An audit report examined progress in Northern Ireland in improving adult literacy and numeracy.
Source: Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy, National Ireland Audit Office/TSO
Links: Report | NIAO press release
Date: 2009-Dec
A report said that approximately one-fifth of Scottish adults did not have the literacy skills they needed for their daily lives. 13,000 pupils left primary school every year without reaching even basic levels of literacy. Deprivation was the biggest barrier to literacy. Help was needed before children started school.
Source: A Vision For Scotland, Literacy Commission
Links: Report | Scottish Labour Party press release | NASUWT press release | BBC report
Date: 2009-Dec
A report summarized the findings of a two-year evaluation project to assess the impact and effectiveness of family literacy programmes in England. Family literacy programmes continued to be effective and to bring benefits to parents and children that included – and went beyond – improvements in their literacy skills.
Source: Learning Literacy Together: The impact and effectiveness of family literacy on parents, children, families and schools, National Research and Development Centre for Adult Literacy and Numeracy
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Dec
Researchers found that the government's Skills for Life initiative had not significantly improved literacy or the economic performance of participating companies. One of the main reasons for the failure of the initiative was that courses were simply not long enough – a total of just 30 hours teaching on average. Firms and public sector organizations also found it hard to fit classes in with work patterns, and were unable to provide the long-term stability necessary for effective learning.
Source: Alison Wolf, Tom Jupp, John Bynner and Karen Evans, Enhancing 'Skills for Life': Adult basic skills and workplace learning, Economic and Social Research Council (01793 413000)
Links: Report | ESRC press release | New Start report
Date: 2009-Nov
A report said that family learning had a powerful contribution to make to the future of lifelong learning. It made a number of recommendations, including: the introduction of new national indicators for this area; a wider introduction of the system for capturing the generic outcomes of learning; reforms to workforce development; a system of local lead learning practitioners to advocate on behalf of learning in families; and the introduction of a new curriculum for social justice.
Source: Penny Lamb, The Impact of Learning as a Family: A model for the 21st Century, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Report | NIACE press release
Date: 2009-Nov
A study examined the potential for introducing adults to learning about legal matters affecting them, such as debt advice, making a will, family law, and citizenship.
Source: Howard Gannaway and Lorraine Casey, Potential for Public Legal Education in Adult Learning: Report on a consultation with adult learning experts, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Report | NIACE press release
Date: 2009-Nov
A study found that taking a literacy or numeracy course at college could improve adults' self-esteem, health, independence, and ability to conduct a wide range of everyday activities. It could also set adults on the path to further learning.
Source: Hilary Metcalf et al., Evaluation of the Impact of Skills for Life Learning: Longitudinal survey of adult learners on college-based literacy and numeracy courses, final report, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (0870 150 2500)
Links: Report | DBIS press release | NIACE press release
Date: 2009-Nov
An inquiry report said that unfair rules on funding, together with conflicting government policies, were holding back efforts to provide education to people of all ages. It set out a new strategic framework for lifelong learning for the next 10-15 years, and called for an 'authoritative body to oversee and scrutinize' the development of the new system. It said that a single central government department should take responsibility for lifelong learning, with a Cabinet committee responsible for monitoring cross-government targets.
Source: Tom Schuller and David Watson, Learning Through Life: Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning, Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning, c/o National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Summary | ILL press release | NIACE press release | Times Higher Education report | Guardian report | People Management report | Personnel Today report | Training Journal report
Date: 2009-Sep
A report examined the impact of mothers' participation in learning during adulthood on the subsequent attainment of their children in English and maths at key stage 3. Taking into account the influence of background factors, in particular mothers' prior education, the results showed no association – mothers' adult learning showed no added value for their children's achievements between key stage 2 and key stage 3.
Source: Ricardo Sabates and Kathryn Duckworth, The Impact of Mothers' Learning on their Children's Academic Performance at Key Stage 3: Evidence from ALSPAC, Research Report 32, Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning/University of London (020 7612 6291)
Date: 2009-Jul
The inspectorate for education and children's services published a small-scale survey report that evaluated aspects of family learning and its benefits for adult participants and their children, their families, and the wider community. It explored a range of delivery models, gave examples of good practice, and made recommendations for improvement.
Source: Family Learning: An evaluation of the benefits of family learning for participants, their families and the wider community, HMI 080265, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | NIACE press release
Date: 2009-Jul
A report said that despite the fact that improved well-being was increasingly recognized as a significant result of taking part in adult learning, for too many adults seeking help to get back on the learning ladder after the age of 25, the choice was largely restricted to narrow skills-for-work programmes that did little to improve well-being.
Source: John Field, Well-being and Happiness, Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning/National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Report | NIACE press release | New Start report
Date: 2009-Jun
A report said that adult education was one of the ways in which older people could remain active and engaged in society, and made proposals for improving education for older people – including a new and more powerful role for local authorities.
Source: Stephen McNair, Older People's Learning: An action plan, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: NIACE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jun
An article examined how trade union learning representatives were facilitating the development of learning partnerships in the workplace. Although the initiative provided opportunities for unions to promote the ideal of learning partnerships, rights to learning remained a 'contested terrain' between many employers and unions.
Source: Bill Lee and Catherine Cassell, 'Trade unions learning representatives: progressing partnership?', Work, Employment and Society, Volume 23 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jun
A new book examined the learning that went on in workplaces. It looked at how improving the work environment – both within the workplace and beyond – could enhance and sustain improvements in learning at work.
Source: Alan Felstead, Alison Fuller, Nick Jewson and Lorna Unwin, Improving Working as Learning, Routledge (01264 343071)
Links: Summary | Telegraph report
Date: 2009-May
A discussion paper called for increased learning opportunities that purposely brought different generations together, within and outside the family.
Source: Mandy Thomas, Think Community: An exploration of the links between intergenerational practice and informal adult learning, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Report | NIACE press release
Date: 2009-Apr
The government published a White Paper on adult learning. It suggested that pubs, museums, and churches could be used for adult education classes. A £20 million transformation fund would support the development of new adult learning partnerships.
Source: The Learning Revolution, Cm 7555, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: White Paper | Hansard | DIUS press release | NIACE press release | UCU press release | MLA press release | NUS press release | THES report | BBC report
Date: 2009-Mar
The government published an updated strategy for promoting skills among the working-age population, focusing on numeracy and employability.
Source: Skills for Life: Changing Lives, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (020 7215 5555)
Links: Strategy | DIUS press release | NIACE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Mar
A report said that a narrow focus on skills for work and on younger people was inadequate to meet the challenges of demographic change. Older people needed more opportunities to learn if they were to actively contribute – rather than be a cost to society – during the 20 or more years they spent in 'retirement'.
Source: Stephen McNair, Demography and Lifelong Learning, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (0116 204 4200)
Links: Report | NIACE press release | Help the Aged press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Jan
A report by a committee of MPs said that large numbers of the adult working population of England remained functionally illiterate and innumerate, despite the fact that the government had spent around £5 billion on basic skills courses between 2001 and 2007. Lack of up-to-date information on the skills of the population nationally, and by region, meant that the government could not be sure that its programmes were equipping people with the skills that the economy needed.
Source: Skills for Life: Progress in improving adult literacy and numeracy, Third Report (Session 2008-09), HC 154, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NUT press release | UCU press release | CBI press release | Telegraph report | BBC report | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2009-Jan
