Adult and Community Learning Partnership Wales

Adult and Community Learning

Challenges ahead and impact on the learner

Challenges aheadWill there be part time adult learning in the future?If so what do you think it will look like? How are the funding cuts being managed by the local partnerships to ensure continuation of adult learning in the community?How does ACL compliment other services such as Health and Housing?With reduction in budgets how will this effect staff development? Are there enough tutors qualified to ESW level 3 and to meet curriculum priorities?

Challenges ahead& impact• How will we ensure that the expertise and

engagement with disadvantaged learners continues?

• Family Learning programme – greatly reduced or no provision across Wales. Pupil Deprivation Grant not being allocated to this programme. This provision is a stepping stone into learning.

Curriculum Challenges• The Welsh Government priority is Basic Skills,

ESOL and Digital Literacy. What are your priorities within the local partnership?

• Are routes to progression being closed?• Full cost courses – These can meet the Older

Persons Strategy and Health and Wellbeing agenda but are they only for those that can afford the fees?

• Self Organised Clubs –will they continue to be supported?

Impact on learners• Every adult should have the right to access

learning to meet their needs and aspirations.• So what is the impact on the learner and

where will they go to achieve to the best of their ability?

• Tackling poverty is an overarching theme but………

• Less activity for learners to access to move them closer to employment.

Impact on learners

• Economic downturn is effecting the traditional models of retirement. Older people must be able to learn new skills to remain or re enter the labour market.

• There are 4 times as many people over 50 who are NEETs compared to under 25 year olds.

Joining up servicesIs there an opportunity for adult learning by joining up services with Housing and Health? Is there funding available?If so what will this look like?What is the impact on Health and Social Care without Adult Learning?ACL can provide the knowledge, expertise and quality assurance processes to ensure all learners have the same opportunity to achieve to the best of their ability.

The opportunities for part time learning is more important now than ever.

Table Discussions

• Sharing ideas going forward

• Collate suggestions and ideas on questions raised

• Questions for the panel