newsletter

Acccess

Two key targets have been set for participation and attainment. By 2002, 500,000 people will have been helped to improve their basic skills. By 2004 the number of adults who have difficulty with literacy and numeracy will have been reduced by 750,000.

The target priority groups for the new national basic skills strategy have been identified as:

Unemployed people and others on benefit
Prisoners and those supervised in the community
Public sector employees
Workers in low skilled jobs
Members of other groups at a risk of exclusion , such as those people for whom English is a second language, people with learning difficulties, refugees, and travellers.

Trade unions, union learning reps and collaboration between trade unions and other organisations are all essential to addressing this agenda. People in the target populations are often more confident and at ease with trade unions than they are with governments, employers and formal education settings.

Standards

A set of basic skills standards has been established by the Qualification and Curriculum Authority. These standards will form the basis of the basic skills qualifications that are currently being prepared by the awarding bodies. The qualifications will be awarded on the results of new national tests. The curriculum for learners will be informed by these standards, awards and tests.

Substantial changes to training for basic skills teachers are underway too. Stage one is that of ‘training the trainers’. In this stage 300 people are undertaking training on the new basic skills standards and curriculum. These colleagues will return to their institutions charged with responsibility for training basic skills teachers. The new FENTO kite marked teacher training qualification, on stream from September this year, will contain an element of literacy and numeracy teaching for all staff. In addition specialist units will be available for colleagues teaching basic skills learners. Good learning materials are essential to support the delivery of the curriculum and at present there is a lack of good basic skills materials that are relevant and meaningful to the learner. These must be developed.

The national tests at levels 1 and 2 are with the awarding bodies at present and as yet no date has been set for their publication. Although the national tests have attracted a great deal of controversy they will rationalise the current myriad of qualifications. As with any qualification there must be public understanding of what the qualification signifies. Employers, learning counsellors, individual learners all need to feel clear and confident that possession of a basic skills qualification means that the individual has a certain range of skills. Such transparency is lacking in the present arrangements.

Partnership

Partnership is essential to a successful strategy. The voluntary and community sector (including agencies such as the Prince’s Trust) have important roles to play in boosting both the demand for and supply of basic skills. The potential and need for the expansion of community / family / employee programmes, based out in the workplace and community, make this a good area of work for colleges to subcontract with good quality providers.

Minimally providers will be expected to offer:

A targeted action plan for learner recruitment, retention and achievement
A clear strategy for all learners including those on vocational courses
A plan for the recruitment and training of staff.

May 2001

BASIC SKILLS - TOP OF THE GOVERNMENT AGENDA