[Complete White Paper in PDF Format]
This is Ireland's first White Paper on Adult Education and marks the adoption of lifelong learning as the governing principle of educational policy. The Paper reflects on the role of adult education in society, builds on the consultation process following publication of the Green Paper, and sets out the Governments policies and priorities for the future development of the sector. It does not aim to provide a policy blueprint for the training sector given that this work is being advanced through the National Employment Action Plans and previous publications, and the work of the Task Force on Lifelong Learning recently established by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Rather, it seeks to ensure that there is a fit and complementarity between education and training provision, so as to ensure that learners can move progressively and incrementally within an over-arching co-ordinated and learner-centred framework.
The Paper defines adult education as "systematic learning undertaken by adults who return to learning having concluded initial education or training." As such it includes aspects of further and third-level education, continuing education and training, community education, and other systematic deliberate learning by adults, both formal and informal. In setting out a role for adult education in society, six priority areas are identified:-
The Paper recommends that adult education should be underpinned by three core principles promoting:-
Chapter 1 of the paper draws attention to emerging trends in participation in education, including the predominance of early school leaving among males, differences in subject options at second and third-level by gender, the inter-generational socio-economic influences on school participation and performance, poor educational levels of older adults in the population, comparatively high levels of the population scoring at the bottom literacy level, difficulties for women in accessing a range of active labour market programmes, and barriers such as access to childcare.
Chapters 2 and 3 set out the broad policy developments and reports which have occurred since the Green Paper was published which influence the context for adult education developments, and the feedback from the comprehensive consultation process which followed. While there was a widespread welcome for the Green Paper and its priorities and policy proposals, the main concerns voiced in the feedback were:
The Government notes the prominence given in the consultation process to issues concerning free access for all to part-time adult education options under the Back to Education Initiative, and in relation to third-level education. However, at this stage, it is not considered feasible to introduce such an arrangement. Within the adult education sector itself there is a number of competing needs to be addressed. These include the need to significantly increase the scale and flexibility of existing provision, to promote strategic shifts towards adult-friendly policies within existing institutions, to invest systematically in the development of core supporting services such as guidance and counselling and childcare, and to provide for an increased role and funding for community education. Large scale increases in adult literacy investment, expansion of capital provision, implementation of an ICT programme for adults, specific equality initiatives to improve participation of marginalised groups, and structural developments are also needed. In addition, the number of adults in the population with low levels of education is simply too large for a general free access policy to be feasible. Given the scale of change needed, the Government's priority is to expand the flexibility and supply of core programmes and services for adults, and to concentrate fee relief on those most at risk. The impact of this policy will be monitored to assess the take-up by different target groups, particularly those with less than upper second-level education.
The Paper focuses on the adult learner in a number of key learning sites namely:
In the Further Education sector, the recommendations provide for the development of a comprehensive framework for second-chance education for those with les than upper secondary education via:
a Back to Education Initiative providing a major expansion of part-time options under PLC, Youthreach, and VTOS programmes, principally aimed at young people and adults in the population with less than upper secondary education. This will also provide for an increase in Foundation, Level 1, Leaving Certificate or equivalent options.
There will be 4 categories of beneficiary:-
Community education, particularly in the form of community-based women's groups has been one of the most dynamic and distinctive elements of the Adult Education sector in recent years. Its self-directed, learner-centred character and its capacity to reach marginalised women in disadvantaged communities are particularly noteworthy. Its growth, however, has been constrained by a number of factors including:-
The Government now proposes to address these constraints by:
Skill shortages both in terms of new entrants to the workforce as well as the skills of those already in the workforce are now a major barrier to the sustainable development of the Irish economy. Both the National Employment Action Plan (2000) and the National Development Plan (1999) in recognising this, have now elevated lifelong learning to a pivotal role in labour market policy.
The central thrust of the proposals in this White Paper regarding workplace learning is the emergence of the workplace as a learning organisation committed to the ongoing development and empowerment of all its members. To support such a development, it is proposed to encourage the development of partnerships/consortia of education/training and industry interests along the lines of FIT, IBEC Business Education Links Scheme and European Orientation programmes advancing such issues as:-
Flexible education and training options will be progressed, allied with a focus on addressing barriers to participation of those in the workplace in ongoing education and training, particularly those with the lowest skills. These issues will be addressed through the work of the recently established Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Task Force on Lifelong Learning.
A working group will be established to explore and cost the feasibility of treating all investment in education and training by employers on the same basis for tax relief purposes as other capital investment, and of providing tax relief for all participants for fees incurred in engaging in nationally certified learning programmes, irrespective of their location and duration The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland will be asked to explore with the National Adult Learning Council the feasibility of a national training programme to establish a pool of highly skilled Learning Assessors to support mechanisms for the accreditation of prior learning or work-based learning.
The expansion of adult literacy services will include a focus on the development of workplace literacy initiatives
A unit will be established within the National Adult Learning Council to provide technical support and advice on initiatives and policies to promote education and training for those in the workplace.
