Opportunity Scotland: A Paper on Lifelong Learning

Opportunity Scotland: A Paper on Lifelong Learning

Part 2: A New Learning Experience

Sustaining the Learning Habit - Adults Learning

1. Introduction.

1.1 Involving adults in lifelong learning is our greatest challenge. There is potential for all adults to enrich their lives through some form of learning. More people are recognising this and acting on it but many more think learning is not for them. Some people perceive difficulties and barriers relating to their personal circumstances or previous low attainment at school. Others simply never think about learning at all.

1.2 We must all concentrate on tackling motivation. It must be made easier for people at every level to get involved in learning, to keep learning and to understand the ever expanding range of high quality learning options which will meet their needs at every level. We believe there is much about modern learning options to excite and inspire. We are committed to tackling barriers in the system and focus on supporting the learner.

1.3 Yet it is clear that more widespread participation and achievement in learning is necessary if we are to compete in the global economy. Since 1994 ASCETT (Advisory Scottish Council for Education and Training Targets) has been responsible for setting competitiveness targets and monitoring progress toward them. The Council has succeeded in raising awareness throughout Scotland about the importance of targets and the need for sustained improvement in skill levels. Skill levels in all the areas covered by the ASCETT targets have risen and achievement in Scotland remains ahead of the rest of the UK. While levels of achievement for young people and high achieving adults are encouraging, at this stage we are not on course to meet the existing targets for workforce achievement. Many of the initiatives set out in this paper are designed to encourage skills development and achievement in the adult population and we therefore expect to see steady improvement in those areas where progress so far has been disappointing. We have decided to consult on new Government Lifelong Learning targets which will reflect our top priorities over the current Parliamentary term.

1.4 The idea of lifelong learning has already changed the face of learning in Scotland. There is no such thing as a typical student. The number of part time learners in further and higher education has continued to grow steadily. Around 40% of all higher education students are now studying part-time. The number of mature students in Scotland has also grown. In 1996-97:

more than half - 53% - of all students on FE courses were aged 25 or over, compared with one third 10 years previously;
48% of all entrants to HE courses were aged 25 or over, compared with less than one in 6 full-time students 10 years ago; and
256,000 adults participated in community education programmes in an average week, including 94,000 on substantial programmes.

1.5 There is also a growing recognition that learning can take many forms and that much can be achieved through small steps. Different approaches are required for people with different needs and aspirations. Someone reluctant to undertake formal education may respond to informal, non-assessed learning whereas a person with clear career-focused goals may simply wish to acquire a skill or qualification as quickly as possible and need little support or external motivation.

1.6 Our key aims are therefore:

that more and more people in Scotland are motivated to get involved in learning for whatever reason and at whatever level;
that they are able to access the right opportunities at the right time for them; and
that all aspects of the education system are geared to support learners and help them achieve their goals.

2. Better Access for the Modern Learner

2.1 We are working with partners in education, business and the voluntary sector to develop opportunities which suit the needs and aspirations of today's learners. We are confident of achieving our aims by building on existing successes and partnerships and by integrating brand new initiatives which offer the benefits of modern technology with highly effective methods of outreach and teaching which have worked well and been improved over many years. A key feature of modern learning developments is the aim of increasing access in different ways. As a Government we are tackling geographical barriers and helping excluded groups access learning at all levels while at the same time making it easier for people to gain skills and qualifications at the highest levels.

Scottish University for Industry

2.2 The University for Industry (UfI) is at the heart of the Government's vision for lifelong learning. It will be a new kind of public/private partnership, working with businesses, education and training providers and other organisations to add in new and exciting ways to the existing menu of learning methods and stimulate new provision. The idea behind it is to connect people and businesses who want to improve their skills with the people who can offer them the learning they need, delivered how, where and when most convenient for the adult learner. It will take an overarching view of learning needs, widen access to learning, encourage demand for learning and fill gaps in provision where these are identified. There will be a distinct Scottish UfI, working closely with the UfI organisation south of the border. Over Ł16.3 million will be committed to establishing the Scottish UfI over the next 3 years.

