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CHAPTER SEVEN: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

7.1 Perceptions of the ILA Scotland scheme

• The ILA Scotland scheme has been generally welcomed by both learning providers and intermediaries. It is seen as a valuable additional form of support, particularly for those on low incomes, lower skilled and unemployed. It can also be used by those working with vulnerable groups to provide support and encouragement when rebuilding their lives.
• However it cannot be seen as a stand alone initiative. ILAs in themselves will not provide the incentives for the key target groups to re-enter education or training. Many people need encouragement to take steps into learning, and develop what have been described as 'learning attitudes'. This points to the importance of partnerships with other agencies in developing the potential of the ILA Scotland scheme.
• There is also a need to ensure that the scheme fully addresses the needs of learners with disabilities, mental health needs or learning difficulties, and economic migrants for whom English is a second language.
• The issue of extending provision to 16-18 year olds for whom this could be a valuable form of support in assisting them with re-engaging with learning was also raised by several respondents.
• While the extension of the ILA100 scheme to cover a wider range of provision was welcomed, respondents continued to question why restrictions in the range of provision apply to this part of the scheme which do not apply to the ILA 200, and they reported difficulties in explaining this to potential learners.

7.2 Information, marketing and awareness of the ILA Scotland scheme

• The information provided by ILA Scotland to learning providers and intermediaries was generally described as informative and useful. Respondents commented favourably on the material available through a range of sources, including the website, leaflets and posters. The support provided by ILA staff was also commented on favourably, as was the range of marketing materials available for distribution to potential learners.
• However it was reported that levels of knowledge and understanding of the ILA scheme among staff within learning providers and intermediaries was patchy. While staff who worked most closely with ILA Scotland often had good levels of knowledge, this was not true more generally. While it was recognised that this was partly associated with internal dissemination strategies, it was also suggested that more could be done to address this.
• It was also noted that many potential learners seemed to have little knowledge or understanding of the ILA scheme before they came into contact with learning providers or intermediaries. Staff from these organisations suggested that TV advertising seemed to be having relatively little impact, and they suggested that they had a key role in disseminating information about the ILA scheme, and the opportunities which it provided. They suggested that word of mouth was a key means through which many learners and potential learners received information about the scheme.
• Agencies working with learners with disabilities, mental health problems or substance misuse problems, and literacy difficulties were particularly likely to comment on low levels of awareness. It was suggested that special measures will be required if people in these categories are to be fully aware of the opportunities which may be available to them.
• Associated with these concerns, there was strong argument that there is a need for different approaches to marketing the scheme and greater cooperation between ILA Scotland and other locally based agencies in developing more effective marketing strategies. In this respect while the expertise of ILA staff, and the valuable range of marketing materials which they have was recognised, it was suggested that more could be made of these strengths. The development of locally based advertising and marketing strategies were suggested as a means of raising awareness amongst client groups, learners and potential learners.
• Many learning providers and intermediaries reported that they were already active both in providing information about the ILA scheme to prospective learners and in encouraging participation among groups who needed this active encouragement if they were to take up these opportunities. However many felt that their role in this respect could be more positively developed through more effective co-operation with ILA staff.
• Respondents in both Phase One and Phase Two of the study also suggested that the advertising of the scheme did not provide enough explicit detail about learning opportunities available. They suggested that there was too much emphasis on the funding, and not enough on the range of learning opportunities which this opens up.
• A recurrent theme among a number of respondents from intermediary agencies was the concern expressed by some potential applicants that an application of this kind could have a detrimental impact on their benefits. This applied particularly to people on incapacity benefit. It was felt that more explicit information could be provided in order to clarify this situation and put people at ease.

