ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR LIVING Patricia Cochrane 24 February 2015

Essential Skills Strategy In 1996 the International Adult Literacy Survey showed that one in four adults in Northern Ireland (NI) had low levels of literacy and numeracy. In 2002 DEL launched the Essential Skills Strategy with the aim of improving literacy and numeracy in the adult population in NI Essential Skills qualifications were introduced in literacy and numeracy from 2002 ICT was introduced as a third Essential Skill in 2009

Five Key Strands Strong leadership Common standards, common curriculum and robust assessment and accreditation procedures Quality in all aspects of provision Diverse and flexible pathways Strong promotional campaign to engage learners

Essential Skills Available from Entry Level through to Level 2 qualifications in Literacy and Numeracy Level 1 and 2 in ICT F E delivers Essential Skills courses free to all learners ( over 60% of Essential Skills courses are delivered in FE ) Essential Skills is embedded into DEL funded programmes such as Training for Success, ApprenticeshipNI Tutors must meet the qualification requirements to deliver Essential Skills

Other Achievements Well qualified tutor workforce An effective framework and structure for the delivery of Essential Skills Well developed promotional campaign Improvements in quality

Essential Skills Enrolments and Outcomes in Northern Ireland from 2002/03 up to 2013/14 Some key points Over the past academic year, the number of enrolments decreased by 11.5% from 51,735 in 2012/13, to 45,792 in 2013/14 Level 2 has generally been increasing with enrolments rising from 7% in 2002/03 to 41.9% in 2013/14 The highest proportion of enrolments is in the age group at 71.2% 27% of enrolments are from the most deprived areas, with only 8.9% of enrolments from the least deprived areas.

Progress to Date DEL is on track to achieve the Programme for Government target of 21,000 qualifications at level 2 and above by Key findings show there are high proportions of enrolments: in literacy at level 2 from age group in deprived areas

International Survey of Adult Skills 2012 Literacy levels have increased significantly since last measured in 2006 But they are still below the OECD average Our youngest cohort has literacy and numeracy levels well below the OECD average This is more marked for numeracy

Refresh of Essential Skills Strategy External evaluation Refresh of current standards, curriculum and assessment arrangements Examination of international best practice Joint research with DE on Essential Skills in schools Joint work with DE on the Review of GCSE English and maths

External Evaluation Impact of the programme on different cohorts of learners Effectiveness of Essential Skills in meeting the needs of learners and employers Identification of areas for improvement and options for taking the strategy forward based on international best practice Final report end of February 2015

Refresh of current standards, curriculum and assessment model Steering Group established to take the work forward chaired by DEL Quality Improvement Adviser Expert has been appointed to quality assure the work and provide advice based on international best practice Work in literacy due for completion by the end of April 2015

Review of GCSE English/maths Fundamental review of GCSE English and maths One of the recommendations is the need for a skills based qualifications at level 1 and 2 in English and maths to be developed for schools How do we ensure a consistent and integrated literacy and numeracy strategy across both departments to enable our young people to continue to develop these important skills and progress in their chosen career pathway?