2.3 The Scottish UfI will seek to boost competitiveness and individual employability. The exploitation of information and communication technologies will be key to its activities which will be:

analysing the needs of the market and client groups, drawing on analysis by other agencies and commissioning its own research;
driving demand for learning through mass marketing and promotion (through broadcasting, press media, direct mail etc);
providing people with information, advice and guidance on learning opportunities, through telephone helplines, use of databases of all types of learning provision, local information and guidance networks, a newsletter and a website;
ensuring the availability of high quality learning programmes that match the needs of individuals and companies within the key target groups by forging partnerships with and between providers;
commissioning new learning materials/courses where there are gaps between supply and demand. This might include new forms of provision for priority client groups who are unlikely to be served economically by commercial providers, or seedcorn investment in new technology and approaches to training; and
ensuring the quality of products and services which the Scottish UfI brokers or commissions, building on existing mechanisms and standards, and establishing a brand and identity for the Scottish UfI and its services.

2.4 The Scottish UfI will complement existing learning provision, offering learners a new means of accessing opportunities and providers a fresh way to engage and interact with learners. We are confident it will increase participation in further and higher education. It will offer the learner a convenient way to find out about learning opportunities and a wider choice in how and when they take them up. It will absorb Learning Direct Scotland and link well with the development of the National Grid for Learning, and other measures to promote lifelong learning. It is also likely to stimulate the growth of Local Learning Centres where people can access technology not necessarily available in their own homes or at work. The Government published a Pathfinder Prospectus in March which set out in general terms how UfI will operate.

2.5 It is essential that such a large scale project is set up to be effective and run smoothly from the beginning. We have been working closely with colleagues in other parts of the UK to agree the overall concept of UfI. Our priority now is to make it a success in Scotland. Last autumn the Government established a Scottish Advisory Group, chaired by Professor Alistair MacFarlane, to advise on its implementation in Scotland. We announced in February that the Scottish UfI would be a distinct organisation. This will ensure that it builds on the strengths of our distinctive education system and the many successful working partnerships which already exist in Scotland. In March we announced an additional Ł880,000 to bring to over Ł1.3 million the resources to finance the launch of the Scottish UfI. We have now asked Scottish Enterprise to manage the development phase of the Scottish UfI, working closely with Highlands and Islands Enterprise and other partners as appropriate. The next steps will be:

through Scottish Enterprise, to work towards the setting up of the Scottish UfI by the year 2000;
to run development projects to test aspects of the Scottish UfI's planned operation;
build on the Scottish UfI conference in June in Edinburgh to stimulate further interest and involvement in the UfI concept; and
to appoint a Scottish UfI Board and Chief Executive in 1999.

2.6 Seventeen Scottish projects have recently received European funding through ADAPT. Some of these will test functions directly relevant to the development of the Scottish UfI and Scottish Enterprise will be liaising with those involved to ensure that the Scottish UfI benefits from their experience.

2.7 The Scottish UfI will require an extensive database of learning provision and opportunities. Initially the database will have 4 target user groups:

UfI learners will have access to the database to generate information such as the availability of courses, course content, qualifications, cost, venue and method of delivery;
call centre staff will have access to the database for information about available provision;
provider organisations which would have access to up-to-date details of their provision held on the database; and
a central administration which will provide management information.

2.8 The Scottish UfI will relate closely and in different ways to existing organisations. It will take over the Learning Direct telephone helpline and number; it will be developed and managed in its developmental phase by Scottish Enterprise. In its operation it will use the National Grid for Learning and existing highly developed databases. It will co-exist in parallel with providers including colleges who will use it to put information on their provision on-line and deliver courses directly. It will depend too on Local Learning Partnerships, community education workers, the media, employers and trade unions to inform the public about its potential and encourage them to use it. It will complement and benefit from the new system of Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs). There is a role for everyone involved in learning to promote, support, use and benefit from the UfI. We believe it will enhance opportunities for learners and providers alike and result in a significant increase in uptake of learning opportunities which in turn leads to a more highly skilled workforce.

