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SUMMARY OF KEY CONCLUSIONS
For the purpose of this review, Community Learning and Development ( CLD) has been taken to mean:
- A distinct sector of learning alongside schooling and further and higher education
- A discipline using a distinct set of competences that can be utilised by staff in a range of settings across the public and third sectors
- An area of activity that promotes: achievement for adults (such as community-based adult learning, including Adult Literacy and Numeracy ( ALN) and English for Speakers of Other Languages ( ESOL), achievement for young people (youth work, including working in partnership formal education) and achievement through building community capacity (including community development).
The key conclusions of this review are as follows:
- Historically there has not been strong co-ordinated support at national level for the delivery of policy and practice in CLD and the existing delivery landscape for CLD is complicated. Attempts to address this over recent years have been partly beneficial but have also resulted in some confusion.
- There is a need for greater clarity within Government and wider stakeholders about roles and responsibilities for CLD
- Most of the functions performed by Learning Connections are needed. These functions could be considered in three categories:
- Policy development (an internal SG function)
- Practice development and policy implementation (external to Government)
- CLD Standards Council (external to Government).
- It is recommended that clarity is given to addressing CLD Policy across Scottish Government. This will involve bringing together policy interests currently in Further and Adult Education ( FAED) and Learning Connections into one division within Lifelong Learning Directorate. This division will need to ensure necessary arrangements for effective policy development in building community capacity. It will also involve establishing formal arrangements with the Youth Work Team in the Positive Futures Division of Children Young People and Social Care Directorate, and considering whether they should also form part of this division at a later date.
- It is recommended that the CLD Standards Council be transferred to LLUK, the sector skills council for lifelong learning.
- It is recommended that the practice development and policy implementation functions of Learning Connections be transferred to Learning and Teaching Scotland ( LTS), with a representative advisory body to oversee its work.
At this stage these are only recommendations - we are now investigating their feasibility and intend to make a final statement later in the year that will confirm exactly what we are doing and how we will be taking it forward.
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