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CHAPTER THREE POLICY, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT
INTRODUCTION
3.1 In this Chapter we provide, first, a desk based review of policy and economic factors that bear direct relevance to SUfI. This is followed by a summary of our consultations with some of the external stakeholder organisations which help to form the wider environmental context.
REVIEW OF POLICY AND ECONOMIC TRENDS
3.2 As Chapter One indicated, the policy framework which is of most relevance for SUfI is the Lifelong Learning Strategy. 'Life through Learning: Learning Through Life' recognises that this policy direction is part of a broader UK-wide drive to enhance participation in learning, as a component in supporting productivity, enabling growth and tackling social exclusion.
3.3 The key elements of the socio-economic context within which this policy is set are Scotland's 'relatively low economic growth and low productivity compared to some other advanced countries'; and 'a reduction in the working population' (Scottish Executive, 2003, p 13). A related issue is that there will also be an increase in the proportion of older people in the workforce. Given these demographic trends, in order to attain higher levels of productivity and economic competitiveness there is a clear case for prioritising the enhancement of the skills base of the labour force. At the same time the dangers of marginalisation, especially among some of the more remote rural areas of the country, need to be considered.
3.4 Another factor which supports this argument is that, compared to Europe and the rest of the UK, Scotland has a higher than average proportion of adults lacking basic literacy and numeracy skills, estimated at 23 per cent of adults, according to the Labour Force Survey.
Labour market trends
3.5 It is now widely acknowledged that profound occupational changes have been taking place and will continue to occur in coming years. Job growth over the last two decades has been strongest in managerial, professional and technical occupations, which require increasingly higher levels of skills and qualifications. These groupings are also expected to continue to grow in numbers in coming years as the economy restructures towards knowledge-based activities, along with personal service occupations. While this latter occupational group is not particularly highly skilled, the overall trend is one of a continuing increase in the skill and qualification levels demanded of the workforce. Thus, there is perceived to be an economic imperative to enhance the skills and qualifications of the whole population in order to satisfy the needs of the labour market and hence the nation's economic competitiveness.
3.6 In comparative terms, employment projections indicate that Scotland will experience a slower rate of increase in employment, as well as a higher level of unemployment, than is the case for the UK as a whole. Indeed, Working Futures 2004-2014 National Report ( SSDA, 2006) suggests that there will be a slight fall in the number of employed residents between 2004 and 2014, with the reductions being concentrated in male employment. In contrast, workplace employment is projected to increase by a total of 50,000 over the period, although, at a rate of 0.2 per cent per annum, this still represents a much lower rate than for the UK as a whole - which again points up the urgency of the drive to enhance skill levels in Scotland and the importance of the role which SUfI can potentially play.
Participation in learning
3.7 Recent data on qualification attainment in Scotland indicates that considerable progress is being made in terms of adults' participation in learning. For example, 'Lifelong Learning Statistics 2005' (Scottish Executive, 2005), notes that 'the proportion of working age adults who have qualifications below SCQF level 5 decreased from 28 per cent in 1992 to 19 per cent in 2004' (p 7). This led to the conclusion that 'we have shown that the proportion of the Scottish population without any qualifications or with only low level qualifications has dropped significantly over the last ten years, and that trend is expected to continue over the next five years' (p 26).
3.8 Moreover, it was asserted that 'Scotland has a higher proportion of the working age population qualified at S/ NVQ 3 and 4 than the rest of the UK - although slightly lower at degree level'. These statistics are supported by others in the same document which suggests that Scotland is performing at least at the average UK level in terms of the proportion of people receiving workplace training, and that 'the majority (74.4 per cent) of the Scottish working age population has been involved in some type of learning in the last year' (p 132).
3.9 Unfortunately, such an optimistic picture is not replicated in the findings of the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education ( NIACE) 2005 Survey on Adult Participation in Learning (Aldridge and Tuckett, 2005), which, admittedly on the basis of a relatively small sample in Scotland, notes that ' In 2005, participation rates across the four nations of the UK varied slightly, although only the English and Scottish rates show any statistically significant differences to each other. England and Wales report the highest proportion of current/recent learners (42 per cent), while just over a third of adults living in Scotland (36 per cent) and Northern Ireland (37 per cent) also report participation in learning. The differences are more striking among current learners where Scotland (14 per cent) lags behind both England and Wales (22 per cent)'.
3.10 Evidence of a stubborn 'learning divide' emerges in Scottish data from the 2002 adult learners' survey carried out by NIACE. The Scottish figures (Slowey, 2004) suggest that the older, less qualified and more disadvantaged people are, the less likely they are to be interested in pursuing learning. The overall 58 per cent of those unlikely to undertake any learning, for example, becomes 80 per cent in the case of those who had not taken part in any 'recent learning' (within the previous three years). However, these results should be treated with caution given the small sample.
3.11 Recent experience of learning can also be significant. A study conducted in the 1990s confirmed the findings of earlier studies that 'the greatest likelihood of learning in the future is recent experience of learning. Recent job-related learning quadruples the likelihood of future learning while other recent learning increases the likelihood by almost as much' (Maguire, Hasluck and Green, 1996). Thus, levels of take-up of current provision may be a key indicator of future participation in learning.
