13.11 If lifelong learning is to become a reality, further education will lie at its heart. Already, as we have indicated, further education colleges, the residential colleges, WEA and other providers within the sector make a vital contribution towards the education and training of adults in this country, but provision still needs to be expanded and participation widened. Through further education adults of all ages, from sixteen upwards will be able to acquire new skills and competences, new knowledge and open up new horizons. They will provide links not only between different stages and levels of education but also between different aspects of people's lives. They will enhance their contribution towards learning at work and strengthen their ties with a variety of community initiatives in respect of such varied goals as social and economic regeneration, community development, leisure, sport and culture.
13.12 Research has already indicated the importance of providing high quality and systematic support to further education students in respect of basic skills, advice and guidance and making available suitably trained and qualified specialist attention. These need to be given continuing attention, within the frameworks for inclusive learning set out by the Tomlinson Committee and that for widening participation provided by the Kennedy Committee. College managers in particular need to be aware of the importance of supporting, and rewarding, staff efforts to widen participation and create a local culture of lifelong learning for all.
13.13 Local colleges have increasingly developed a wide range of links with their local communities as their reach has extended. This gives them a unique opportunity to play a key role in local learning and partnerships, bringing their knowledge and provision with others. To do this effectively they need to review their own contact with local communities noting areas of under-representation from particular localities, groups or potential learners and adopting policy priorities to reach out to them. This will require strengthening their own research and intelligence skills, possibly by closer working with local authorities, TECs and universities. They will also need to strengthen their relationships with the representatives of a variety of community groups so they can truly claim to be representative of the localities they serve. All of this will help colleges and other further education providers meet the challenging agenda to widen participation set out clearly in the Kennedy report.
13.14 This issue of representation needs to be manifest not simply in the composition of the student body and the variety of the curriculum on offer, but also in colleges' and other providers' forms of governance and methods of public accountability. Neither of these can be addressed mechanistically, but if local communities are to feel genuine involvement in colleges and some share in their ownership, change will be necessary here too. We suggest that discussions be held between the Government, Funding Council and Local Government Association to see how best to remedy this. College governors, in common with those charged with strategic responsibility at all levels, should review the structure, organisation and provision made to ensure that it falls in line with the Government's vision and the core principles laid down. They need particularly to ensure that, as far as practicable, obstacles in the way of lifelong learning are identified, removed or at least minimised.
13.15 We propose that the Boards of Governors and Principals of all further education providers should review their own strategies and policies to promote and monitor lifelong learning locally, including considering their missions, targets, partnerships, governance and forms of public accountability. Particular attention should be paid to the importance of allocating sufficient resources to support outreach, development and partnership work aimed especially at widening participation and creating local cultures of lifelong learning for all.
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