Our latest Learning Lincs Newsletter is available now

We hope that readers will find the resulting essay, http://www.uel.ac.uk/risingeast/essays/2010-02-24.htm, just published in Rising East, a journal of the University of East London, of some interest. Alice Sampson (UEL) and I (LSBU) have developed the essay following a Conference organised under the aegis of the University of East London in June 2009. The Conference focused on ‘Community Anchors’ and included illuminating presentations from three such organisations: Bromley-by-Bow Centre; Community Links; and Toynbee Hall. A clear concern of all present was the difficulty of marshalling sufficient convincing evidence – beyond the anecdotal – of Community Anchors’ effectiveness as ‘whole organisations’ rather than as ‘delivery agents for particular services’.

The essay focuses on that challenging and seemingly intractable problem and seeks to make progress in its resolution. However, we do not claim that it is, in any sense, the ‘last word’. In the essay:

1. Community Anchors are defined as ‘multi-purpose’ and ‘locally-based’, with long term missions focused on ‘poverty’ and/or ‘social exclusion’ and/or ‘social capital’.

a. As such, they are at a great disadvantage in the predominantly silocentric funding world.

b. As service deliverers, Community Anchors suffer from diseconomies of small scale and organisational complexity.

c. By contrast, their strengths as ‘organisations making a distinctive and valuable long term contribution to their communities’ are difficult to demonstrate in ways that will convince funders.

d. ‘Whole organisation impact’ is especially difficult for multi-purpose organisations to demonstrate.

2. We argue that Community Anchors’ long term missions are likely to be being achieved if they can show – over time – that they are effective ‘attractors’ and ‘connectors’. These two mechanisms are vital to Community Anchors’ distinctiveness, which depends upon Community Anchors’ potential – as ‘whole organisations’ – to contribute more than ‘the sum of their service delivery parts’ to their communities.

3. The essay concludes with some indications as to how the effectiveness of these ‘attractor’ and ‘connector’ features might be measured. The essay sets Community Anchors in a wider context and so touches on – but does not bottom out – several other interesting and important questions. The fairly extensive endnotes give some indications as to how such issues might be taken further. We would welcome comments and contributions to what we believe is an important debate. We can be reached at: a.sampson@uel.ac.uk max.weaver@btinternet.com

Following the two 'Meet the New Agencies in Learning and Skills' events, the presentations from the key speakers are now available to download at the TSNLA website. The events were held in Leeds on the 26th February and London on the 4th March.

In addition to a series of workshops offering advice for Multi-Area Providers, information on the Framework for Excellence and Consortia Working, and the newly developed TSNLA Toolkit for Commissioners, senior strategic leaders from the YPLA, the SFA and REACT were all involved, giving presentations and participating in question and answer sessions.

This truly was a chance to get an insight into the direction and developments that are occurring in the transition to the new arrangements and the involvement of the Third Sector in the future of Learning and Skills.

Download the presentations at:
http://www.tsnla.org.uk/content/lsc-third-sector-transition-support-resources#

 

Our latest Learning Lincs Newsletter is available now

2010 Review: The Integration of Employment and Skills - launched by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) on Tuesday 16 February 2010 - will consider the progress that is being made in integrating employment and skills systems in Great Britain and provide advice on how further integration can be achieved. The review's remit includes the whole of the publicly-funded employment and skills system in England, Scotland and Wales, including higher education, and covers job seekers, those entering the labour market and those who have been in employment for many years, but have not had the opportunity to develop their skills or to progress within the workplace.

This month sees the launch of Online basics, a new course designed to help thousands of offline adults take their first steps with computers and the internet.

Online basics, which is free, offers five key modules covering the basics people need to know to get started online. Everything is covered – from keyboard and mouse skills – to email, internet searching and how to stay safe on the internet.

Tutors in learning centres and family and friends supporting someone at home can also find guidance to help them help others use the course. Online basics is open to everyone and has been created as part of the Government's response to Estelle Morris' Review of ICT User Skills, published in June. The report recommended a single channel to help the 15 million offline adults in the UK get to grips with technology.

 

 

We are delighted to be able to share some research undertaken by IFF Research, on behalf of the Learning and Skills Council, on the Contribution of the third sector in learning and skills.

This research uses five years of LSC data to show the value and achievements of third sector providers of learning and skills, and clearly evidences the case that the third sector is contributing and adding value to learners in both their learner achievements and their ability to get employment. The research also evidences that it is the third sector that reach further into communities than most other providers, supporting those people that are least likely to find their way back to learning without this support.

There’s a full report, a summary of the key issues which you might find helpful to pass to commissioners of learning and skills, as well as influencers of policy in this field, and you’ll also find five powerful learner journeys which articulate the research findings through changes in people’s lives at appendix G, and these will shortly be available as a separate document.

Do make most use of this exciting research by passing it on through your networks.

Skills – Third Sector, is writing a framework for apprenticeships to meet the needs of third sector organisations.

They’re currently consulting on the framework and need your input to make sure it reflects the views of third sector employers and training providers.

The consultation is now open and will run until 28 April. Read more about the framework and take part in the consultation at:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?NCVOWorkforceDevelop/dabf8f524e/2df6a681a8/8317e10089

 

This interactive animation from the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency provides an overview of the key concepts of the Qualifications and Credit Framework. At the end of the animation you will be able to view some case studies about the benefits of the QCF.
Please visit http://www.qcda.gov.uk/22623.aspx# to view and for a text version of the animation.

The slides from the QCF Update Seminar held in Lincoln on the 11th December 2009 are now available (City & Guilds QCF Seminar Slides). These slides provide information on the changes that have been taking place with the move from the NQF (National Qualifications Framework) to QCF (Qualifications and Credit Framework). The QCF will eventually replace the NQF which will close for accreditations at the end of 2010.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published Skills for Growth: a national strategy for economic growth and individual prosperity on the 11th November 2009. BIS state that this document 'takes some important decisions and marks a radical shift in some of the priorities of our skills system.

Commitments include:

• Creating a modern technician class through more advanced apprenticeships
• Investing in skills in the sectors on which future growth and jobs depend
• Empowering individuals through skills accounts giving people ‘consumer choice’ and better information about courses
• The introduction of light touch monitoring arrangements for our best providers
• Simplifying the skills landscape, working with UKCES to implement their recommendation to reduce the number of separately publicly funded agencies by over 30 in the next three years

Please look in our useful stuff section for the related documents, or download them below:

BIS Skills Strategy Summary  421Kb

BIS Skills Strategy  3Mb

BIS Skills Strategy Analytical Paper  451Kb

BIS Skills Investment Strategy  284Kb