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This report provides an evaluation of an initiative to develop adult residential provision aimed at widening the participation of hard-to-reach learners. The initiative was coordinated by a team from the Adult Residential Colleges Association (ARCA) and was designed to contribute to the UK government objective of 'widening participation in learning as a route to promoting social inclusion'. The ARCA project involved widening participation of individual learners in existing ARCA provision and attracting groups of hard-to-reach learners through specifically designed provision including outreach and residential learning. Overall, 472 learners were drawn from particular socially excluded groups and hard-to-reach learners including adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The two-stage evaluation involved collecting survey data from all participants and five case studies of selected programs to provide a detailed evaluation and analysis of specific courses. The evaluation investigated the effectiveness of the programs, the added value of residential provision for learners, and the costs of residential provision. The overall conclusions offer a summary and recommendations for future initiatives in relation to generic themes identified in the evaluation. These are: program design; target groups; recruitment, advice and guidance; learning benefits; added value of residential provision; and progression. Show less

Providing new and imaginative opportunities that encourage adults to learn and develop fresh skills has an increasingly prominent position on social agendas that aim to widen access to learning, regenerate communities, and tackle social exclusion. Non-traditional providers in the arts and cultural sectors contribute to these opportunities by delivering a variety of activities, courses and workshops. This research, which was carried out between August 2002 and January 2003, was a qualitative study aimed at finding out adults? perceptions of informal learning and exploring the potential role of non-traditional providers and venues in offering learning opportunities. Visits were undertaken to 29 venues where interviews were conducted with 131 learners (participants), 46 people not engaged in learning activities (non-participants) and 28 staff with the intention of eliciting learners? views on the provision made by non-traditional providers of adult learning. Learners’ views were very positive, however there were some concerns about resourcing and facilities. It should be possible to develop activities in this sector and to reach a wider audience. Whether accessing such provision can lead learners directly into more formal, accredited courses has yet to be demonstrated but a key component of such progression would be partnerships between non-traditional and mainstream providers, which could provide learners with ready access to information and guidance about courses, and ease the path to further study for those learners wishing to build on the skills or knowledge gained. Show less

In September 2001 the Pathfinder Extension program of innovative educational courses for adults was launched. An evaluation of the program was carried out and the brief for this overview report was to provide a concise, non-technical synthesis of findings. It offers interpretations of the findings which cut across the various parts of the evaluation. These interpretations are based on all the different kinds of evidence which the evaluation produced. The first section introduces the study and describes the parameters of the overview. The next two sections describe and place in context the Pathfinder Extension program and the evaluation. Section four describes what kinds of people came on the Extension programs, focusing particularly on what disadvantages or difficulties they faced, and explaining why these are important both for policy and for the evaluation. Section five talks about how the program was planned and delivered by the teachers, while section six tells how the courses were experienced by the learners, and also by employers. Section seven focuses on the primary question of the evaluation: Did the program make a difference to the education and employment outcomes of the participants compared with going on a traditional basic skills course? It describes the impacts of the program in terms of both education and employment. Finally, section eight sums up what has been learned from the evaluation. The Pathfinder Extension program reached more people with disadvantages in terms of ill-health and dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Both learners and teachers responded favourably to the Pathfinder Extension program indicating that there is a readiness to accept innovation in basic skills provision.

There are three accompanying reports on the evaluation of the Pathfinder Extension program: the report of Stage 1 of the evaluation is indexed at TD/TNC 75.222; the report of Stage 2 of the evaluation is indexed at TD/TNC 75.223; and the final report of the evaluation is indexed at TD/TNC 75.224. Show less

York Consulting were commissioned by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to evaluate the impact of the Learning Partnerships established across the United Kingdom (UK) in early 1999. The partnerships were designed to promote a new culture of provider collaboration across the educational sectors (schools, further education, work-based learning, and adult and community learning) and to rationalise the range of existing local partnerships arrangements covering post-16 learning. This interim report provides an analysis of interim progress and early impact of Learning Partnerships as at May 2001. The report is based on a review of management information, Learning Plan Executive Summaries, national case studies and regional evaluations. The final evaluation report which will be published early in 2003. The first part of the report outlines the key findings and issues from national data and the national Learning Partnerships database developed by the research team and based on Learning Plan Executive Summaries. The second part analyses the key findings from the 20 national case studies and regional evaluation reports and the final section draws together the research findings to present conclusions and key recommendations. The findings demonstrate that although progress and impact in relation to partnership is being achieved, Learning Partnerships continue to face a number of potential constraints.

