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CHAPTER TWO Participation in adult learning
2.1 This chapter provides an overview of participation in different types of learning, including taught, self-directed, vocational and non-vocational learning (see Chapter 1 for definitions of these different learning types). The main focus of this Chapter is on learning in the past 3 years, though more recent learning over the past 12 months is briefly considered. Future learning intentions are also examined - how likely do people feel it is that they will participate in job-related or non-job-related learning in the next 3 years? How likely is it that they would take a course at an FE college? Where possible, the figures for England and Wales are presented alongside figures for Scotland. This Chapter focuses on learning among adults under 70 years-old, with the learning patterns of older respondents considered in Chapter 3.
Participation in different types of learning
2.2 The proportion of adults aged under 70 in Scotland who participated in any kind of learning in the 3 years up to 2005 was 82% (Table 2.1, compared with 80% in England and Wales), while just 18% (20% in England and Wales) did not take part in any of the learning activities covered by the survey. These figures are very close to those for England and Wales, as are figures for participation in taught learning (66% of those aged under 70 in Scotland, 62% in England/Wales), self-directed learning (67%, 65%), vocational learning (74%, 73%) and non-vocational learning (28%, 25%). 6
Table 2.1 Participation in different types of learning in last 3 years
| Scotland | England/Wales |
|---|
% | % |
|---|
Any learning | 82 | 80 |
|---|
Taught learning | 66 | 62 |
|---|
Self-directed learning | 67 | 65 |
|---|
Vocational learning 7 | 74 | 73 |
|---|
Non-vocational learning | 28 | 25 |
|---|
Weighted base | 841 | 3871 |
|---|
Unweighted base | 834 | 3340 |
|---|
Base: All respondents aged 16-69 not in continuous full-time education.
Combinations of learning types
2.3 Tables 2.2 and 2.3 show participation in different combinations of learning. Half of adults aged under 70 years in Scotland had participated in both taught and self-directed learning in the past 3 years, while 15% took part in taught learning only and 16% in self-directed learning only.
Table 2.2 Participation in combination of taught and self-directed learning
| Scotland | England/Wales |
|---|
% | % |
|---|
Taught & self-directed learning | 51 | 47 |
|---|
Taught learning only | 15 | 15 |
|---|
Self-directed learning only | 16 | 18 |
|---|
No learning | 18 | 20 |
|---|
Weighted base | 841 | 3871 |
|---|
Unweighted base | 834 | 3340 |
|---|
Base: All respondents aged 16-69 not in continuous full-time education.
2.4 Just over half took part in vocational learning only, while a fifth took part in a combination of vocational and non-vocational learning. Less than 1 in 10 took part solely in non job-related learning. Again, figures for Scotland are very similar to those for England and Wales.
Table 2.3 Participation in combination of vocational and non-vocational learning
| Scotland | England/Wales |
|---|
% | % |
|---|
Non-vocational learning only | 8 | 7 |
|---|
Vocational and non-vocational learning | 20 | 18 |
|---|
Vocational learning only | 54 | 55 |
|---|
No learning | 18 | 20 |
|---|
Weighted base | 841 | 3871 |
|---|
Unweighted base | 834 | 3340 |
|---|
Base: All respondents aged 16-69 not in continuous full-time education.
Learning in the past year
2.5 As outlined in Chapter 1, the NALS series uses a three year reference period to measure learning, and the bulk of this report focuses on this three year period. However, respondents are also asked about learning in the previous year, giving an indication of the proportion engaged in more recent learning.
2.6 Table 2.4 shows that:
- 72% of adults aged under 70 reported doing some kind of learning in the last year (compared with 82% who had done some learning in the past 3 years)
- 37% had done some taught learning (just over half the proportion who had done taught learning in the last 3 years)
- 58% had done some self-directed learning
- There is very little difference in recent participation in learning in Scotland compared with England and Wales.
Table 2.4 Participation in learning over the past year
| Scotland | England/Wales |
|---|
% | % |
|---|
Learning in the past year | 72 | 69 |
|---|
Taught learning in the past year | 37 | 36 |
|---|
Self-directed learning in the past year | 58 | 57 |
|---|
Weighted base | 841 | 3871 |
|---|
Unweighted base | 834 | 3340 |
|---|
Base: All respondents aged 16-69 not in continuous full-time education.
Substantial learning
2.7 A review of policy makers' needs for information on learning, conducted for the Department for Education and Skills in 1999, highlighted the importance of monitoring not only if adults are engaged in learning but also how much learning they do 8. The NALS surveys therefore examine the proportion of self-directed learners who spent 10 or more hours on a learning episode and the proportion of taught learners who received 10 or more hours of tuition. For taught learners, the proportion receiving 10 or more hours of tuition is based on the course that was considered by respondents to be the most useful either for their job or career, because it was enjoyable, or because it gave them a new skill.
2.8 The results showed that:
- 66% of taught learners (aged under 70 and not in continuous full-time education) in Scotland reported receiving 10 or more hours of tuition in the past year (68% in England/Wales).
- 85% of those reporting self-directed learning in the past year spent 10 or more hours on the reported learning episode (compared with 90% in England/Wales).
Future learning
Job-related learning
2.9 All respondents who were likely to work in the future (n = 443) were asked about their likelihood of doing job-related learning in the next 2 or 3 years. Figure 2.1 shows that:
- Overall, 58% said they were very likely and 21% fairly likely to do some job-related learning in the next few years, with only 20% saying they were unlikely to do so.
