ranging from conferences, consultancy and workshops, to a regional benchmarking network and cross-college activities and curriculum areas. An overall assessment of what does and does not work in relation to sharing good practice is presented, along with an outline of the main findings, which are grouped under the four headings of: initial considerations; activities for sharing good practice; managing the process; and measuring the impact. Show less

This is an overview and synthesis of the Learning and Skills Development Agency's (LSDA's) research and support activity that applies to 14-19 year olds. It pulls together various strands of activity within LSDA between 2000 and 2005 to provide a comprehensive picture of the publications relating to this age group. It is designed for use by policy-makers, practitioners, learners, parents and other stakeholders in the educational system.

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The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and what was previously the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) have been working with the FE system (and particularly with FE colleges) to implement the reforms set out in Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances, and to respond to the challenges set out by Lord Leitch in his recent report Prosperity for All in the Global Economy: World Class Skills (published by HM Treasury in December 2006). One of the key issues is the need to improve awareness and understanding of the role of the FE system among stakeholders. To achieve this, the LSC commissioned Ipsos MORI to conduct research among key stakeholders on their understanding and perceptions of the role of the FE system. This research provides a baseline measure of perceptions and attitudes against which future progress can be measured.

Excerpt from published introduction reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

'Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances' is indexed at TD/IRD 88.158 and 'Prosperity for All in the Global Economy: World Class Skills' is indexed at TD/IRD 88.157. Show less

There is a growing consensus that the only means by which the advanced economies can compete in the era of globalisation is by building on their comparative advantage in education, knowledge and skills, especially at higher levels (Levels 4 and above in the National Qualifications Framework). Since the Dearing report of 1996/97, it has also been increasingly recognised that the further education (FE) sector is ideally placed to improve the accessibility and scope of higher education (HE) at a time when this is a growing economic and political priority. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are the two bodies that share responsibility for this level of provision. They have therefore been co-operating to establish a co-ordinated strategy for action in this area. In the course of this, the LSC has become aware that, though there is a large corpus of literature relevant to the delivery of higher-level qualifications through further education colleges (FECs), there is currently no coherent, up-to-date overview of the subject. In particular, there is a lack of current information on provision classed as 'non-prescribed' HE, which consists mainly of professional and technical qualifications offered by professional bodies. The present study was therefore commissioned to fill those gaps by consolidating existing data and adding to it, wherever possible. [The research found that] FECs make a highly significant contribution to higher-level provision, especially for learners who might otherwise find HE difficult to access because of lack of prior academic attainment, inadequate funding, geographical location, or lack of confidence.

Excerpts from executive summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

In November 2005, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) published the findings and recommendations of the strategic review of the LSC's planning and funding of provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities across the FE [further education] system, Through Inclusion to Excellence [indexed at TD/TNC 87.450]. The overarching recommendation of the report was that, in order to take forward its vision, the LSC should develop a national strategy for the delivery of this provision across the FE system. This document responds to that recommendation and is the first LSC strategy for the planning and funding of provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The strategy is the blueprint for LSC thinking and reiterates the organisation's intention to ensure that all of the 40 recommendations made in Through Inclusion to Excellence are fully explored and met.

Excerpt from executive summary. Show less