autumn 2014 volume 26 number 1 Learning Through Life Five years on: where now for lifelong learning? the Inquiry’s legacy I shaping the future I NIACE’s manifesto for change contents adults learning autumn 2014 4 Commentary contact 6 Learning Through Life: how far have we come? DAVID WATSON and TOM SCHULLER, authors of Editorial Learning Through Life, the final report of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning, ask what has Paul Stanistreet, changed since its publication and assess its legacy Editor, Adults Learning and relevance five years on NIACE, 21 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE 10 Learning Through Life: where now for Twitter: @paulstanistreet lifelong learning? Email: [email protected] Learning Through Life has had significant impact on UK subscription rates thinking in the lifelong learning sector, but progress (print copy and e-edition) towards its broad vision has been slow. We asked the experts to assess the impact of the report’s Individuals £45 Organisations (single-user access) £75 recommendations, and to identify the challenges the Organisations (full-site access) £120 sector faces in achieving its vision Concessionary rate (part-time tutors and learners) £25 Extra copies £27 each 10 Recommendation 1 Base lifelong learning policy on a new, four-stage Overseas subscription rates model of the educational life course (print copy and e-edition) Karen Evans Individuals £60; Organisations £90 12 Recommendation 2 Electronic subscription only Rebalance resources fairly and sensibly across (UK and overseas) the different life stages Individuals £35 Stephen McNair Organisations (single-user access) £55 Organisations (full-site access) £90 To subscribe or to order back issues: Tel. 0870 6002400 Fax. 0870 6002401 Email: [email protected] http://shop.niace.org.uk/adults-learning.html Adults Learning is published by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England and Wales). It is a forum for debate on all issues affecting adult learning and contributions are welcome from those in the field. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of NIACE. The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England and Wales) represents the interests of adult learners. All contributions © NIACE. No reproduction in any form or by any means is allowed without the express permission of NIACE. Volume 26, Number 1 Autumn 2014 ISSN: 0955-2308 Designed and typeset by Prestige Colour Solutions Limited, Leicester Printed in Great Britain by The Russell Press, Nottingham a Learning Through Life: where now for lifelong learning? Page 10 2 ADULTS LEARNING AUTUMN 2014 contents adults learning autumn 2014 15 Recommendation 3 Build a set of learning entitlements Lifelong learning is still the Tom Wilson `Cinderella’ sector, some 16 Recommendation 4 Engineering flexibility: a system of credit and way behind the economy, encouraging part-timers Claire Callender immigration, health, and 19 Recommendation 5 school education in the Improve the quality of work Ewart Keep priorities of the main parties. 21 Recommendation 6 Construct a curriculum framework for citizens’ Nevertheless, if we are to capabilities Ruth Spellman address the demographic and 22 Recommendation 7 technological challenges we Broaden and strengthen the capacity of the lifelong learning workforce Jim Crawley face as an economy and as 23 Recommendation 8 a society, we need a skills Revive local responsibility… Keith Wakefield strategy fit for the times. 24 Recommendation 9 …within national frameworks coverpic John Field ‘Shaping the sector’s future’, page 4 26 Recommendation 10 Make the system intelligent Mark Ravenhall The next UK government, 28 Lifelong waiting The vision of Learning Through Life was broad and we believe, should recognise generous, but the wait for an inclusive, resilient and imaginative lifelong learning strategy fit for its role in forming a new the twenty-first century continues, writes ALAN TUCKETT social contract that enables 30 A manifesto for lasting change Learning Through Life has helped shape NIACE’s and encourages investment thinking, inspiring work such as the Citizens’ Curriculum and the Mid-Life Career Review. NIACE’s in skills for adults of all manifesto, which offers a vision for skills and lifelong learning and calls for a new settlement fit for the ages to benefit our economy twenty-first century, aims to take the debate forward. TOM STANNARD explains and society. ‘A manifesto for lasting change’, page 30 AUTUMN 2014 ADULTS LEARNING 3 commentary n 2007 NIACE commissioned the review of their future options, is one ambitious and far-reaching Inquiry legacy of the stage-not-age approach. into the Future for Lifelong Learning. This was a major piloting of an idea we IOver two years, the Inquiry brought have championed in our recent manifesto, together experts from government, which is being adopted by the major business, academia, trade unions, public parties in the run-up