25 February 1998
Lord Davies of Oldham
Chairman
Further Education Funding Council (FEFC)
Dear Bryan
I have great pleasure in publishing today our response to those recommendations in Helena Kennedy’s report on widening participation which were directed to the Government.
I first want to thank the members of the widening participation committee who have produced a report which has stirred the imagination of many, and thrown a clear spotlight on the world of further education – a sector which makes an immense, but often unappreciated, contribution to the nation’s social and economic well-being.
We have also published today The Learning Age, our consultation paper on lifelong learning, and the formal response to the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education’s report Higher Education in the Learning Society. These documents stress the coherence of our vision. Further and Higher Education are integral to the whole of our lifelong learning agenda, and the Government’s new vision can only be fulfilled if both sectors respond to the challenge of creating a learning society.
Widening participation in further education (FE) is a big challenge, but it is one the Government wants to embrace. We are grateful to the FEFC for the significant work it has already undertaken to implement the agenda. We set out in this document the way in which we shall seek to work with the FEFC, FE colleges and other partners in fulfilling the vision more fully – by developing learning opportunities, extending access, increasing the availability and flexibility of learning, and removing financial barriers to learning. We commend and endorse the powerful message in Learning Works.
DAVID BLUNKETTSecretary of State for Education and Employment