Workshops Adult and Community Learning Jane Mardell, DfEE Alan Noble, Buckinghamshire County Council Key Issues: There was a welcome for current changes and for the opportunities they offered. The stregth of the ACL sector was seen as lying in its diversity and flexibility. There needs to be clear and firm strategy however for managing the changes by both the DfEE and the LSC. A clear statement of the importance and role of ACL would be a useful start. Other points emerging: There is a plethora of related plans Adult Learning Plan, Local Learning Plan, Community Plan and so on and a great need to make them fit together. It is important to work out approaches to district councils with their own individual agendas. Requiring small voluntary/community providers to confirm to rigorous quality standards procedures would probably be counter-productive.