Making Learning Workfor Local Authorities

Tricia HartleyJoint Chief Executive

Campaign for Learning

What is the Campaign for Learning?

• National charity set up in 1996 to promote lifelong learning

• Working for society in which:

everyone has the right to learn

everyone understands and values learning

everyone has the chance to learn throughout their lives.

• Work in three main fields:

workplace

schools

family & community

Lifelong Learning?

What do we do?

The Campaign for Learning:• runs national awareness campaigns• supports practitioners and professionals• runs, regional and local projects• runs award schemes• acts as a consultant, broker and facilitator• runs seminars & events, bespoke awareness &

‘training the trainer’ sessions• offers event consultancy and management• carries out research and produces publications• lobbies, runs campaigns and seeks to influence

policy

Work with Local Authorities

• ‘Learning Local Authorities’ campaign

• ‘Making Learning Work’ project

• Learning at Work Day support

• Individual consultancy• Regional & local Projects• Work with EOLG & IDeA on

SfL & GO Award promotion

’Making Learning Work’ project

• 3 year ESF action research project

• Partners in UK, Finland, Austria

• 6 Local Authorities & 2 private sector companies

• Trying out what works best in engaging employees - especially people with Skills for Life support needs - in workplace learning

What we learned (1)

Don’t create a ‘problem’

Take a whole organisation approach

Consult with staff Develop learning

championsMake learning

relevant Make it unlike school

What we learned (2)

Use tasters & ‘Trojan horses’

Embed Skills for Life in other training

Start small – but be prepared!

Offer qualifications Provide for backup &

options – eg e-learningSet an example

What worked in engaging learners (1)

Genuine organisational commitment to learning NB importance of staff perceptions – eg Awards Ceremonies

Visible senior level buy-inHow to get it?

Get top-level staff directly involved Terminology – communication/ presentation skills?

budget management? Press the right buttons – Targets? League tables? CPA?

Performance management? Quality? Equal Opps? Use matrix of support at all levels – line managers,

Learning Reps, colleagues Keep profile high & celebrate success!

What worked in engaging learners (2)

Removing practical barriers & providing incentives:

Choice – re what, how, when to learn Making attendance easy - on-site Learning

Centres, provision to fit work patterns, bite-size starters

Relevance of learning/ work-focused approach Coherence – tie-in with work planning &

performance management Opportunities to put learning into practice Incentives – paid learning time, qualifications Compulsion – sometimes!

How will you know when you’ve got there?

• Begin with end in mind – clear objectives, SMART targets

• Get regular feedback – from learners, line managers, senior leadership - & pass it on

• Develop relevant organisational indicators that everyone understands

• Build SfL into overall workforce development planning – part of skills

continuum, not separate issue• Celebrate small improvements -

& go on doing so!

Why bother?

‘People who stop learning stop living. The same is also true of organisations.’

Charles Handy