3.12 In terms of motivations to learn, the literature suggests that while individuals can have a variety of reasons for participating in learning - with a broad distinction often being made between job-related or career development reasons, and non-work-related reasons such as personal development - work-related reasons lie behind most decisions to participate in training, if not in learning activities more generally. While concurring with this general thesis, St Clair (2006) makes the interesting point that 'learners may not distinguish between interest and instrumental reasons for participating in education'.
3.13 The following factors have been identified by McGivney (2004) as being highly significant when considering initiatives designed to encourage those without recent experience of engaging in learning activities to express an interest in participating:
- people who do not have clearly defined learning/training needs are unlikely to approach any advice service. Learning needs are often not defined as such, as many people understand 'learning' as involving formal and assessed courses on specifically defined subject areas. However, many may require help in specific areas of their working lives - to solve a problem, to improve their working situation, to improve their performance. These will not necessarily be articulated as learning requirements and it takes skill to tease out what people's learning needs are and translate them into responsive action
- paper-based information and publicity is not effective with adult groups who traditionally do not engage in education and training. Face-to-face approaches are by far the most effective means of making people aware of learning and other initiatives
- such approaches are best made by known and trusted individuals or people with similar characteristics and backgrounds to the targeted groups. Learning intermediaries or brokers - people who act as influencers, catalysts or change agents - are hugely important in encouraging others to engage in learning. These can be friends, workmates, union representatives, local opinion leaders, other adult learners or trusted professionals
- groups are far easier to contact and engage in any educational initiative than are individuals. Many people do not want to act differently from others in their circle. There is safety in numbers and it is much easier to embark on something new and potentially intimidating with other people, especially if it departs from family, social or workplace norms
- there is an over-reliance on short-term and small-scale pilot or special measures to engage under-represented groups. Expectations of short-term projects are often too high and do not take account of the time it can take to achieve significant individual or cultural change. Small-scale and isolated measures may be successful in drawing some individuals into learning but they are unlikely to create an overall learning culture
- people are not attracted back into learning by approaches that highlight deficiencies ( e.g. inadequate basic skills) or which threaten to replicate compulsory education and formal assessment systems (qualifications). They are far more likely to be attracted to learning activities they perceive to be relevant and connected to their everyday lives and which promise to lead to tangible rewards ( e.g. increased occupational status, higher remuneration)
- adults' decisions to act on information on learning possibilities are not always immediate but this does not mean that the information has not been useful and absorbed. Depending on their (very varied) circumstances and needs, individuals may not take action until they are ready to do so or until the right moment arrives.
Barriers to participation
3.14 In terms of barriers to learning, most studies confirm the validity of McGivney's (1993) broad categories of reasons for non-participation. These are: lack of information; situational barriers (time and cost); institutional barriers (the unresponsive system); and dispositional barriers, which encompasses 'attitudes, perceptions and expectations, and are closely related to cultural influences'. For example, Hillage and Aston (2001), suggest that 'the barriers cited by non-learners usually fall into three distinct clusters: attitudinal barriers, including confidence and motivation; physical and material barriers, such as finance and time; and structural barriers around the way education and training is provided'.
3.15 A number of studies have identified lack of awareness of the availability of opportunities as a major obstacle to enhanced take-up of learning activities, and the importance of information and guidance in stimulating participation in education and training has long been widely recognised. 'The Learning Imperative' ( NIACE, 1993) asserted that adults, as learners, 'are often unclear about their learning needs and the relationship of certain courses to their vocational or other goals. Guidance and assessment are thus extremely important for adult learners, who might also require help in finding and enrolling on relevant provision. Without such support, adult choices of education and training programmes can be inappropriate, resulting in withdrawal from study, which demoralises the individual learner and wastes teaching resources'.
3.16 The 2002 NIACE survey conducted in Scotland also found that when asked about access and barrier to learning, over a third of respondents felt that there was not enough advice about the different sorts of learning that people could do. Women appeared to have found more difficulties in finding help or advice about learning than men; in terms of age, it was the youngest age group (17-24) which were more likely to say that there was not enough help or advice about learning.
3.17 This clearly points to the potential usefulness of SUfI's role in encouraging participation in learning, through generating awareness among large swathes of the adult population who traditionally have shown little inclination to engage in learning.
3.18 This section has provided a broad overview of the socio-economic context within which SUfI operates, highlighting those aspects to which it seeks to contribute, notably in encouraging and facilitating greater participation in learning, in order to support economic growth and development. In order to gain a wider perspective on where SUfI sits within the 'landscape' of guidance and learning in Scotland, the next section summarises the perspectives of some of SUfI's external stakeholders.
CONSULTATIONS WITH EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDER ORGANISATIONS
3.19 Brief interviews were conducted with a number of key stakeholders at national level: the Scottish Further Education Unit; Highlands & Islands Enterprise; SSAScot; Scottish Libraries Information Council; the Association of Scottish Colleges; and Learning Link Scotland.
