October 2008

How Government might best support a thriving culture of informal adult learning

This session built on the responses to the consultation that had recently taken place on Informal Adult Learning. Our goal was to shape a cross-Government framework that, with regional and local flexibilities, demonstrates its roles and responsibilities in supporting a thriving culture of informal adult learning. In doing so, we wanted to scope how DIUS could best help to grow and support informal adult learning in ways that connect with other key policy areas both with the Department and across Government.

Sponsor: Dept. for Innovation, Universities & Skills through the Central Office for Information

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

June 2008

The role of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision in helping to strengthen community cohesion

The purpose of this session was to build on the responses to a wide reaching consultation on how ESOL funding might best be targeted to foster cohesion and integration within our communities. The event helped to shape a national framework that, with regional and local flexibilities, provides a clear focus for targeting funding for ESOL provision.

Sponsor: Dept. for Innovation, Universities & Skills through the Central Office for Information

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

December 2007

Fit for purpose solutions: an approach to making the most of older workers within an integrated skills and employment system

Our discussions flowed from the premise that the UK cannot afford to ignore the contribution that older workers can make to our economy, given the right assistance. And, without this assistance, older people will make up an increasingly large group of those without work and dependent upon State aid and benefits.

At the event we considered what now needs to be done to ensure that national and regional infrastructures and support systems for the development of skills and to access employment is sufficiently tailored and flexible to help older workers.

Sponsor: Prime Advantage, ESF Equal Project

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

November 2007

Development of the Workforce Strategy for the Further Education Sector in England 2007-12

At this event, we built on responses to the consultation that preceded it to explore how we can begin to implement changes across the four key areas for consultation: understanding the workforce, attracting and retaining the best people and improving the sector image, training and developing a modernized workforce, and increasing the diversity of the workforce.

Sponsor: Lifelong Learning UK

Background Paper, Strategy, Implementation Plan and List of Participants available in library section

July 2007

Education and Training for Young People in the Youth Justice System: are we doing enough?

Our focus at this event was to build on consultation responses on issues about the education of young people, aged between 10 – 17 years, supervised by the youth justice system within England. The 24 hour session will explore how we can begin to implement changes across the four key areas for consultation: participation in education, training and employment, delivering a relevant curriculum, workforce development and accountability for young offenders’ education.

Sponsor: Dept for Children, Schools & Families

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

March 2007

Reducing Skill shortages through effective guidance and training of older workers

This event explored what now needs to be done to establish a national infrastructure and support system to encourage and assist older workers to meet skill shortages, alongside existing national anti-discrimination, pensions and benefits programmes.

Sponsor: Tick Tock, ESF Equal Project

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

January 2007

Taking forward the specification for new qualifications (within the scope of the UK Qualifications Reform Programme) and clarifying their relationship with National Occupational Standards and wider learning

This event helped to firm up the specification for qualifications and the relationships and processes that need to be in place to make the shared vision of the four nations a reality.

Sponsor: Sector Skills Development Agency

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

December 2006

What will Further Education mean in 2025?

The purpose of the event was to sharpen up our vision of the future, and then work backwards to 2006 to consider what we need to be doing now, and over the coming months and years, to ensure that we are moving in the right direction of travel.

Sponsor: Dept of Education & Skills

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

June 2006

Building Learning Alliances for Personal & Community Development Learning

Our goals for this event were to:

• identify the high level objectives that we want learning that is aimed at helping personal and community development to work towards;

• firm up our thinking about the ways in which learning alliances can achieve these objectives, such as through inter agency and provider co-operation at local level;

• confirm national priorities, and identified a number of different types of effective local partnerships able to achieve the high level objectives we feel we should be aiming for.

Sponsor: Dept of Education & Skills & National Institute of Adult & Continuing Education

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

March 2006

Taking forward the Youth Matters Agenda

This event was designed to facilitate an open and confidential discussion with those who have key roles and responsibilities in the Youth Matters agenda about how best to take forward a strategic change programme that will make a new framework for integrated services and opportunities for young people a reality.

Sponsor: Dept of Education & Skills

Background Paper, Report and List of Participants available in library section

February 2006

Skills in London: Preparing for 2012

The purpose of the event was to bring together the key players with different (though sometimes overlapping) responsibilities for the development of skills for employment in the Capital. Our focus is the 2012 Olympic Games.

Our discussions:

• confirmed what we knew at this stage to be the major skill demands that London faces in preparing for the delivery of 2012 Olympic Games;

• sharpened up how these skills should be met and the roles of different agencies in achieving this.

• developed a shared strategic plan outlining our collective approach, and agreed a process for taking this plan forward.

Sponsor: Learning & Skills Council London, London Development Agency