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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 document is concerned with the development of a framework for quality and success as part of the implementation of ‘Success for all’ (indexed at TD/TNC 72.207), a strategy focused on reforming education and training through partnership in the learning and skills sector. The proposed framework will be created through a new planning, funding and accountability system developed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Key proposals outlined in this report relate to: three-year development plans; the setting and agreeing of improvement targets; performance assessment; three-year funding agreements; and the setting and agreeing of floor targets for success rates. This document refers to the needs of work-based learning providers only, while a companion document (indexed at TD/TNC 81.351) addresses colleges and other providers of further education. 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

A two volume report of the evidence on the demand for, and supply of, skills in England has been produced by Warwick University's Institute for Employment Research (IER) on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in association with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). Volume one provides a national overview of the key issues and challenges facing those charged with delivering skills. Volume two provides a detailed review of the evidence on changing skill requirements at sectoral and local levels. This volume contains the following chapters: Introduction - measurement and value of skills; International evidence on skills; The demand for skills; The supply of skills; Skills deficiencies and imbalances; Future skill needs; Key challenges; Annex A - classification of skill. Includes glossary and references.

Volume two is indexed at TD/TNC 73.591. 'Key messages from Skills in England 2002' is indexed at TD/TNC 73.368. Show less

The Increased Flexibility (IF) concept is designed to broaden the choices available to UK students undertaking General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) programs by providing vocationally-oriented subjects such as engineering, leisure and tourism and business. The national office of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) jointly commissioned York Consulting Limited (YCL) to undertake this costing study in order to demonstrate and evidence the full costs of delivery of IF for 14-16 year olds. The study has involved initial analysis of data about the characteristics of the 270 IF partnerships; based on this analysis, selection of 32 sample partnerships; visits to the 32 sample partnerships to collect information about delivery and costs; and analysis of the data and information collected from the sample partnerships. The study found that delivery costs for Increased Flexibility were generally higher than 16-19 funded delivery, due to the additional costs associated with partnership delivery, support required for the age group and smaller teaching group sizes. In addition, delivery costs varied across the eight GCSEs, with engineering generally incurring the highest costs and health and social care the lowest. Show less

The further education sector in the UK delivers a broad range of education and training through a wide range of organisations. Diverse performance indicators and success measures have been developed within the sector resulting in a lack of consistency in measurement systems between different types of providers. This document reports on the progress made towards a coherent range of success measures and plans for testing and using these in the future, developed by a partnership comprising the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the Adult Learning Inspectorate. These new measures are designed to support the commitment of the sector to equality and diversity and success for all learners. The partnership has developed a new measure of value added for learners aged from 16 to 18 across a wide range of courses and programs and proposes to improve ways of measuring the performance of individual providers in relation to: learners' success in terms of retention and achievement of qualifications; value added and distance travelled; learners' satisfaction; learners' destinations and the long-term benefits of learning; measures concerning staff; measures concerning employers; and value for money. The measures are designed to be used across the learning and skills sector, including colleges, work-based learning providers, adult learning providers and school sixth forms. Show less

This document is concerned with the development of a framework for quality and success as part of the implementation of ‘Success for all’, a strategy focused on reforming education and training in the UK through partnership in the learning and skills sector. The proposed framework will be created through a new planning, funding and accountability system developed by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Key proposals outlined in this report relate to: three-year development plans; the setting and agreeing of improvement targets; performance assessment; three-year funding agreements; and the setting and agreeing of floor targets for success rates. The intended audience includes further education (FE) colleges, higher education institutions with FE provision, adult and community learning provision and specialist institutions. A companion document focuses solely on how these issues apply to work-based learning providers. Show less

In June 2003, the UK government will publish a national Skills Strategy and Delivery Plan. The strategy will establish a broad agenda for raising skill levels amongst young people and adults in close cooperation with employers to ensure that their skill needs are satisfied. The strategy will describe the roles and responsibilities of employers, individuals and government in skills development, including the government’s role in providing institutional, qualifications and quality frameworks. The aim of the strategy is to create a more demand-led learning system and it will include: a comprehensive approach to promoting participation in learning through better advice and rendering learning more attractive and accessible to learners of all ages; the government’s approach to engaging employers across all areas of skills development; adult workforce development, especially in relation to the delivery plan for the new Level 2 target for adults, i.e. to reduce by at least 40% the number of adults in the workforce without a Level 2 or equivalent qualification by 2010; and the outcomes of the review of the funding of adult learning. This technical paper sets out some of the potential options and related funding issues for colleges and providers which are being considered as part of the current review of funding adult learning and development of the skills strategy. It also reflects the work of the Learning and Skills Council Funding Group.

This technical document is published in conjunction with two reports, ‘Developing a national skills strategy and delivery plan: progress report’ (indexed at TD/TNC 73.358) and ‘Developing a national skills strategy and delivery plan: underlying evidence’ (indexed at TD/TNC 73.359). Show less

A two volume report of the evidence on the demand for, and supply of, skills in England has been produced by Warwick University’s Institute for Employment Research (IER) on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), in association with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) and the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). Volume one provides a national overview of the key issues and challenges facing those charged with delivering skills. Volume two provides a detailed review of the evidence on changing skill requirements at sectoral and local levels. This volume contains the following chapters: Overview and summary; Sectoral evidence; Sectoral profiles; Key sectoral issues; Regional and local evidence; Regional and local profiles; Key regional and local issues. Contains glossary and references.

Volume one is indexed at TD/TNC 73.590. ‘Key messages from Skills in England 2002’ is indexed at TD/TNC 73.368. Show less