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Plenary Speeches
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Theme 4
The Government's Green Paper, THE LEARNING AGE, published in February 1998 described why it is critical for us:
I believe the University for Industry will be at the heart of this transformation. It will help to revolutionise the learning culture in the UK, opening up access to high quality learning opportunities to everyone, helping more people to take up learning, and to learn more effectively. The University for Industry will have two strategic objectives:
These barriers, which are of course not confined to this country, but also exist within other member states. The Ufl will help dismantle these barriers by connecting individuals and businesses with high quality learning that suits their specific needs. It will create greater demand for learning and make access to it easier. It will support the development of a whole range of new, high quality learning materials and programmes. Economies of scale will bring down the costs of learning for businesses and individuals. Where there continue to be gaps it will commission new products working in partnership with others. Through market analysis it will anticipate where new demand is likely to arise, and offer services to meet that demand in cost-effective ways. In operational terms the Ufl will act as a broker to match the needs of learners, or potential learners with high quality learning provision. It will achieve its objectives through six core functions, to:
Harnessing the Power The University for Industry will revolutionise the way people learn today. It will harness the power of developments in IT, communications and broadcasting, and give people the flexibility to choose how, when and where they learn, at work, at home, in convenient local centres like libraries or shopping centres. It will allow people to get their hands on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), both to gain access to learning, and to learn about ICTs themselves. The Internet, television, digital technologies, CD-ROMs and other media will also feature, helping to match people's learning needs, and individual circumstances, with available opportunities. Our country's telecommunications infrastructure is well placed to exploit ICTs for learning. For instance some 10-12 million people already use computers or terminals every day. We still have some way to go, however, in ensuring that learners - and potential learners - have good access to technology through institutions and the community. And of course ICTs will international boundaries irrelevant and making learning truly international. ICTs are also critical in today's modern workplace and are increasingly important for both business competitiveness and individual employability. As a result there is a huge demand for skills in using ICTs from both employers, and from individuals. That is why the Ufl will make the provision of ICT skills one of its initial priorities. The Ufl will operate as a public-private partnership. By harnessing the joint energies and resources of Government, business, education and the voluntary sector at national, regional and local level, it will broker a comprehensive and comprehensible service for learners and potential learners. This vision for the Industry is powerful and compelling. Developments Development Projects under the auspices of the ADAPT programme will start this summer and will run through to the year 2000. It is also expected that a call for bids under ESF Objective 4 will lead to significant sums of money being available for Ufl developments. Through these routes we plan to test out the Ufl and to start the process of the developing the infrastructure which will be necessary at all levels to ensure the success of the Ufl. In parallel with these developments plans have also been announced for the creation of 40 Centres of Technological Excellence which will have a further key role in the longer term. They will all have the potential to become Learning Centres as part of the University for Industry. We intend that by the year 2000 Ufl will be open for business across the country. The University for Industry Pathfinder Prospectus, published in March, set out some initial priorities ranging from the basic skills of literacy and numeracy to higher-level technology skills and management and other skills for those in small businesses. Achieving this will be a challenge. That is why for the next phase of development we are bringing together a team of experts from the public and private sectors, which I will chair. Our task will be to build on the Pathfinder Prospectus to start turning the vision into reality. Over the next few months we will be working with a wide range of people and organisations both locally and nationally, building the partnerships that will be at the heart of the success of the Ufl. This will include colleges, universities and other providers who want to be part of the Ufl and use its name, those wishing to run local Ufl accredited learning centres, and businesses seeking to become part of the Ufl network. The team will work with broadcasters, producers of materials and, of course, learners and potential learners themselves. These transitional arrangements will be replaced in time by permanent Ufl structures. The post of Chief Executive designate has already been advertised and we expect to make this crucial appointment by autumn of this year. I believe that the Ufl is a hugely exciting venture that will change the face of learning in this country. In the next century it will encourage ever more people and businesses to get involved in learning and stay involved. It is set to become one of the major routes to ensure that lifelong learning becomes a natural part of everyday life for the many, not just the few.
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