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New frameworks have recently been created in the UK within which adults can learn at school. This publication provides a guide to how schools can develop their role in opening up opportunities for adult learning. The contents are: Schools and adult learners - the context for change; Partners; Involving parents, learners and communities; People; Funding; The offer; How do we know it is working? Spreading the word; Check it out; Glossary; Further readings and resources; Useful contacts and websites. Show less

This study analyses the 175 projects for adult learning supported by the European Commission under the Adult Education Action of the Socrates I Programme (1995-1999). The study was undertaken between September 2000 and April 2001 and was designed to assess the extent to which these projects provide a basis for the implementation of the new policy framework for lifelong learning in Europe and how the new Grundtvig Action (a sub-Action within the Socrates Programme specifically concerned with adult learning) could contribute to this. The introduction to the report outlines the policy context and the significance of the study, the methodology, the profile of the adult education projects, the implications of the findings of the study, and some practical lessons to come out of the analysis. The next two sections present strategic messages, conclusions and recommendations, based on the findings, for European Union policies for lifelong learning and the implementation of the Grundtvig Action. Areas for consideration include promoting equality of learning opportunities, citizenship, non-formal and informal learning, basic skills for all citizens, investment in human resources, innovation in teaching and learning, program management and monitoring, evaluation strategies and sustainability, and dissemination of knowledge and good practice. The 10 major barriers to the success of projects are listed. Appendix one contains an analysis of quantitative data and appendix two discusses issues of successful dissemination of information about the projects. Show less

Schools are the focal point for adult learning in communities. This policy paper explores the policy environment that is leading to a new view of the relationship schools have with their communities and reviews various models of how adults go to school. It includes examples of good practice, key ideas and a checklist for schools starting to engage with adult learning. It also includes recommendations for governments, Local Education Authorities (LEAs), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) and NIACE and its partners. Some of the recommendations made are: the need for the government to state national expectations of how schools should serve the needs of adult learners along with the support that national and local governments, the LSC and the Inspectorate will provide to achieve these; the need for LEAs to take the lead in helping schools to develop their role in adult learning; the need for LSC to use its strategic role to ensure that funding for adult learners on school premises is steered through the LEA’s Adult Learning Plan; and the need for NIACE and its partners to research the training needs of school teachers and managers to enable them to take on adult provision and develop training packages and tool kits. Show less

Britain like other European countries is ageing rapidly, and just one in three of the new and replacement jobs to be filled over the next decade can be filled by young people starting work. Much of the responsibility for our social and civic life and for care in the community is taken by older people. Yet the gap between wealth and poverty, choice and the absence of choice, and a learning-rich and learning-poor life for older people is stark and growing sharper. This collection from leading figures in the field reviews the implications of demographic change for policy-makers, educational providers and for the workplace as it affects the engagement, retention and enrichment of older adults.

Published summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

The papers are: Demographic challenges: family structures and ageing / Tom Schuller (p. 5-26); The age of choice: a new agenda for learning and work / Stephen McNair (p. 27-38); Fit for purposes: do policies and planning work for older learners? / Judith Summers (p. 39-62); Older & bolder: the NIACE campaign / Jim Soulsby (p. 63-79); Older learners: a modest proposal / Alan Tuckett (p. 80-86). Show less