13.33 Effective lifelong learning programmes need reliable and dispassionate information and guidance on what is on offer. We welcome the launch next January of the national telephone helpline 'Learning Direct' and its linkage with the development of the University for Industry. This should be supported by local partnerships - involving further education colleges, TECs, the Employment Service, the voluntary and community sector and libraries as well as LEAs, careers services and where appropriate higher education institutions. Such networks will be important in building local avenues of easy access to information and advice and to which the helpline can refer people in need of such services.
13.34 Networks would also form an important source of data on learning demand and opportunities, or lack of them, which providers, and in due course the University for Industry, can use in planning provision. We recognise that in some parts of the country such networks have evolved, but are concerned that they are of variable quality and that some have very insecure sources of funding. We therefore believe that it would be an effective investment of public money to support the creation of such partnership services to nationally specified standards.
13.35 For some people, professional one-to-one learning and/or careers guidance services will be needed. At present careers services will often be best placed to provide this although they may want to do so in partnership with others. As resources allow we would hope that careers services will be asked by Government to start providing such services for adults in need who are outside the New Deal client groups.
13.36 In our view such a 'tiered' service (national helpline, information networks and guidance services) would be more cost effective than a universal individual guidance entitlement which would be likely to be prohibitively expensive in the foreseeable future. It is our view that services provided at all levels should be fit for purpose. Impartiality will be an important dimension although we acknowledge that in practice this can mean different things for individuals with different needs. Standards are important, but guidance provision should recognise this.
13.37 Many people in work seek initial career development and learning information and advice from their colleagues and immediate line managers in particular. We suggest that Government strategy should recognise this. Consideration should be given to ways of supporting employers and trade unions to help managers, including supervisors, acquire knowledge and skills to give effective advice and referral to other agencies. We think that work-based advice, as well as other services, will become even more important as Individual Learning Accounts come on stream. Many people setting up such accounts will make best use of them only if they have access to quality information and advice about learning appropriate for them. While we do not think it would be appropriate to make this a requirement, we do recommend that people should have the option to use some portion of their learning account balance to pay for information, advice or guidance. This will help some people to take more responsibility for developing their own learning and careers. While initial information and advice services should be freely available so as not to deter the less well off, we believe that some specialist guidance services should be paid for, subject to some form of income contingent support for those most in need.
13.38 A concerted effort should also be made to encourage employers, supervisors, and junior managers in the workplace, librarians, doctors, clergy, shopkeepers, pub managers, and the widest range of community activists, acting as signposts and the initial providers of information, to adopt the role of 'barefoot' initial guidance worker.
13.39 We recommend that arrangements should be made to move quickly to the provision of a universal entitlement to high quality initial educational information and advice free to the user, leading to more specialised services (for which some charges might be made). For some groups of learners, and some curriculum areas further guidance would be free. The entitlement would be accessed through Learning Direct and local information networks. To meet individual, community and industrial needs such networks, comprising careers services, FE and HE institutions and other guidance services, should collaborate so that adults are offered a seamless, independent and impartial service.
13.40 If the vision of lifelong learning for all we have proposed is systematically to be translated into a new national culture, the staff involved in delivery and its support will be vital. In making provision for staff development, the needs of part-time, temporary and casual staff should not be overlooked. They often constitute a major resource supporting adult and continuing education, and much innovative work is delivered by them.
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