- However, learners were much more likely than non-learners to plan to do job-related learning in the future (63% of learners compared with 7% of non-learners said they were 'very likely' to do so).
- Although the numbers of non-learners were very small (just 43 respondents to this question were non-learners), the extent of the difference in future learning intentions between learners and non-learners is striking and is confirmed by similar findings for England and Wales (59% of learners compared with 16% of non-learners in England and Wales were very likely to take part in work-related learning in the future).
Figure 2.1 Whether likely to do job-related learning in next three years by learning status
2.10 Data from England and Wales suggests that those who have experience of vocational learning in the past 3 years are more likely than those who have only done non-vocational learning to say it is 'very likely' they will do more job-related learning in future. However, the numbers who had participated in non-vocational learning only were too small to carry out similar comparisons for Scotland.
Non-vocational learning
2.11 All respondents were asked about their likelihood of doing non job-related learning in the next 2 or 3 years (Figure 2.2). Overall, there was a fairly even split between the proportion of respondents saying they were very or fairly likely to do non job-related learning in future (53%) and those saying they were not very or not at all likely to do such learning (46%). It is interesting to note that the proportion planning ('very' or 'fairly' likely) to do non-job-related learning in the next 2 or 3 years (53%) was considerably higher than the proportion who had taken part in this type of learning in the previous three years (28%). It is unclear to what extent this reflects a mismatch between people's intentions and their actions (perhaps people often intend to undertake non-vocational learning but do not manage to do so), or an actual increase in interest in this type of learning.
2.12 As for job-related learning, respondents who had done some learning in the past 3 years were much more likely than non-learners to say they would do non job-related learning in the next 2 or 3 years (59% 'very' or 'fairly likely' compared with 25% of non-learners).
Figure 2.2 Whether likely to do non job-related learning in next three years by learning status
2.13 Respondents who had done both vocational and non-vocational learning were more likely than those who had done vocational learning only to say they were 'very likely' to take part in some non job-related learning in the next few years (Table 2.5).
Table 2.5 Whether likely to do non job-related learning in next three years by type of learning done
| Both vocational and non-vocational | Vocational learning only | Non-vocational learning only | All learners Scotland | All learners England/Wales |
|---|
% | % | % | % | % |
|---|
Very likely | 39 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 26 |
|---|
Fairly likely | 33 | 34 | 27 | 33 | 31 |
|---|
Not very likely | 18 | 29 | 20 | 25 | 27 |
|---|
Not at all likely | 11 | 15 | 29 | 15 | 16 |
|---|
Weighted base | 167 | 450 | 67 | 693 | 3065 |
|---|
Unweighted base | 147 | 434 | 68 | 657 | 2604 |
|---|
Base: all respondents aged 16-69 who had done any learning in the past 3 years.
Learning at FE institutions
2.14 Respondents who considered it likely that they would do some non job-related learning in the next 2 or 3 years were asked about the likelihood of their starting a course at a Further Education College at some point in the future. Overall, a third of these respondents in Scotland thought this was likely (34%, compared with 42% in England/Wales) while just over a third thought this was not at all likely. Those who had previously participated in taught learning were more likely than those who had only done self-directed learning to say it was likely that they would enrol in an FE college course in future (43%, 21%), perhaps reflecting preferences for different learning styles.
Table 2.6 Whether likely to start a course at an FE college at some point in the future by type of learning done in the past 3 years
| Taught learning only | Self learning only | Neither | Both | Total (Scotland) | Total (England/ Wales) |
|---|
% | % | % | % | % | % |
|---|
I definitely intend to | 5 | 6 | [4] | 12 | 9 | 12 |
|---|
It is very likely | 13 | 6 | [14] | 12 | 11 | 14 |
|---|
It is quite likely | 25 | 9 | [9] | 14 | 14 | 16 |
|---|
It is possible | 31 | 31 | [29] | 29 | 29 | 28 |
|---|
It is not at all likely | 11 | 28 | [23] | 24 | 23 | 19 |
|---|
I definitely will not | 15 | 19 | [22] | 9 | 12 | 10 |
|---|
Weighted base | 63 | 68 | 35 | 271 | 441 | 1906 |
|---|
Unweighted base | 57 | 66 | 43 | 254 | 424 | 1635 |
|---|
Base: All respondents aged 16-69 not in continuous full-time education who thought it very or fairly likely that they would do any non job-related learning, training, or education in the next two or three years.
2.15 There were no significant differences in likelihood of starting a course at an FE college in the future between respondents with different qualification levels.
Conclusion
2.16 NALS 2005 allows an accurate comparison of levels of participation in adult learning in Scotland with England and Wales for the first time. The results show that overall levels of participation in Scotland are very similar to those in England and Wales - 82% of adults aged under 70 in Scotland are taking part in some type of learning, compared with 80% in England and Wales.
2.17 There is a strong relationship between learning and work, with participation in vocational learning (74%) higher than participation in non-vocational learning (28%). Similar levels of people in Scotland take part in taught (66%) and self-directed learning (67%). However, people were more likely to have participated in self-directed learning than taught learning in the last year (58% compared with 37%).
2.18 Fifty-eight per cent of all respondents who were likely to work in the future said it was 'very likely' they would do some job-related learning in the next 2 or 3 years. However, among current non-learners this figure was much lower (7%). Similarly, while 23% of all respondents said they were 'very likely' to do non job-related learning in future, just 8% of non-learners said this.
2.19 Although participation in some form of adult learning in Scotland is high (82%), a substantial minority (18%) do not engage in any of the very wide range of learning activities covered by NALS.
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