National Grid for Learning (NGFL)

2.9 The National Grid for Learning will be a parallel but similarly powerful influence in creating a society of lifelong learners. The National Grid for learning is both:

a development of high quality educational material which will be available on the Internet to schools and colleges, teachers, lecturers, pupils, students and other learners; and
a programme for delivering the infrastructure of cable and networks, the hardware, the services and the training required to establish a modern, comprehensive information and communications technology system for all our schools and colleges.

Although it will start with schools and colleges the National Grid is intended ultimately to provide access to all sectors of education and lifelong learning.

2.10 The past year has seen swift progress in its development. A consultation document 'Connecting the Learning Society' was issued in October 1997 and the responses received indicated strong support for the proposals and a desire to move quickly to develop the National Grid in Scotland, building on particular strengths such as:

BT's investment in the Highlands digital technology;
the development of the University of the Highlands and Islands Project;
well established Metropolitan Area Networks, the high speed computer networks which connect all of Scotland's HEIs; and
work of specialist organisations such as the Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET) and Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN).

2.11 The SOEID Superhighways Task Force has been working with education authorities identifying needs and preparing advice on the development of information communications technology (ICT) in schools. 140 Scottish schools have been identified as pilot schools to test the prototype Grid and to pilot innovative services and products. A prototype Scottish Virtual Teachers' Centre, delivering via the Internet, learning and teaching resources specifically related to the Scottish Curriculum, was launched in January 1998. The Scottish Council for Educational Technology (SCET) and the Scottish Consultative Council on the Curriculum (SCCC) have been charged with the task of developing this site to ensure that it meets a wide range of needs. A central web-site, created by SOEID, allows schools to register their details once they are connected to the Internet.

2.12 Although the initial targets for development are schools and libraries, the NGFL will in time reach out to all adult learners. Scottish Enterprise has recently agreed a contribution of Ł30,000 to ensure that the Scottish Virtual Teachers' Centre provides facilities for trainers as well as teachers and pupils. It is envisaged that in-company trainers as well as those in private training will have access.

2.13 We have also taken steps to ensure that the technology and basic training needed to deliver the NGFL will be in place. Additional capital resources of Ł115.7 million over 5 years, announced in July 1997, allowed education authorities to tackle the backlog of repairs to school buildings and to improve facilities for ICT. In the Budget of March 1998 a further sum of Ł15 million was announced for front-line use in Scottish schools. ICT spend from this sum was to be directed towards training and equipping the NGFL pilot schools. In the recent Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) an additional Ł62 million was directed towards schools ICT in Scotland between 1999 and 2002. The bulk of the money, some Ł54 million, will be used to help education authorities to obtain the hardware and services needed to create the Grid. The remainder will be used to promote research into the effective use of ICT in teaching, to publicise good practice and to develop Scottish content for the Grid. Ł230 million has been made available from the National Lottery for meeting the ICT training needs of teachers and library staff across the UK. Ł23 million of this money will be available for training Scottish teachers and library staff in the use of ICT.

2.14 We have set ourselves the ambitious target of having all schools, colleges, higher education institutions, libraries and as many community centres as possible connected to the Grid by the Year 2002. Thereafter the concentration of effort will be on ensuring access by all citizens in their homes and communities.

Learning in the Information Age

2.15 On 16 April this year, the Government issued a statement outlining its vision of a fully inclusive Information Age which will bring the benefits of using ICTs to everyone and will provide the opportunity for all to acquire and improve the skills necessary to participate fully in the global electronic community.

2.16 The Government outlined its role in 5 key areas:

harnessing the potential of ICTs to transform education;
widening access;
promoting competition and competitiveness;
fostering quality; and
modernising government.