3.20 In these consultations we sought to: identify areas of alignment between the goals of SUfI and other organisations; explore perceptions of whether SUfI is succeeding in its desire to 'de-clutter' the landscape; discuss the perceived impact which SUfI is having and how it could best measure that impact; and to explore stakeholders' general perspectives about SUfI as an organisation.
3.21 Most consultees felt that their own organisational strategies aligned well with that of SUfI and that it had succeeded in filling a gap in Scotland's learning infrastructure. There was a clear desire on the part of the voluntary sector to engage even more closely with SUfI at a strategic level in order to engage the 'hardest to reach' groups of potential learners. Likewise, the library sector appeared keen to develop existing synergies with SUfI in terms of learner progression: libraries are used by many potential learners, who can be converted into actual and continuing learners thanks to the facilities and materials provided. In terms of SME users, the relationship between SUfI and the sector skills councils is developing, aided by an ESF-funded collaborative project with SSAScot.
3.22 Consultees from the further education sector, however, were more cautious about the extent of strategic alignment with SUfI. Our evaluation research suggests that the further education sector has more concerns about this than other sectors. Consultations highlighted that the college sector would welcome a general 'refreshment' of its relationship with SUfI, to secure clarification of respective roles and ensure that strategic goals continue to be well aligned. Stakeholder consultees at national level also echoed the view of some college-based learning centres that the profile of the learndirect scotland brand within the FE sector has waned. Regardless of this, however, consultees stressed that the positive aspects of SUfI outweighed any of their concerns.
3.23 Stakeholder consultees were aware of the need to establish the most effective ways in which SUfI can measure the impact which it is having. Most concurred that this is a difficult issue: although existing mechanisms for tracking learndirect scotland website 'hits' and footfall at learning centres were considered to provide a useful starting point, these were regarded as insufficient on their own to provide insightful impact analysis. Few ideas were forthcoming, other than for SUfI to continue their longitudinal tracking studies.
3.24 One consultee suggested that there might be a role for SUfI to play in coordinating the collation of data from various other sources (such as destination statistics from the FE sector, Careers Scotland, etc). Whether it would be desirable or practical for SUfI to take on such a role would be open to debate.
3.25 Our consultations confirmed our wider impression from the evaluation that SUfI has a slightly different role to play in the Highlands and Islands. SUfI has a Scotland-wide remit and there are learndirect scotland branded learning centres across the whole of the Highlands and Islands region. However, the way in which SUfI organises its activity in the Highlands and Islands differs from the way it delivers across the rest of Scotland. For example, the Training Partner service is not delivered in the Highlands & Islands Enterprise ( HIE) region: instead, business advisers from the HIE Network provide the single entry point for this kind of service, with access to all learndirect scotland for business materials. Likewise, the HIE Network has established its own learning portal - www.learning-works.co.uk - which operates in partnership with SUfI to offer the region's own version of the national Learning Opportunities Database.
3.26 Consultation with HIE confirms that the region is keen to maintain its own identity in respect of the coordination of guidance and learning information. The HIE Network works in close partnership with SUfI to avoid duplication of provision, and the relationship between HIE and SUfI is solid and constructive. However, our consultations suggest that the learndirect scotland brand has a slightly lower profile in this part of the country than in the rest of Scotland.
3.27 Although no major concerns were expressed about the existing remit of SUfI in relation to other organisations, all stakeholders are keen to ensure that respective roles and remits remain complementary rather than creating duplication of activity. The fact that SUfI is such a responsive organisation - that is, responsive to changes in policy and responsive to requests from the Executive to take on additional responsibilities (such as delivery of ILAs) - leads some organisations to sense a risk of overlap in activity.
3.28 Finally, the evaluation research explored stakeholders' general perspectives on SUfI as an organisation.
3.29 Shortly after SUfI's establishment under its original business model, an initial evaluation was commissioned to assess how it was regarded by other agencies making up the national learning infrastructure. Given that SUfI's remit at that time was more commercial in its orientation, the feedback from other agencies was characterised by a large degree of suspicion and mistrust.
3.30 The contrast between that initial evaluation and the present study could not be more striking. SUfI has now had time to become embedded in the landscape and its revised business model means that it is no longer regarded as a threat. Consultations with stakeholders to date have revealed an extremely high regard for the organisation. When asked to describe their views of SUfI, consultees unanimously described it as "dynamic", "energetic", "highly responsive", "innovative in its thinking", "very approachable and accessible", "completely open and honest", "enterprising", "not entrenched in bureaucracy". SUfI is seen to be characterised by a can-do culture which permeates all its dealings. Its willingness to engage and to listen are universally acknowledged and praised.
3.31 It is concluded that these views in themselves indicate a strong vindication of the decision to make significant changes to SUfI's business model. learndirect scotland is no longer regarded with suspicion and mistrust. On the contrary, stakeholder organisations consider that SUfI plays an important role in Scotland's guidance and learning infrastructure.
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