1. ADULT LEARNING The View from the DfES Brian Helsdon
Department for Education & Skills
Access and Inclusion Team

2. SUCCESSES 48% real increase in funding in FE since 1997
Investment in improving quality & standards in teaching & learning
Improved the basic skills of over a million adults

3. PRIORITIES (1)
a place at a school, college or training provider for every young person who stays on education or training;
help for adults who lack basic skills or the platform of skills for employability (a first full Level 2 qualification);
a wide range of opportunities for adults to progress to higher level skills and qualifications; and
the continued availability of a wide range of adult learning opportunities for personal and community development.

4. PRIORITIES (2) fewer places on publicly funded courses c230k by 2007/8
- 500K on internal/ non certificated provision
+ 270K places on full level 2
3.5m adults on FE courses in 2007/8 (-6%)
LSC will cease to fund certain courses eg short courses

5. FEES new balance between the taxpayer, employer and individual learner
fee assumptions up from 27.5% to 37.5% and ultimately 50%
Mori/ NIACE poll figures suggest public support
Continued financial support for learners and fee remission

6. LEARNERS WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND DISABILITIES
Little Report “Through Inclusion to Excellence”
ALI Report “Greater Expectations: provision for learners with disabilities”
LSC supports more than 641,000 LLDDs at a cost of nearly £1.5b pa
No policy to transfer responsibility for LLDDs to PCDL

7. FE WHITE PAPER Focus on vocational training and employability skills
New opportunities; specialisation,
Competition
Train to Gain, IAG, Foundation Learning Tier
Reaffirms commitment to learning for its own intrinsic value

8. LEARNING FOR PERSONAL & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
Safeguarded budget of £210m in 2006/7
£120m for learning programmes run by local authorities now run as part of adult and community learning, which are not directly associated with qualifications.
£33m of similar provision in FE.
£57m for family learning, including the family literacy, language and numeracy programme and the budget for neighbourhood learning.

9. ACL AND PCDL FUNDING 2005/6 & 6/7
2006/7
PCDL
£120M
FIRST STEPS
£ 55M
£ 37.5M (-£17.5M)
FAMILY LEARNING ETC
£ 57M
ACL TOTAL
£232M
£214.5M
PCDL IN FE
£ 33M
PCDL TOTAL
£210M

10. PCDL - OBJECTIVES
A good balance of high quality provision in every area
Wider participation
Help for pockets of deprivation
Minimise form filling for teachers and learners

11. RENEWED PLANNING ARRANGEMENTS
Reinvigorate PCDL
Include similar non LSC funded provision
Bring greater coherence and co-ordination
Engage local communities in planning PCDL in a consistent way

12. NEXT STEPS
formulate proposals for local LSC led Partnerships to plan and co-ordinate local provision
secure buy in by national stakeholders and other Government Departments through an external Task Group
model the impact of redistribution using agreed 2006/7 baseline