In addition to the initiatives outlined below such as the University for Industry, the National Grid for Learning and the Public Libraries Network, the document set targets for the Inside Scottish Industry Programme for Business, aimed at increasing business efficiency through the appropriate use of ICTs, IT for All, allowing individuals the opportunity to try new technologies in unintimidating surroundings, and the delivery of government services.

2.17 Modern technology is opening up new and exciting learning opportunities. The growth of learning centres and remote learning opportunities is a feature of contemporary learning.

Slamannan IT Centre

This centre, located in an area that has experienced industrial decline, has delivered IT training to the community for 2 years. It has recently widened out its remit to offer a range of services to meet other needs as a local learning centre. It is the result of a partnership with Forth Valley Enterprise and Falkirk Council and is managed by Falkirk College of Further and Higher Education. A menu of choices is available, e.g. pre-vocational courses, SQA modules, open learning, access to careers guidance and information, and access to Council information. The use of electronic networks and video conferencing enhances traditional methods of communication and delivery.

CyberSkills (Enterprise Ayrshire)

This is a series of workshops designed to raise awareness and provide hands-on experience of the Internet, electronic mail, commercial on-line services, the World Wide Web, CD-ROM Multimedia and video and data conferencing. CyberSkills is a trade mark registered to ICL and used by registered CyberSkills Agencies. Enterprise Ayrshire is one of 10 such agencies in the UK and currently the only agency in Scotland, although the network is expanding rapidly. CyberSkills focuses on bringing learning technologies to the public in an accessible and affordable way which concentrates on the users of the technology rather than the technology itself. The workshops have been tailored to provide an understanding of how new information and communication technologies can be used appropriately to support businesses, develop personal learning opportunities or form the basis for effective research, information gathering and communication.

2.18 FE Colleges have demonstrated considerable forward vision in developing their use of information and communications technology in the delivery of further education. They provide extensive opportunities for remote learning and the use of video conferencing tools, and for access to Internet information. The Glasgow Telecolleges Network is a good example of a collaborative approach to the use of ICT. This is a broadband telecommunications network providing links between the 10 FE colleges in Glasgow. It will assist the development of multimedia learning as staff from more than one institution are able to collaborate in teaching. Of the Ł1.3 million made available last year by the Government to Scotland's FE colleges for the development of collaborative links between colleges, over Ł1 million was spent by the colleges in developing their information and communication technology links.

Virtual College - Edinburgh's Telford College

This project seeks to further develop the open learning centres previously established in selected public libraries to include the use of Internet technology for learning. The projects builds on Edinburgh's Telford College's experience in supporting the Open for Learning initiative through the provision of library staff training and the development of on-line learning packages. Learners can access packages on-line in their local public library with library staff providing first-line support.

2.19 The broadcast media are also playing an increasing role in making the public aware of lifelong learning and in the direct delivery of learning opportunities. TV and radio have played a crucial role in the success of the Open University and young people have benefited from high quality schools programming for many years. More recently the BBC developed

The Learning Zone which enables learning programmes to be broadcast at off-peak times for recording and later use; and increased provision such as websites, teletext, telephone helplines and factsheets linked to specific programmes makes it easy for people to learn more about issues when their interest is sparked by a programme and to turn that interest into action. BBC social action campaigns in covering literacy, numeracy and IT literacy have had considerable success in reaching people with basic skills needs.

2.20 In view of their expanding role and increasing commitment to lifelong learning we are developing closer relations with the broadcast media:

to encourage their support and involvement in key initiatives such as the University for Industry;
to ensure that developments recognise and reflect the distinctive Scottish education, training and qualifications systems;
to assist them in forging valuable linkages which will lead to wider and more accessible opportunities for the modern learner; and
to encourage their use of all forms of digital media to offer enhanced learning opportunities for adults and children.

Most people in Scotland have access to the medium of terrestrial television and radio; it is estimated that by 2005 a majority of homes will have access to digital broadcasting technology which will offer a wide range of channels and greatly increased scope for specialist channels. It offers tremendous potential as a learning medium and we are committed to supporting the broadcast media in its development.