Investing in Adult and Community Education
Interesting resources around the idea of investing in ACE.
Providing the evidence - the impact of wider family learning
NIACE in the UK was commissioned by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to carry out a short focused piece of research, examining the impact of Wider Family Learning programmes on families and the contribution of the outcomes of activities to the wider policy agenda. One of the findings was that the underpinning skills developed as part of family learning activities transfer into other areas of family life and provide opportunities for learner progression in educational, economic, social and personal terms.
One of the recommendations was that a new curriculum framework for family learning, a curriculum for social justice, be introduced to provide a consistent approach for all practitioners to introduce new learning programmes with the aim of improving families‟ skills to meet the needs of the 21st century. To provide practitioners with a framework and the tools to support learning in families and build the resilience and skills to meet “the new world order”.
Click on the image on the right to view the report
Is Wales making the most of The Wider Benefits of Adult Learning?
The Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning (WBL) investigates the benefits that learning brings to the individual and to society as a whole. Its main objectives are to clarify, model and quantify the outcomes of all forms of intentional learning so as to inform the funding, implementation and practice of educational provision through the life course. This 3min 45sec clip focuses on not only the economic benefits of lifelong learning, but on social cohesion as well. It includes comments by learners and facts such as “Adults who participate in learning are 14% less likely to smoke”.
This is backed up by facts and figures in the following 2min 03sec clip
The Importance of Learning in Organizations
The importance of learning in organisations. A 10 minute interview with Harvard Business School Professors David Garvin and Amy Edmondson. They give many examples, including a quote that states “The rate at which organisations and individuals learn may well become the only sustainable competitive advantage.” An interesting take on an area that has not always been seen as a logical ACE target here in the past, giving real examples.
The Economic case for ACE (Canada)
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In “By the Numbers – the Economic Case for Investing in Literacy” Scott Murray, President of Data Angel Policy Research Inc., walks us through the reasons why the best thing for Canada's economy is to put more resources into Adult Learning. The clip is 9mins 39 long and is part of a series. It has some fascinating ideas relevant to all of us. Scott believes that “the road to nirvana is paved with the skills of the average worker” and questions the reliance on qualifications above skills and knowledge. |
Economics of ACE (UK)
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In this 10 minute video clip Alison Wolf, Professor of Public Education at King’s College, London, speaking at the IEA – the Institute of Economic Affairs – discusses “the gigantic waste of money” in Britain’s education sector on centrally designed qualifications targeting economic benefits, but in reality not making any difference. Her emphasis is on the restrictions on enjoying education and the unjustness of the differences in access options between new school leavers and adults. The last 3 minutes is a question and answer session on subsidy ideas – very interesting and thought-provoking. Note - Part 1 ends very abruptly and is followed by Part 2 ( 1minute 17sec) Also see Alison's article :Shifting power to the learner” from the NIACE.org.uk site. |