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Grassroots solutions key to recovery
Column originally published in the Local Government Chronicle on 17 October 2013. The party conferences were a mixed bag of announcements already trailed and the slow grinding of the pre-election gears. And...Read more »
Young people leaving care getting the widespread support they deserve
The Government’s new cross departmental strategy to support young people leaving care was published yesterday.
14 October 2013 by Alex StevensonThe Adult Skills Survey (PIAAC) – What Does It Mean for ESOL?
As the OECD’s Adult Skills Survey itself says, it’s hardly surprising that foreign language immigrants have lower proficiency in literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments.
A First Glance at The OECD Survey of Adult Skills 2013
Like many of you I’m sure, I haven’t had the chance to give anything like the considered detail the 466 pages of the full report of the OECD Survey of Adult Skills deserves.
When is a course leisure or vocational?
This morning FE Week published a story about their concerns over loans being accessed for ‘leisure’ courses and in particular for Horticulture courses at Bicton College in Devon. Their argument is that loans should ‘be prioritised for adults wanting to go to university, into work or to do an apprenticeship’.
PIAAC data could inform social, economic and educational policy
PIAAC – you may have heard the word and wondered what it was. It stands for the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences. It’s an international survey attempting to assess and compare the basic...Read more »
Revisiting tired debates has no future
Column originally published in the Local Government Chronicle on 4 September 2013. One of the eye catching announcements at this year’s LGA conference was the package of ideas for “re-wiring public services”. Amongst its...Read more »
#learningforchange: mid-conference season reflections
Cautiously optimistic might be the best way to start, after a few good days at the Lib Dems annual conference in Glasgow. Armed with a strong package of pre-conference season asks we have achieved good policy...Read more »
A work placement at NIACE was the stepping stone to my success
Young adult carer, Emily Hicks, aged 23, first came into contact with NIACE in 2011 when she was nominated by a college teacher for the Adult Learners’ Week awards. Despite not winning an award, NIACE was...Read more »
Finding the right recipe to work with LEPS
Column originally published in FE Week on 25 July 2013. LEPs are different beasts from their predecessors, the Regional Development Agencies. But they will be powerful players in local skills systems over the years ahead. At...Read more »
31 July 2013 by Nicola AylwardNew measures to counter youth unemployment
Whilst youth unemployment has fallen by 59,000 since the launch of the Youth Contract in April 2012, figures published last week by DWP show that the scheme has fallen substantially short of original targets.
Have LEPs got the backing they need?
Column originally published in the Local Government Chronicle on 3 July 2013. Watching an ITV documentary on Scottish devolution, I was reminded of the contribution the late John Smith made to the devolution settlement...Read more »
How an internship at NIACE has restored my hope for the future
Written by Ryan Mercer, NIACE’s Policy Development Intern who graduated from the University of Leicester in 2012, with a BA (Hons) Ancient History and History. On 11 July 2012, I graduated from the University of Leicester...Read more »
Caring has become a part of who I am
Today’s is the last guest blog in our series for National Carers Week. Louise, shares the challenges she has faced, as well as the rewards she has reaped, as a young adult carer. Along with my...Read more »
Employers and teachers should recognise the needs of carers
Continuing a series of guest blogs for National Carers Week, young adult carer, Matt, tells us what he thinks employers and schools can do to better support people with caring responsibilities.
Proper awareness of what carers do could improve our lives
In the first of a series of guest blogs for National Carers Week, Louise shares the challenges she has faced growing up as a carer and what she thinks could make a real difference to others in the same situation.
Partnerships key to ‘place resilience’
Column originally published in the Local Government Chronicle on 17 May 2013. Much has been said about the importance of voluntary sector partnerships in local government. In recent rounds of peer reviews, the council’s...Read more »
Becoming multilingual – a week at @NIACEhq
NIACE is a great organisation with great staff. The welcome I have received a week into my new job – despite joining during Adult Learners’ Week, one of the busiest periods in the year – has...Read more »
We need to reassert the value of part-time higher study
The latest guest blog exploring the decline in part-time HE student recruitment - Mary Stuart asks why the introduction of loans for part-time students has failed to deliver the expected boost in part-time HE and reflects on the cost to the economy and to society more widely.
Skills at 35
On Tuesday night I spoke at a National Skills Forum seminar in the Houses of Parliament on the subject of Skills at 35, along with two great students, amongst others. It was an interesting session and...Read more »
12 December 2012 by Guest BloggerThe role of skills within the Work Programme
Today, NIACE has published a new free guide – The Work Programme: What is the role of skills available at – to help many more Work Programme Prime and sub-Prime providers make skills provision available to their programme participants through working in partnership with learning providers.
Where are we with public engagement in universities in the UK?
I spoke at the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement conference in Bristol yesterday, and posed an important question – “Where are we with public engagement in universities in the UK?” The role universities can play...Read more »
28 November 2012 by Dr Fiona AldridgeA time for change
It’s been a really busy week at NIACE and yesterday alone we responded to the Richard Review of Apprenticeships, the publication of the Work Programme Statistics and the Chief Inspector’s annual report for Ofsted. And on Friday we publish The Adult Apprentice, setting out NIACE’s position on apprenticeships and featuring the stories of 10 inspiring adult apprentices nominated for last year’s Adult Learners’ Week awards.
22 November 2012 by David HughesA new faith in freedoms and flexibilities?
After more than 48 hours engrossed in endless discussion and debate about further education, skills and learning with colleges from around the country, I came away wondering what I had learned and whether things are changing.
8 November 2012 by Martin RoseInvesting in literacy and numeracy does pay
Good literacy and numeracy skills are crucial in helping Servicemen and women carry out their jobs and take advantage of the training and career opportunities on offer in the Armed Forces. This was the official line...Read more »
Milburn report should prompt action on part-time numbers
Alan Milburn’s justified criticism of the government’s decision to cut the Education Maintenance Allowance – a ‘very bad mistake’, he argues – may have grabbed the headlines, but there is much else that is good and useful in his thoughtful, intelligent report on the role of higher education in advancing social mobility.
A week down under
I’ve just returned from a fascinating week in Australia where I met lots of people, made a few speeches and took part in a major conference on the Future of Work. I was a guest of...Read more »
27 September 2012 by David HughesThe role we can all play in addressing inequalities in adult learning
One of the challenges I wanted to face up to when I joined NIACE was to decide what to do with the results of the annual survey of learning participation, which has become an annual event since the mid-1990s.
Women’s Right to Literacy
I have witnessed the pride of women in Uganda, reading in public for the first time in their lives. Literacy gave them confidence to actively participate in their communities. I have seen small groups of women...Read more »
“So, what will the new NIACE look like, then?”
This is the question which I have been asked most often since I was appointed to the NIACE role. It’s a great question to ask and I will make an attempt to answer it, but before...Read more »