Feed back on ACE (UK) article provided by Terry at ACEnet resources

Thanks for the resource updates and the articles that are emailed out regularly - I was very interested in the recent  'economic case for ACE' sent out by Terry - the youtube video on the same link as Canadian ACE and economic benefits was of particular interest in the light of my being a 'product of UK FE & Higher Education systems" and someone who has often seen "change for changes sake" when it comes to the government of the day (no matter who they are) deluding themselves that they somehow have all the answers to the economic problems by laying the blame at the door of post compulsory education for the 'gaps' that appear in our changing societies learning needs - when in fact, the NZ government should take a look at what the UK is proposing at the moment  because after years of starving ACE and trying to 'streamline it'  (Yes NZ is not the first and won't be the last society that has tried to fix something that's not broken for the sake of a very small amount of taxpayer dollars) - but to the UKs credit the new government has actually seen the benefits of ACE and is trying to improve it, where as the National party upon election decided to disregard ACE in times of economic downturn - just when you need an outlet for the breeding of innovation, new ideas and achievement - National destroys it,  while on the other side of the world the newly elected UK National government (the tories or Conservatives with a splash of Liberalism)  have more economic pressures than NZ is ever likely to experience, have embraced the need to revive ACE and are pouring money back into it. the youtube video Prof.Alison Wolf speaking at the IEA reminded me to take a look at the  NIACE.org.uk site where there is an interesting speech from the UKs new PM David Cameron talking during the ALW (UK) about  how their work based learning has not been a great success and they hope to redirect the money into learning chosen by the learner (this backs up the point Alison Wolf made that workplace training will benefit only the larger industries and will do nothing to establish small business, retain workers or help in the long term the economics of a society - because adults make up their own minds= about what learning they require, what needs drive them  and what skills they will ultimately want to embrace, regardless of government influences - you can't tell your community what it needs - your community tells you - the best you can do is to be there to provide it when it is required!