The participation levels of mature students in Higher Education in Ireland is amongst the lowest in the OECD. The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness 2000 sets a target for mature student representation in higher education - 15% by 2005. To enable the realisation of this target it is now proposed to introduce a targeted higher education mature student fund which will increase on a phased basis to at least £10m per annum to enable third-level institutions to make innovative strategic shifts towards adult-friendly policies. The fund will be a competitive one to be disbursed on the basis of national criteria to institutions which display institution-wide directional shifts along the lines advocated in the Paper. Cross-faculty approaches, partnerships with other colleges, participation in networks to share results and mainstream good practice will be part of the requirements.
Fees will no longer apply to third-level part-time students who are means-tested social welfare or unemployment payment recipients or dependants, medical card holders or dependants, or Family Income Supplement holders or dependants and who are pursing first time under-graduate, nationally certified distance learning, or nationally certified certificate or diploma programmes (including university) or access programmes which guarantee entry.
The Government recognises that there are fundamental foundation blocks which must be put in place in building a comprehensive system of Adult Education within an overall framework of lifelong learning. In particular these include expanded provision for:-
The paper also includes a range of recommendations to promote increased access to mainstream adult education programmes for people with disabilities, Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers, and to address barriers in rural areas.
Cross border co-operation will, under the direction of the North/South Ministerial Council, build on the valuable linkages which have been developed to date, and promote inter-active approaches in Further and Higher Education in such areas as R&D support for small and medium sized enterprises, the development of lifelong learning, adult literacy and adult guidance and counselling programmes, information and communications technology in schools, and educational underachievement.
The White Paper proposes two layers in an over-arching structure for Adult Education -- A National Adult Learning Council and, at local level, Local Adult Learning Boards.
The National Adult Learning Council will be established by the Minister for Education and Science as an Executive Agency of the Department to:
The Council will also have a specific role in the funding, co-ordination and monitoring of programme and staff development initiatives for designated adult education programmes in the education sector.
The Council will have a governing body which will include representation from a broad range of interests including social partners, education and training providers, learners, community and voluntary pillar interests and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland. The Council staff structure will have four broad units within it, focusing on Adult Education and the Formal Education Sector, Workplace Learning, Community Education, and Research.
Thirty-three Local Adult Education Boards will be established throughout the country to promote a co-ordinated area-based approach to the delivery of adult education services, to promote and develop comprehensive information services, to ensure complementarity with training and employment services and to provide organisational, administrative, professional and financial support to adult education services in the area. The Boards will report annually to the National Adult Learning Council on the delivery of services in their regions
Membership of the Local Boards will include representation from social partners, education and training providers, learners, community and voluntary pillar interests, Traveller and disability organisations, area partnerships, library services, health boards and adult literacy interests.
The Local Adult Learning Boards will be established as statutory sub-committees of the VECs. They will function as autonomous sub-committees which are administratively hosted by the VEC, and where the VEC also provides a technical service as the employer of additional staff appointed to the Boards. The Boards will have authority to make decisions on the deployment of resources within each region in regard to designated programmes within the Further Education sector. In addition, Local Adult Learning Boards will be required to ensure parity of esteem between the different interest groups, and that each member of the Board has full and equal status.
The Local Adult Learning Boards will be required to formally convene local community fora through which the views of a wide range of interests can be channelled. The fora should be convened by way of public meetings to which all interest groups with a role in adult education should be invited.
In view of the expansion of activity, the extra work associated with the role of the Local Adult Learning Boards and the need to promote an enhanced adult learning dimension to the role of community, comprehensive and secondary schools, a further thirty-five Adult Education Officers will be appointed. Of these 33 will be appointed to the Local Adult Learning Boards on a flexible needs basis, to be deployed in accordance with the priorities for the region identified by the Boards locally. The local Adult Education Officers will pay particular attention to the need to convene local networks of secondary, and community and comprehensive schools and develop good linkages with the other stakeholders and providers in the area, supporting and promoting an increased role for these sectors in the provision of adult learning. This work will be further supported through the appointment of the remaining two adult education officers to the National Adult Learning Council to co-ordinate this task at a national level and ensure a democratic and streamlined framework for representation of these sectors in the work of the Local Adult Learning Boards and that of the National Council. Provision of appropriate staff development programmes, networking in national fora, and co-ordination of policy inputs and responses will be part of this task, working in close collaboration with the Department, the NALC and the relevant management bodies.
The Local Adult Learning Boards will have a key role to play in ensuring a co-ordinated area-based input in respect of adult education into the strategic plans to be developed by the County/City Development Boards.
Given the expansion of services in this area in recent times, and the new developments now proposed, a comprehensive assessment will be undertaken in relation to professional and administrative staffing levels in VECs.
Adult Education is the last area of mass education which remains to be developed in Ireland, and it will require significantly increased investment on a phased basis if adult learning opportunities are to reach a stage of parity with those in other countries. In facing such a challenge the top priorities are:-
The programme of change and development set out in this White Paper will be implemented on a phased basis in the light of the resources made available in the context of the National Development Plan and the annual Estimates for Public Services provisions.
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