8 Action Plan on education and training
for adults
| (28954)
13426/07
COM(07) 558
| Commission Communication — Action Plan on adult learning: it is always good to learn
|
| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 27 September 2007
|
| Deposited in Parliament | 5 October 2007
|
| Department | Innovation, Universities and Skills
|
| Basis of consideration | EM of 17 October 2007
|
| Previous Committee Report | None
|
| To be discussed in Council | February 2008
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
8.1 A year ago, the Commission published a Communication called
Adult learning: it is never too late to learn.[26]
It stressed the importance of education and training for the achievement
of the Lisbon strategy objectives for economic growth, competitiveness
and social inclusion. It noted that the contribution of adult
learning was increasingly recognised in Member States' National
Reform Programmes. But most education and training was still focused
on young people and only limited progress had been made on lifelong
learning.
8.2 The Commission also noted that adult education
and training makes the recipients more employable, increases their
productivity, reduces public expenditure on unemployment benefits,
improves health, helps integrate immigrants, cuts crime and can
help mitigate the adverse effects of the forecast demographic
changes in Europe.
8.3 The purpose of last year's Communication was
to highlight the importance of education and training for adults;
to suggest five "messages" for Member States, educators
and trainers, employers and others with an interest in the subject;
and to make proposals for discussions leading to the formulation
of an action plan by the middle of 2007.
8.4 The five messages were:
- remove the barriers to participation;
- improve the quality of adult learning;
- recognise and value what people learn;
- invest enough in education and training for the
ageing population and immigrants; and
- collect more and better statistics.
8.5 The Government told us that it regarded the Communication
as a useful contribution to the discussion about adult education
and training. Much of what the Communication advocated was simply
good practice which was already in place in the UK.
8.6 We recognised the social and economic importance
of continuing education and training for adults. We shared the
Minister's view that the Communication made a valuable contribution
to discussion of the subject and we were content to clear the
document from scrutiny on that basis.
The proposed Action Plan
8.7 The Commission confirms that the objective of
its proposed Action Plan is to give effect to the five messages
in Adult learning: it is never too late to learn. The Plan
focuses on people who are at a disadvantage because of their low
literacy or inadequate social or work skills. It invites Member
States to take part in action under the following headings:
- analyse the effects of the
adult education and training reforms Member States have made;
- improve the quality of adult education and training;
- increase the opportunities for people to improve
their qualifications — "to go one step up";
- speed-up the assessment and validation of skills
and competences learned outside formal education and training;
and
- improve the monitoring of adult education and
training.
8.8 The Plan lists the following action under analyse
the effects of Member States' reforms:
- 2008 —Conduct the analysis.
- 2009 — Report the results.
- 2010 — Report progress (with further reports
every two years).
8.9 Under improve the quality of provision, the Commission
lists:
- 2008 — Conduct a study
of the adult learning professions in Europe. The study will cover
adult education managers, careers guidance staff and other support
personnel as well as teachers and trainers. The report on the
study will identify good practice and make recommendations.
- 2009 — Develop standards and guidance for
the adult learning professions.
- 2010 — Further research on quality standards.
8.10 Under increase the opportunities for adults
to go one step up, the Plan lists:
- 2008 — Produce an inventory
of good practice in reaching out to disadvantaged people and on
getting them into employment, education and training and integrating
them in social life.
- 2009 — Invite applications for pilot projects
to implement the good practice identified in the inventory.
- 2010 —Begin the selected pilot projects.
Obtain reports from Member States on their progress in improving
the skills of disadvantaged people.
8.11 Under speed-up assessment and recognition of
learning obtained outside a formal setting, the Plan lists:
- 2008 — Identify good
practice, with a special focus on social competences.
- 2009 — Cross-border exchanges of good practice
and staff exchanges.
- 2010 — The first report on the results
will be disseminated and discussed at a seminar.
8.12 Finally, under improve the monitoring of adult
education and training, the Plan lists:
- 2008 — The Commission
will set up a study aimed at developing a common terminology and
comparable data for use in monitoring. The study will also propose
core data to be collected and assessed every two years.
- 2009 — A glossary of the terminology will
be produced. Member States who wish to take part will collect
the core data.
- 2010 — Publication of the results of the
monitoring (with further reports every two years).
The Government's view
8.13 The Minister of State for Lifelong Learning,
Further and Higher Education at the Department for Innovation,
Universities and Skills (Bill Rammell) tells us that the Government
welcomes the Action Plan and is committed to a radical improvement
of adult skills in the UK.
8.14 He also tells us that, in discussion of the
Action Plan with the Commission and other Member States, the Government
will try to ensure that:
- the analysis of national reforms
does not require Member States to produce additional reports;
- the application of the standards for the adult
learning professions is voluntary;
- helping people to overcome physical and emotional
barriers to learning is added to the list of work on increasing
the opportunities for people to improve their qualifications;
and
- there is no duplication of data collections for
monitoring purposes.
8.15 The Minister says that a Council working group
of officials will discuss the Action Plan in detail early in 2008
with a view to the Education Council adopting a position on the
Plan in February.
Conclusion
8.16 Because of the importance of education and
training for adults, we draw the Action Plan to the attention
of the House. We are grateful to the Minister for his helpful
Explanatory Memorandum. There are no questions we need put to
him and we clear the document from scrutiny.
26 (28007) 14600-/06: HC 41-iii (2006-07), para 13
(6 December 2006). Back
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