to the next election, services, providers and the third sector, as and some version of this policy is likely to well as learners, to help the commissioners be a key feature of adult learning during build a broad consensus on the future the next Parliament. of lifelong learning in the UK. Its main Learning Through Life, of course, report, Learning Through Life, was recommended a fair rebalancing of published in 2009. learning resources across the different This issue of Adults Learning considers life stages. The report emphasised the the legacy of the report and the situation need for public agreement on the fair and now. Since its publication, there has effective allocation of learning resources been a change of government and in achieving this. Our manifesto takes some important policy shifts, while the up this recommendation in calling for economic context has presented new a major, independent review into the and significant resource challenges that long-term skills needs and funding issues Photo: Ed Melia are forcing bold experimentation in the facing the UK over the next 20 years. funding of education. Despite these often This, we argue, should take the form of profound – and sometimes unexpected – a four-nation, cross-party commission to changes to the ecology of the sector, the develop a long-term settlement for skills Shaping the sector’s future The Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning aimed to build a long-term consensus about the future of the sector. Five years on, with a general election in the offing, it is timely for us to review progress since then, saysDAVID HUGHES recommendations made by the Inquiry and learning which supports occupational remain relevant and we built on them in up-skilling, re-skilling and lifelong our manifesto, Skills for Prosperity, which is learning. Critically, this must address the setting the agenda in the run-up to next incentives given for employers to invest year’s general election. in their workforces and for people to The Inquiry’s key recommendation, invest in their own learning and skills. It that lifelong learning policy should be is not enough to simply concentrate on based on a new model of the educational government spending on learning and life course, with an emphasis on stage skills. A commission should be capable of rather than age, is probably more urgent producing recommendations (we hope, by today than it was five years ago. It is clear 2018) that all parties, and wider society, that the balance of resources remains can agree on. unfairly skewed towards young people. The Inquiry recommended a set This is despite more and more compelling of learning entitlements with funding evidence about the need to support people channelled through a national system of to have more productive and better-paid learning accounts. This, too, we take up in careers which last longer into their lives. our manifesto. One of our priority actions The Mid-Life Career Review, which has is for a new personal skills account for all provided more than 3000 adults aged adults, linked to an entitlement to career between 45 and 65 with access to a holistic reviews, to help people decide what skills 4 ADULTS LEARNING AUTUMN 2014 commentary development will work for them and to past five years has supported the Inquiry’s opportunities for people to progress in life give them real power about what, where recommendations, notably on citizenship and work. and how they learn. There is increasing and strengthening the capacity of the As the recent UKCES report Growth policy interest in exploring this funding lifelong learning workforce. The report’s Through People shows, there are wide approach, despite the well-documented call for a common framework of learning skills gaps and skills shortages across our and easily remedied failures in the opportunities aimed at enhancing people’s economy, with low productivity sitting implementation of Individual Learning control over their lives led to our current alongside millions of people stuck in low- Accounts a decade ago. development of a citizen’s curriculum. paid work or not able to access full-time This is not the only area of policy This initiative is being enthusiastically work. We also have an ageing population in which Learning Through Life has adopted by a variety of adult learning and we need more people in work to continuing relevance. The report providers and policy leaders across the find ways to improve their skills. The called for faster progress towards an country. We are also active in a series of dysfunction of the current skills system effective system of credit transfer and initiatives to broaden and strengthen the was recently highlighted by the OECD accumulation, in order to support adults capacity of the lifelong learning workforce, report Skills Beyond School, which states wishing to combine study with other in partnership with organisations such as that England and Northern Ireland ‘stand activities.