Foreword John Healey MP Adult Skills Minister Department for Education and Skills Celebrating Older Learners. That was the title of the seminar which took place in March. Like my predecessor, Malcolm Wicks MP, I am keen to celebrate older learners. We started the process with the Learning in Later Life Campaign which drew attention to the learning achievements of older people, including gaining qualifications (sometimes for the first time), developing new knowledge and skills, even beginning a whole new career. And the campaign drew attention too to the health and social benefits of learning later in life: increased self-confidence, increased feelings of health and well-being, increased engagement with the community. But we should be celebrating the achievements of practitioners too. Practitioners like you who are committed to providing high quality, relevant learning opportunities for older people. I am pleased that so many, from such a diverse range of organisations, were able to attend the seminar in March. The event gave an opportunity to exchange ideas about many innovative and exciting projects involving a range of different partners, and the discussion sessions also highlighted many valuable issues for further exploration by us all. This report seeks to bring together the innovative and creative suggestions made at the seminar - I do hope you find it of value. JOHN HEALEY MP

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