7.3 Procedures associated with the ILA Scotland scheme

• The process of registering as a learning provider was generally viewed as a straightforward experience for most learning providers. The support provide by ILA Scotland staff was seen as valuable by a range of respondents. The rigour of the registration process for learning providers was understood and regarded as appropriate by many respondents.
• The processes for establishing courses as eligible for ILA funding through using the Provider Opportunity Management Tool ( PROMT) developed by ILA Scotland were viewed as onerous by many respondents in Phase One, but were more generally accepted by respondents in Phase Two. This was partly associated with growing familiarity among learning providers, changes which they introduced to their own procedures, and changes introduced by ILA Scotland. In particular the introduction of flexible start dates, which enables learning providers to enter courses which do not have a designated start or end date in the PROMT tool without the need for the monthly updates which were previously required was warmly welcomed.
• The application process for learners has been noted by a number of respondents as being bureaucratic and creating barriers to participation for certain groups of learners, including those with literacy or numeracy problems, older people, those with disabilities and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Intermediaries in particular described the process as time-consuming, and noted that this was one of the least successful aspects of the scheme. The view was expressed that ILA Scotland had 'tied themselves up with red tape'.
• In both phases of the research both learning providers and intermediaries identified the telephone call that the learner is obliged to make to request an application form as a potential barrier. This relates to issues surrounding the confidence and communication skills of the learner, and it was suggested that learners are often daunted by the prospect of phoning. It was suggested that the process could be made easier for the learner if the learning provider was more involved.
• Learning providers and intermediaries reported various steps which they had taken to support applicants with this initial telephone call, including work with learners with a variety of disabilities. However it was suggested that the present arrangements made it difficult to provide support of this kind.
• In response to these all of these problems, there is a strong feeling amongst some intermediaries and learning providers that arrangements could be put in place which would make it easier to provide support for ILA applicants. One suggestion is that they could provide an alternative to the initial telephone call through acting as a channel for the dissemination of application packs. It was highlighted that certain agencies, for example trade unions and local authority agencies, are fully accountable bodies and could provide a mechanism through which to supply application packs to members or employees.
• It was also noted that learndirect scotland are currently piloting an on-line application tool for use by learners and this has been welcomed. Intermediaries stated that they felt that such a function would be highly valuable and would make the application processes more accessible.
• It has also been noted that on-line registration may not be suitable for some people with disabilities, and email registration was highlighted as an appropriate mechanism for some of this group, in particular those with visual impairments or who use alternative internet browsing techniques ²⁰.
• Learning providers and intermediaries in both phases of this research described income assessment procedures associated with qualifying for the ILA200 as often time consuming, cumbersome and complicated. They were highlighted as a barrier to accessing ILA Scotland opportunities:
• • The requirement for people in employment to supply payslips was identified as being problematic due to loss, or not holding on to them. Learners may be reluctant to go to their employer's personnel department to get copies of wage slips. Wage slips may also overestimate income as a result of overtime or expenses payments.
  • For those who are self-employed, but on relatively low incomes the requirement to provide audited accounts was described as a costly extra burden resulting in this group applying only for ILA100.
  • It was also suggested that there are people in a range of positions who have no regular income, e.g. women who are not in paid employment outside the home, and procedures involved in securing proof of income can be complicated and drawn out.
• Respondents also commented on the additional burdens which are associated with having to update this evidence on an annual basis if entitlement to the ILA 200 is to be maintained.
• These problems with income assessment led to suggestions that there is a need to review the arrangements which are currently in place. While it is accepted that some form of assessment will be required for ILA200, it is suggested that existing arrangements are unnecessarily onerous. One suggestion is that once an initial assessment has been made, learners could confirm annually that their circumstances have not changed, and provide information about any relevant changes.
• The £15,000 income threshold had been identified as problematic by a number of respondents during Phase One and the earlier part of Phase Two. As a result the respondents in the later stages of Phase Two, who were aware of the raising of the income threshold to £18,000 in June 2007, welcomed this development. This is seen by learning providers as a significant step towards enabling those people whose salaries are marginally above this to access ILA approved learning opportunities.
• A considerable number of learning providers and intermediaries found the processes associated with the Learning Token as cumbersome and problematic. Intermediary representatives were generally critical regarding the learning token system describing it as confusing, both for themselves and for the client groups. In particular, participants describe the terminology as confusing and that the term 'token' generates expectations that it is a plastic coin or a card similar to a bank card as opposed to paper documentation. A number of learning providers describe efforts made in having to 'chase' learners to return their token. Suggested improvements to the learning token system centred around making the process more automated.
• A number of respondents from both learning providers and intermediaries welcomed the £10 contribution which learners are required to make. The contribution was described as a way of encouraging learners to make a commitment to their own learning. However, other intermediaries in both Phase One and Phase Two view the contribution level as too high, especially for the unemployed and other learners on very low incomes. It was also noted by some learning providers that collecting the £10 contribution presented an additional administrative task.

Awareness and impact of recent changes to the ILA Scotland scheme

• Awareness of recent changes depended on level of contact with ILA Scotland and internal dissemination strategies. Many learning provider respondents who were in regular contact with ILA Scotland had a good level of awareness. Respondents from intermediaries such as trade unions also had a good level of knowledge. Within these organisations level of knowledge among other staff depended on their internal arrangements for dissemination. For many other intermediaries knowledge depended on the relationship with learning providers, or hearing about changes by chance. As a result it appeared that knowledge among these groups was patchy and limited.
• Most respondents reported that knowledge of changes among learners and potential learners was very limited until they were informed by learning providers or intermediaries.
• The impact of the recent changes on widening the learning opportunities available to potential learners and introducing new learners to adult education was generally welcomed by respondents. The changes were noted as having an impact on increasing the range of opportunities available, widening participation, and providing new opportunities for progression.
• While some learning providers welcomed the broadening of the range of courses on offer under ILA100, other providers thought that the extension did not go far enough in widening access to learning opportunities. As noted earlier in the report, some providers would ideally like to see the same courses available under both offers.
• The fieldwork for Phase Two of the study of learning providers was under way before the announcement by ILA Scotland that the £15,000 threshold would be increasing to £18,000 in June of this year. From the limited number of interviewees that referred to the threshold increasing to £18,000, the general consensus was that it was a positive move which would result in more learners being attracted onto the scheme and have a positive impact on widening participation.

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