Adult Learner's Week

Adult Learners' Week is a campaign that is celebrated in over 40 countries and promotes all forms of adult learning. During the week, organisations that are involved in adult learning can run special activities, or advertise their existing activities as Adult Learners' Week activities.

There are also Adult Learners' Week awards and a Learning at Work Day, which aims to give staff the opportunity to learn something new. In England, Adult Learners' Week is organised by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, and funded by the Department for Education and Skills and the European Social Fund.

Basic skills

The ability to read, write and speak in English and to use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society in general.

C&YP

(C)hildren & (Y)oung (P)eople.

Collaborative delivery

To meet the aims of the 14-19 strategy, institutions will need to work together in partnership to meet the needs of local students. These partnerships could be between schools, colleges, employers, training providers and universities. The process of one or more of these institutions working together in such a way is called collaborative delivery.

Collaborative delivery has several advantages, including offering wider educational choices for 14-19 year olds, helping the move from pre- to post-16 learning, and supporting work-based learning. Methods for collaborative delivery are being tested by the 14-19 pathfinders.

Community capacity

Community capacity is the ability of a community to employ the skills of its members to better itself.

EMA

(E)ducation (M)aintenance (A)llowances

Employability

Employability refers to the ability of an individual to get a job and their ability to retain it. It also suggests that an individual can make certain choices in their employment situation.

For the individual, employability depends on the knowledge, skills and attitudes they have and the way they use those assets and present them to employers. There are links between education, training and employability. Those who have in the past demonstrated poor employability are likely to be less employable in the future.

Employer engagement

The concept of learning providers forming mutually benefical links with employers

Family learning

Family learning has proved to be a highly effective way of encouraging adults back into learning, as it provides an opportunity for adults to learn alongside their children. Parents and carers can upgrade their skills and, at the same time, learn how best to support their children.

Family learning is also about discovering new things together: activities can be as diverse as families themselves. Many parents and carers spend time listening to their children read, helping with homework or organising sporting and social events.

Hard to reach groups

Certain parts of the population find it difficult to take advantage of learning opportunities. This could be, for example, because of physical disability, language, financial constraints, cultural differences or social expectations.

Hard to reach groups include homeless people, drug users, refugee and asylum seekers and people with mental health problems. To reach out to these groups, organisations often have to target them directly.

IAG

(I)nformation, (A)dvice and (G)uidance network for adults. The IAG was created to encourage quality and consistency in careers advice and guidance services for adults. It also aimed to encourage all those agencies involved in this field to network more effectively and participate in joint training events.

Learner progression and transition

One attractive way of handling the idea of development has been through the idea that people progress through various stages.

Lifelong learning

The continuous development of skills and knowledge to enhance quality of life and employment prospects.

LSC

(L)earning & (S)kills (C)ouncil. The Government agency now responsible for adult training in England.

NEET

NEET (Not in education, employment or training)

Neighbourhood Renewal Funds

Provides public services and communities in the 88 poorest local authority districts with extra funds to tackle deprivation.

Sector skills agreements

Sector Skills Agreements were announced in the '21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential' White Paper. They outline long-term plans to address skills needs and priorities in different sectors. The agreements offer the opportunity for groups representing demand (employers) and supply (training providers) to work together to identify skills and productivity needs, and to agree what action will be taken to meet those needs.

SME's

(S)mall and (M)edium (E)nterprises. A term for defining companies employing less than 250 employees.

Sustainable communities

A three year partnership between EnCams, Forward Scotland and the Sustainable Northern Ireland Programme which is testing ways in which communities can be supported to improve the quality of life in their neighbourhood. The programme aims to increase understanding of how people can become more involved in sustainable development at a local level, including how to balance social, economic and environmental demands.

WCVS

(W)irral (C)ouncil for (V)oluntary (S)ervices

Wirral Council for Voluntary Service exists to support, develop and promote Wirral's not-for-profit sector helping it to identify and respond effectively to current and emerging challenges.

WLC

(W)irral (L)earning (C)ommunity.

WLP

(W)irral (L)earning (P)artnership.

Learning Partnerships promote a culture of provider collaboration across sectors (schools, further education, work-based learning and adult and community learning) covering post-16 learning. They are non-statutory, voluntary groupings of local learning providers and others such as local government, Connexions/Careers Service, trade unions, employers and faith groups.

The core roles for Learning Partnerships are promoting provider collaboration in support of lifelong learning and maximising the contribution of learning to local regeneration.

Worklessness

Worklessness is a less familiar term than unemployment to describe those without work. It is used to describe all those who are out of work but who would like a job.

Definitions of worklessness include: unemployed claimants; those who are actively out of work and looking for a job; and those who are economically inactive.