NIACE in Europe Our Role as EU National Coordinator Adult Education Helsinki meeting, Goldsmiths College, London, 11 March 2015 Joyce Black Assistant Director, Development & Research, NIACE Vice-President,

NIACE is the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, the national voice for lifelong learning. We are an internationally respected development organisation and think-tank, working on issues central to the economic renewal of the UK, particularly in the political economy, education and learning, public policy and regeneration fields. We campaign for the personal, social and economic benefits from lifelong learning, work to improve people’s experience of the adult learning and skills system, and fight for all adults to have opportunities throughout their lives to participate in and benefit from learning. We are a membership organisation, and our work is local, national and pan- European, across all types of learning including literacy and numeracy, digital, further/higher education, apprenticeships, workplace, community learning, leisure and citizenship. Our specialism is post-16 learning and skills, but we increasingly work across all age ranges from early years to later life. About NIACE in the UK

Historically – Work internationally – Former Chief Executive president of ICAE – UNESCO digital award – UNESCO Literacy Working Group – Work with EAEA, EBSN, Grundtvig Programme, EU LLL programme As EU National Coordinator – Since 2012 – Close work with EU, EAEA, EBSN & Erasmus+ In other pan-European projects – Most recently, OER-Up!, EU SOL, AE-Pro Our role in Europe

Full title: National Coordinators for the Implementation of the European Agenda for Adult Learning Wider EU LLL agenda: – Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality; – Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training; – Promoting equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship; – Awareness-raising; – Financing adult learning; – Higher education: access to adults; – Monitoring the adult learning sector; – Quality; – Reaching out to specific target groups; – Validation of non-formal and informal learning. One of 34 countries – “promote adult learning in their respective countries, provide policy advice and support, and gather and disseminate best practices” Role as EU National Coordinator

Work around key themes for adult learning in the UK – Excluded Groups – Employability – Basic Skills – Digital Learning Use strands of work from a variety of funding sources (EU, UK Government (BIS), external funders) Disseminate through webinars Disseminate through impact forums in Scotland, England, Wales & Northern Ireland Disseminate through national conference in London Role as EU National Coordinator

Employability Key UK agenda for government UK issues with young people out of work We asked – What are employability skills? – What are employers looking for in young recruits? – How can young people develop skills for employability? Research project undertaken by young people Partnerships developed between young people and employers Guidebook developed Responsive website developed ( Disseminated through Impact forums Employers Wanted: – Positive attitude – ‘Soft skills – ‘Hard skills’ – Qualifications – Experience (voluntary) Role as EU National Coordinator

Basic Skills & Excluded Groups Response to OECD PIAAC report Close links between excluded groups, low skills, unemployment, low digital skills Our work included – Work around digital skills with excluded groups Dlit.20 (EU), Embedding Digital Literacy (Jisc), Digital Age, WEA-NI, Blended Learning Evaluation (SFA), Digital Learning with excluded groups (BIS) – Offender Learning maths4mums, virtual campus work, Increasing NCS offer – Family Learning Family Learning Works, Family Learning citizen curriculum pilots, digital family learning – Towards a Citizens’ Curriculum Role as EU National Coordinator

Basic Skills & Excluded Groups & Citizens’ Curriculum Three underlying principles for a Citizens’ Curriculum for adult learning: – An holistic approach to provision for adult learners interpreted through the local context – Learner involvement in determining the curriculum to meet their needs and interests – An interlinked combination of literacy, numeracy, language (English for Speakers of Other Languages), financial, health, digital and civic capabilities Piloting approach with 14 providers, including Adult and Community Learning providers, FE providers and community organisations Particular focus on learners from disadvantaged groups Formative and summative evaluation Role as EU National Coordinator

Digital Learning UK Government agenda around digital, FELTAG & House of Lords report Contributed evidence to HoL report – Seen launch of TechCity & TechNorth and a “Northern Powerhouse” – Taken on board our policy suggestions, including digital as “3 rd skill” FELTAG report suggested mainstreaming online learning – 50% by 2017 (not now mandatory) – EU wide basic skills & technology webinar – Series of FELTAG webinars EU wide to over 300 people with over 8.5k resource views – Creation of EU SOL project site – Creation of DigitalAge toolkits (building on previous DLit2.0 toolkit findings) – available from October Role as EU National Coordinator

Involving learners Engaging practitioners Engaging communities Engaging employers Engaging influencers and policy makers Role as EU National Coordinator Our Impact

Produced by NIACE 2015 Shared Under Creative Commons 4.0 BY-NC-ND Joyce