Other related reports are indexed from TD/TNC 69.278 to TD/TNC 69.280 and the final report is indexed at TD/TNC 75.237. Show less

The University for industry (Ufi), through the learndirect adviceline and the network of learndirect provision, aims to improve the employability of individuals and the productivity and competitiveness of organisations as well as to increase the number of companies providing learning opportunities to employees and improving the quantity and quality of provision. This evaluation assess the strategic learning, the provision of learning opportunities and the consequent outcomes to individuals, organisations and learning provision of learndirect. The five main messages that emerge from the study are: (1) learndirect has so far had more of an impact on individuals than organisations; (2) learndirect contributes to lifelong learning by engaging new learners and by widening participation by reaching out to traditionally disadvantages groups; (3) learndirect leads to further learning progression; (4) learndirect is helping some learners enhance their employability; and (5) learndirect is contributing to the expansion and diversification of the learning market. However, the evaluation also identified some challenges. Engaging new and disadvantaged learners in accessible and attractive learning is not necessarily the best way to seek to enhance organisational productivity. The emphasis on learning progression might also pose some problems of reconciliation for Ufi between allowing learners to learn at a pace that suits them and in a way that is non-threatening but which also provides a route to the acquisition of qualifications. There also seem to be unresolved difficulties around virtual learning. Finally, the evaluation looks at the benefits and risks of Ufi’s more specialised and tailored approach. Show less

This report provides evidence gathered from a large-scale survey-based evaluation of the impact of publicly funded information, advice and guidance (IAG) services on adults over the age of 20 with qualifications of no more than level two or equivalent. The research aims to track individuals over time to identify changes to the baseline position of service users in relation to their work and learning situation and to highlight the extent to which the provision of IAG services have influenced these changes. The results have therefore been compared for different groups of service users, that is, those receiving just information and those receiving more in-depth advice and/or guidance. The main research aims for this current and potentially baseline phase are to: precisely define the population to which the results apply and will apply; to identify any changes to work, learning, confidence and opportunity awareness outcomes at this intermediate stage; and to decide if any observed changes can be attributed to the IAG intervention itself. The majority of the report is concerned with describing the similarities and differences between the two groups of interest: those receiving information only and those receiving advice and/or guidance. Show less

This report contains the findings of a research study commissioned by the Guidance Council to inform the future development of information and guidance (IAG) services in the UK. It is a comprehensive follow-up to the first Market & Opinion Research International (MORI) study undertaken in 2000 and its primary aim is to assess how the public's perceptions of IAG provision have changed since the first study. The research consisted of a literature review, a pilot survey and a large-scale face-to-face survey of the general public. The report analyses the relevance and perceived benefits of IAG, and suggests how provisions can be improved to meet the changing needs of adults. The research indicates that users are still generally very satisfied with IAG services currently available. One concern is that, although provision has expanded rapidly over the past four years, use of IAG has fallen slightly over this same period of time. The evidence suggests that the same, or very similar, groups are being excluded, or at risk of being excluded, as reported in the earlier survey. Employers continue to be seen as the most useful source of IAG, although the Internet has increased in importance. Demand for IAG remains tightly connected to demand for new skills, a new job and career progression. Targeted strategies are proposed to promote wider access and take-up of IAG services. The report presents its findings under the following topics: general attitudes towards learning and skills development, and perceptions of IAG services; awareness of different sources of IAG; levels of use of IAG and the nature of IAG interventions, including employer provision; satisfaction with IAG process and outcomes; unmet need for IAG provision; IAG service priorities and gaps in provision; image of IAG services; scope for expansion of services; and public willingness to pay for IAG. Show less

Learning Partnerships were set up across the United Kingdom (UK) in early 1999 to promote a new culture across the school, further education (FE) work-based learning, and adult and community learning sectors to rationalise the range of existing local partnership arrangements covering post-16 learning. This is the fourth of six reports. It provides an update of the progress that Learning Partnerships have made nationally and is based upon an analysis of Learning Partnerships' performance as reported by the partnerships themselves, 20 national case studies, and a review of five regional evaluation reports. The contents are: Introduction; Purpose and focus; Learning Partnership activities; Relationships; Area inspections; Impact; Added value; Conclusions and Recommendations.

The other reports are indexed at TD/TNC 68.196, TD/TNC 69.279 and TD/TNC 69.280 and the final report is indexed at TD/TNC 75.237. Show less

The aim of this research was to assist in the development of impact measures for adult and community learning (ACL). It provides a detailed profile of the characteristics of learners representing ACL in Local Education Authority (LEA) provided adult education, community and voluntary provision, and information and communications technology (ICT) related provision in England. It also measures the impact (direct and indirect benefits) of learning. The findings are presented under the following headings: Learner profile; Patterns of learner activity; Details of the 2001/2 course; Impact of the 2001/2 course; Future plans. The main findings indicate that: most learners are older and female; 71 per cent have undertaken some other form of learning apart from adult and community learning since leaving continuous full-time education; 35 per cent had a disability or long term illness compared to 21 per cent of the general population; 56 per cent either had no qualifications or qualifications at level one on leaving compulsory full-time education; 66 per cent of learners went on to do further learning in 2002/03.; ICT learners are the most likely group to be aiming to achieve qualifications; and the main non-economic benefits LEA learners get relate to mental and emotional well being. Show less

This report presents the findings of an extensive consultation process which was intended to establish the readiness of Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to provide new Individual Learner Record (ILR) management information (MI) to be introduced by the Learning Skills Council (LSC) in September 2003. The ability of LEAs to systematise the quality of their returns on adult education and generally to improve their MI for a variety of purposes is also tested. The study seeks to achieve its objectives by: making an assessment of LEA readiness to meet the reporting requirements of the ILR against a generic classification of capacity; providing an assessment of hardware, software, connectivity, skills, organisational culture and ownership issues; providing an assessment of how group-based issues might be resolved; and formulating recommendations for the future. Show less