A think-tank report examined the skills gap, and the 'damaging paradox' that those with the least skills were the least likely to train. Reform of the education and training system was important: but insufficient. People faced everyday barriers to training – from busy personal lives to low-skilled jobs – that limited their access to training opportunities. A coherent skills strategy therefore needed to work on three fronts: the labour market, the training system, and people's everyday lives.
Source: Duncan O'Leary and Kate Oakley, The Skills Paradox: Confronting inequality in adult learning, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Dec
A record number of adults in England gained vocational qualifications in 2007-08. 299,000 adults achieved a full level 2 qualification, compared with 72,800 in 2002-03; and 127,900 adults achieved a full level 3 qualification, up from 67,300 in 2002-03.
Source: Post-16 Education: Learner participation and outcomes in England 2007/08, Statistical First Release 1/2008, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: SFR | DIUS press release
Date: 2008-Dec
A paper examined the impact of lifelong learning on poverty reduction. It investigated whether increasing participation in adult education, and an improvement in skills over more than a decade, had been accompanied by reductions in poverty for the population. The overall conclusion was that participating in adult learning could help substantially to reduce poverty.
Source: Ricardo Sabates, The Impact of Lifelong Learning on Poverty Reduction, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Nov
Researchers examined the extent to which qualifications, when acquired in a person's late twenties and early thirties, led to beneficial changes in a person's wages or employment prospects; and/or encouraged progression to other learning. Acquiring an NVQ2 qualification between the ages of 26 and 34 was found to have, on average, a strong, positive effect on wages of around 20 per cent.
Source: Augustin De Coulon and Anna Vignoles, An Analysis of the Benefit of NVQ2 Qualifications Acquired at Age 26-34, Research Brief CEE-08-02, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: Brief
Date: 2008-Oct
The inspectorate for education and children's services examined aspects of adult and community learning and its impact on community renewal.
Source: The Role of Adult Learning in Community Renewal: Neighbourhood learning in deprived communities programmes, HMI 070228, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | Ofsted press release
Date: 2008-Sep
An article examined the employment effects of participation in adult literacy and numeracy courses. Employability improvements, but no employment effects, were found. Effects on employment might result in the longer term from an increased likelihood of subsequent training.
Source: Pamela Meadows and Hilary Metcalf, 'Does literacy and numeracy training for adults increase employment and employability? Evidence from the Skills for Life programme in England', Industrial Relations Journal, Volume 39 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Aug
A paper examined adults' perceptions of, and orientations to, higher education. Working adults were positively disposed towards higher education: but those from lower socio-economic backgrounds were more likely than others to think it was not for the likes of them, and that it was difficult to access.
Source: Emma Pollard, University is Not Just for Young People, Working Paper 16, Institute for Employment Studies (01273 686751)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Aug
An article examined the experiences and activity of union learning representatives. Learning representatives made a contribution to increased diversity, and represented an injection of 'new blood' within workplace union structures. Some degree of additional statutory support might be necessary.
Source: Alison Hollinrake, Valerie Antcliff and Richard Saundry, 'Explaining activity and exploring experience – findings from a survey of union learning representatives', Industrial Relations Journal, Volume 39 Issue 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Aug
The education inspectorate in Wales said that providers of adult education consistently delivered good-quality education, but were not working together enough to create a joint programme which was specifically tailored to address the needs of the community.
Source: Merging the Boundaries of Adult Community Based Learning, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales (029 2044 6446)
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release
Date: 2008-Jul
Campaigners said that older people were being deprived of the chance to play an active part in society because they could not access new skills through adult education. Two-thirds of older people (64 per cent) were put off attending adult education courses because of the threat of crime when they went out; while 4 out of 10 struggled due to lack of transport, high course fees, and inadequate information about available courses.
Source: Learning for Living: Helping to prevent social exclusion among older people, Help the Aged (020 7278 1114)
Links: Help the Aged press release
Date: 2008-Jul
An audit report said that the government's strategy to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills had helped over 5.7 million adults achieve a qualification or other specified learning aim, at a cost of £5 billion. Targets for the number of adults reaching basic literacy and numeracy standards (750,000 by 2004 and 1.5 million by 2007) had been exceeded, and the government was also on course to meet the 2010 target of improving the basic skills of 2.25 million adults.
Source: Skills for Life: Progress in improving adult literacy and numeracy, HC 482 (Session 2007-08), National Audit Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NAO press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Jun
A survey found that the proportion of adults in learning, or who had been been in learning in the previous 3 years, fell from 41 per cent in 2007 to 38 per cent in 2008. The drop in participation had affected some groups disproportionately: learning participation among skilled manual workers had fallen from 40 per cent to 33 per cent, reversing their participation gains of the previous 10 years.
Source: Fiona Aldridge and Alan Tuckett, Counting the Cost, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Summary | BBC report | Personnel Today report
Date: 2008-May
An article examined the part played by the Trades Union Congress in public policy since 1997, focusing on its attempts to develop social partnership and statutory backing for vocational training. A public administration role focused on the Union Learning Fund had provided the TUC with a new, secondary function, which provided some compensation for the failure of its primary agenda: nonetheless, on the evidence, involvement in workplace learning appeared an implausible path to union revitalization.
Source: John McIlroy, 'Ten years of New Labour: workplace learning, social partnership and union revitalization in Britain', British Journal of Industrial Relations, Volume 46 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-May
A report examined the range of motivations that might increase levels of adult learning. Financial incentives could have only limited impact, since those with limited means often had multiple barriers.
Source: David Chilvers, Segmentation of Adults by Attitudes Towards Learning and Barriers to Learning, Research Report 08-01 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-May
Researchers examined attitudes and intentions towards higher education among working adults in England. Despite having decided not to go to university in the past, working adults had 'remarkably positive' attitudes to HE.
Source: Emma Pollard, Peter Bates, Will Hunt and Anne Bellis, University Is Not Just for Young People: Working adults' perceptions of and orientation to higher education, Research Report 08-06 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: Report | IES press release
Date: 2008-Apr
A report examined what kind of learning was needed to overcome poverty and social exclusion. Political and leadership skills were key to achieving the twin objectives of the government's skills strategy – economic success and social justice. Vocational training which did not address the deeper causes of social inequality was bound to exclude the most disadvantaged in society.
Source: Titus Alexander, Learning Power: A contribution to the national skills strategy, Scarman Trust (020 689 6366)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Mar
Researchers examined the experiences and circumstances that lay behind poor basic skills in adulthood, and their consequences for life chances and adult functioning.
Source: Samantha Parsons and John Bynner, Illuminating Disadvantage: Profiling the experiences of adults with entry level literacy or numeracy over the lifecourse, National Research Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy/Institute of Education (020 7612 6476)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Feb
A new book examined the range of learning that was enabled by trade unions.
Source: Steve Shelley and Moira Calveley, Learning with Trade Unions: A contemporary agenda in employment relations, Ashgate Publications (01235 827730)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Jan
The government began consultation on informal adult learning (learning for which the gaining of qualifications was not the main purpose). It said that the aim was to formulate new proposals to further expand learning, and ensure that people had more control over the format and availability of courses.
Source: Informal Adult Learning: Shaping the way ahead, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: Consultation document | DIUS press release
Date: 2008-Jan
