---

Adult Education

Answer

This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, has written to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.The Government's Skills Strategy, outlined in the two White Papers, 21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential”” (July 2003) and Skills: Getting on in business, getting on at work”” (March 2005), sets out our plans for ensuring that individuals have the skills needed to be both employable and personally fulfilled. Everyone studying literacy and numeracy skills or a first full level 2 qualification, and all those on jobseeker's allowance or income related benefits and their dependents will continue to receive free tuition in further education. All have access to in-depth advice about their careers and training through the Learndirect one-stop telephone and on-line advice service.The Government's PSA target on adult attainment challenges us to reduce by at least 40 per cent. the number of adults in the work force who lack NVQ Level 2 (equivalent to five A-C GCSEs) by 2010. Previous progress has been good; the proportion of adults in the work place qualified to Level 2 and above rose from 65 per cent. in 1997 to 72 per cent. in 2004.Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 5 April 2006:"I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question regarding Skills for adults.""LSC funding of £3m. Per annum is contracted to Hartlepool training providers to address skills for adults. This covers programmes in the two Further Education providers, Apprenticeships for 19–25 year old learners, Adult and Community Learning services contracted through the Local Authority and NVQ Level 2 and Skills for Life programmes for employers funded through Train to Gain pilots. In the three years since March 2003, more than 23,000 individuals have enrolled on courses. Available programmes cover the range from community based foundation programmes, through full and part NVQ level 2 and 3 courses, to Foundation Degrees run in partnership by the local Further Education College and Teesside University. There is a strong focus on Skills for Life programmes. Vocational areas include construction and engineering, health and care, and business administration.""Further Education""More than £9m (£9,049,596) has been spent between 03/04 and 05/06 on adult learning through providers based principally in Hartlepool. This has been for 21,044 learners, enrolled on 29,244 courses. The percentage of enrolments within this group that are Skills for Life has risen from 11.5% to 15% over the years. Those within the National Qualification Framework (i.e. those resulting in a recognised qualification) have risen from 35% to 61% of the total enrolments by adult learners. The percentage of qualifications in Level 1 has fallen from 45% to 29%, with a rise in Level 2 from 15% to 22% and Level 3 from 13% to 23%. The sector benefiting the most from policy changes in provision has been the Health, Public Services and Care sector, with a cumulative total share of 36% of the enrolments between 03/04 and 05/06.""Success Rates for the year 04/05 are not yet final, but the overall Success Rates in Further Education for providers based principally in Hartlepool rose by 13% between 02/03 and 03/04, from 66% to 79%. This is well above the national average of 70% for the adult group.""Work-Based Learning""The number of adults from Hartlepool in learning in Work Based Learning has varied between 216 and 253 over the past three years (for all LSC-funded provision), the greater number participating in Apprenticeships. The overall success rates for Hartlepool residents in Work Based Learning have risen from 47.4% to 55.8% in 03/04 and 04/05 respectively, as compared to the national averages of 46.0% and 53.0%.""Skills for Life""From 2000/01 to 2004/5, the cumulative total number of adult learners achieving at least one Skills for Life qualification is 1,888, with 1,099 (58.2%) counting towards the Public Service Agreement target. This is the aggregate of 4,138 opportunities taken up, 3,579 courses completed, and 2,888 achieved. 2,623 taken up, 2,082 completed and 1,420 achieved counted towards the Public Service Agreement target. These figures are best estimates based on providers located in Hartlepool.""Adult and Community Learning""The number of learners accessing Adult and Community Learning in the one Hartlepool-based provider has reduced by almost 20%, from 1,148 to 936 in 03/04 and 04/05 respectively. This is in line with a national reduction in Adult and Community Learning learner numbers of 23.7% from 03/04 to 04/05. The cash allocation however has increased by over 20%, from £553,175 to £671,543.""The reduction in volumes of learners is because short course options have been cut (e.g. one day courses) in favour of longer/accredited courses. However, not included in the figure above are 282 short courses delivered to first time adult learners Hartlepool and 140 courses through Neighbourhood learning in deprived communities.""Hartlepool accounts for approximately 14% of the adult population of Tees Valley. The service attracts 16% of the Further Education budget contracted to Local authorities in the Tees Valley and 15% of the Adult and Community Learning budget.""Employer Training Pilot (now Train to Gain)""444 Hartlepool learners have participated in phase 3 of the employer training pilot. 426 started A-level 2 qualification of which 343 completed (80%). 18 participated in skills for life programmes, of which 14 achieved (78%)."

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

60008; 445 c146-8W;445 c146-8W

Session

2005-06

Related items

Deposited Paper HINF 2006/762
Wednesday, 5 April 2006
Deposited papers
House of Commons

Subjects

Adult education Hartlepool