E-SKILLS: THE NATIONAL RESPONSE

…developing e-skills for inclusion and productivity.

Michael Stark

Head of Skills and Workforce Development

Learning & Skills Council

E-Skills Summit, 28 May 2002

E-skills for inclusion and productivity

1: National strategy for adult skills

2: E-skills for professionals and users

3: E-learning and e-assessment

4: Some big issues.

E-skills for inclusion and productivity

1: National strategy for adult skills

2: E-skills for professionals and users

3: E-learning and e-assessment

4: Some big issues.

LSC vision

By 2010, young people and adults in England will have knowledge and productive skills matching the best in the world.

Percentage of the population aged 16-65 by document literacy level

0102030405060708090

100

Sweden

Nethe

rland

s

Belgium

(Fl.)

Germ

any

Canad

a

Austra

lia

Switz. (

Frenc

h)

Switz. (

Germ

an) US UK

New Z

ealan

d

Irelan

d

Poland

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4/5Source: IALS, 1995

Participation

Participation in education & training within England by age

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

17-19 years 20-24 years 25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 yearsAge

Population Estimates, 2000 Participation Rates, 1999

70

%

50% 47%

41%

30%

Source: Mid Year Population Estimates, ONS 2000

Participation in Education and Training by Age Groups: Sargant, (2000)

81%

Adult achievement

Target: to raise achievement for adults

By 2004:

73% to Level 2 (2000: 69%) – up 1.2 million

52% at Level 3 (2000: 47%) – up 1.5 million

Employer engagement

Target: To raise employer engagement in workforce development

Measure: an index of key indicators

Measured by:self-assessment and survey.

Workforce Development – LSC and PIU

• Apr 01: LSC created

• Nov 01: Cabinet Office (PIU) report

• Apr 02: LSC Workforce Dev’t strategy (draft)

• Jul 02: LSC strategy & PIU final report – linked to new funding/ entitlements/ regulation /incentives?

LSC workforce development strategy

• A radical approach to upskilling adults

• Creating a demand-led system:– Focus on employers – productivity and competitiveness– Focus on employees – jobs and progression

• Improving supply and building capacity

• Shared measures of progress.

Download from: http://www.lsc.gov.uk/documents_list.cfm?categoryId=3

Funding adult learning

• Colleges/other FE - £2 billion• Work-based learning 19-24: £300 million• Adult and community - £200 million.

LSC spends £2.5b through block grant to providers:

But employers spend 10 times as much.

How could LSC spend its money differently to link the two better?

E-skills for inclusion and productivity

1: National strategy for adult skills

2: E-skills for professionals and users

3: E-learning and e-assessment

4: Some big issues.

E-skills for professionals and users

• Aims to align vendor and public qualifications• Works with real cases – assesses individual

competence and gaps• Aims to re-align

– qualifications– assessment– Funding

• Links to Microsoft Mouse/ OCR agreement.

LSC and E-Skills UK ICT qualifications project:

E-skills for professionals and users

• Aiming for large increase in take-up• Firmly within new ICT qualifications

framework• Employer/ employability focus• Develop and disseminate learning materials

(BBC Webwise, learndirect, other)• Reduce costs, improve completion rates,

establish consistency and relevance.

Project to extend Level 2 user qualifications:

E-skills for inclusion and productivity

1: National strategy for adult skills

2: E-skills for professionals and users

3: E-learning and e-assessment

4: Some big issues.

E-learning and e-assessment

• National Learning Network (alongside JANET and NGfL)

• 300 hours of excellent learning materials eg– Communications (Level 1)– Management (Level 4)

• Support for employer e-networks eg automotive, finance, health

• Aligning vendor certificates with qualifications

LSC e-learning strategy to support formal and informal e-learning:

E-learning and e-assessment

• “Paperfree” approaches• Trialing on- and off-line e-assessment• Contextualising basic and key skills testing• Testing within adult apprenticeships• Learning from vendor/ other experience.

E-assessment: NVQs and apprenticeships

Employer demand

• Viewing training as a derived business need• Measuring / increasing bottom line benefits• Government incentives, loan finance• Company/community learning accounts• Rewarding employer engagement.

Individual demand

• School 14-19 agenda• Entitlements• Information, advice and guidance• Government incentives – from loan to reward• Demonstrating rates of return• Rewarding achievement.

E-skills for inclusion and productivity

1: National strategy for adult skills

2: E-skills for professionals and users

3: E-learning and e-assessment

4: Some big issues.

Six big issues

• Who should pay for e-learning and e-assessment?• How to align qualifications?• Quality / consistency without stifling innovation?• Subsidies without deadweight• Strategic direction within a free market• Measuring and increasing employer engagement.