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| Evaluation |
Evaluation of the Adult and Community Learning Fund - SummaryJohn Field, David Spencer, Malcolm Tight, Loraine Blaxter, Peter Byrd and Barbara Merrill of the University of Warwick Introduction The Government launched the Adult and Community Learning Fund in July 1998, as part of its strategy for widening participation in lifelong learning. The Fund's stated aims included
Some £20 millions were allocated to the Fund, to be distributed through a programme of small and major grants between 1998 and 2002. Overall management of the Fund at national level was devolved to two intermediary bodies: the Basic Skills Agency (BSA) and National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), working in partnership with DfEE. The report describes the results of an evaluation of the Adult and Community Learning Fund commissioned by the Department for Education and Employment. The key aims of the evaluation were two-fold:
Findings were to be analysed at three levels: that of the individuals involved, that of the organisations/projects funded, and that of the Fund as a whole. The report also presents evidence of the distinctive gains that arise from community based learning. The evaluation covers the first four rounds of ACLF projects, spanning the period between August 1998 and May 2000. Key findings
New learners In broad terms, the ACLF projects have been highly effective overall in bringing about significant learning gains for client groups who are non-traditional learners. A quantified national picture of individual learners' characteristics was not feasible, but the case study projects had overwhelmingly attracted learners from the target groups identified in their original proposals. This included a wide variety of those groups that are least likely to participate. There was a broad gender mix, and considerable attention had been given to attracting members of minority ethnic communities. Most of the learners in the case studies had little or no previous experience of education and training as adults; some of those who had been required to undergo training previously had been deterred by the experience. Impact on organisations The Fund has also fostered a high level of "capacity building" at local level, and above all at the level of the organisation itself. In particular, the Fund was concerned with building capacity in the organisations that sponsored projects. Overall, the number of projects concerned explicitly with capacity building grew steadily in the early stages of the Fund, and remained constant thereafter. The case study data also demonstrated clear learning gains for organisations including improved managerial capacities, stronger group skills, and a greater ability to develop and deliver learning opportunities. Over time, voluntary organisations, charities, community-based groups and self-help groups increasingly took formal leadership of successful projects:
Progression The case studies provided evidence of progression of individual learners, whether to further learning or to other positive outcomes, such as a new involvement as active citizens. As the evaluation took place before many projects had completed even a single cycle of activity, this evidence was extremely limited and should be treated with caution. Further, it was clear that for some new learners, educational progression might be delayed rather than immediate; for others, it might be horizontal rather than vertical. Such fragmented progression patterns may prove to be quite significant in allowing those with vulnerable 'learning identities' to test out and confirm their newly-won skills and aptitudes. What works There is a reasonably strong consensus on "what works" in engaging new learners. The case study projects included a number of strategies that appeared to be highly effective in making contact with excluded individuals and groups, and involving them actively in organised learning. The key messages included:
The case studies also showed evidence of what might be regarded as 'negative lessons' arising from blockages and disruption to activities. Many of these arose from the difficulties faced by all organisations, but which can be particularly damaging to small bodies that depend on the goodwill and energy of committed individuals. These included changes to key project personnel, changes in location, restructuring in larger supporting partner bodies (such as local government or colleges), problems of sustainability and the sheer physical risk – especially to women – of going out and developing learning activities in some areas. Using intermediary bodies A further level of analysis concerned the lessons learned from the Fund as a whole. Consciously and explicitly, the Fund was established in order to allow experiment and risk-taking. Perhaps the first innovation was the experience of operating through intermediary bodies. While well established in Northern Ireland, this is less common in the rest of the UK. In general, it seems to have worked extremely well in the case of ACLF. Both BSA and NIACE were able to exploit their existing reservoirs of networks and goodwill in the field, but also to go beyond their current constituencies in making contact with many groups and organisations who did not initially see themselves as concerned professionally or otherwise with adult learning. Projects enjoyed a high quality of professional support, part of which is attributable to the experience and resources that are available to the two intermediary bodies. Learning lessons In so far as the Fund involved experiment and risk-taking, there was also a commitment to ensuring that lessons were learned and shared. BSA, NIACE and DfEE shared responsibility for raising awareness in the field of the Fund's existence. BSA and NIACE were able to use existing networks in the first instance; once the Fund was established, the intermediary bodies appealed increasingly successfully to a wider and often new constituency, particularly in the community and voluntary sectors. In his remit letter to the Learning and Skills Council, the Secretary of State referred to the lessons learned from the Fund about the case for community based learning, and made clear his expectation that the Council would take this forward in the future. Full Report Printed copies of the evaluation, priced £4.95, are available from:
DfES Publications
Tel: 0845 60 222 60 Please quote reference RR284 |
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