The Government will publish and promote good quality information, advice and guidance about lifelong learning opportunities.

The Government should establish a national entitlement to information, advice and guidance as part of its strategy for post-16 learning [LW Ch 8]

7.1 We have already taken action to ensure that all learners have easy access to information by today launching, as the first step in creating the UfI, a new free national telephone information service – Learning Direct (0800 100 900). This will offer callers advice on learning packages to suit individual needs.

The Government should include the entitlement to guidance in the new learners’ charter which should replace the charter for further education [LW Ch 8]; and should develop a comprehensive ‘Charter for Learning’, which should be promoted through a national publicity campaign and logo [LW Ch 8]

7.2 The Government has given careful consideration to the suggestion of a learners’ charter, but has decided that it would not be appropriate to introduce such a measure at this stage when there are so many other initiatives being introduced, and particularly before consultation on The Learning Age is complete. The introduction of a Learning Card will promote young people’s entitlement to post-16 learning, and the UfI logo is expected to become synonymous with easily accessible high quality learning opportunities.

The Government should ensure that an entitlement to guidance is included in any proposals to introduce learning accounts [LW Ch 8]

7.3 Advice and guidance for individuals will be part of the package when ILAs are introduced.

The Government should evaluate the contribution of the new arrangements for the careers service to widening participation [LW Ch 8]

7.4 Careers education and guidance have important contributions to make to widening participation. This is reflected in the Government’s Investing in Young People strategy, in which the Careers Service will play an important part, focusing increasingly on those who need advice most. We will be setting targets for the Careers Service in its new role, and will evaluate its effectiveness against those, with a view to promoting continuing improvements.

The Government should legislate to make it a duty for all terrestrial television channels to educate as well as to entertain and inform [LW Ch 9]; and should work with the BBC and independent broadcasters to explore the possibility of dedicated television channels to support learning [LW Ch 9]

7.5 The Learning Age recognises the valuable role of broadcasting in offering many accessible and exciting ways to learn. Terrestrial television channels already broadcast hundreds of hours of schools programmes; the Open University has been a pioneer of the use of broadcasting in learning; and the BBC’s Computers don’t bite campaign generated mass interest. 7.6 The Government welcomes the BBC’s recent announcement that a digital learning channel will be launched next autumn. The growth in the number of satellite and cable channels and the introduction of digital technology will further increase the opportunities for educational programming in future.

The Government should take steps, in partnership with key national players, to create a mass demand for learning which includes the whole spectrum of the population [LW Ch 9]

7.7 Stimulating demand for learning - changing the culture to a learning culture - is critical to realising the Government’s vision of a Learning Age. The Government cannot achieve this alone. It will require major collective effort. It will be a key issue for the University for Industry. FE colleges will have a major part to play. We are consulting widely on how best to succeed in this, through the publication of The Learning Age. To quote Helena Kennedy, in Learning Works: "We are convinced that further education has a unique contribution to make to widening participation and the creation of a self-perpetuating learning society."

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