Investing in Learning

The Learning Age will require new ways of supporting learners. Investing in learning benefits everyone so it should be a shared responsibility. We will encourage employers and individuals to take greater responsibility and will target public funds for student support on learners in greatest need.

20. The Green Paper asked for views on:

• investing in lifelong learning;
• individual learning accounts; and
• student support.

21. Typical comments from respondents included:

'The aims of public funding, and its priorities, are laudable.' (NTO)

'Achieving coherence [of funding etc] is fundamental to the success of "The Learning Age"'. (further education body)

'Employers and individuals will not invest more in learning unless they are convinced that the returns are worth it for them under prevailing conditions.' (adult guidance organisation)

'We support the principle of the UfI and of ILAs as important means to increasing access to learning in a flexible manner.' (NTO)

'To gain employer commitment to support ILAs it will be vital to minimise administrative complexity.' (professional body)

'The introduction of the Right to Study legislation for young people will now be a significant lever in providing access to continued learning for young people…' (TEC)

'We believe that support loans should be available to undergraduate students in their early fifties. Life expectancy is increasing…We need to ensure that people can continue to contribute to society and indeed to give of their accumulated experience…' (adult guidance organisation)

22. There were calls for greater coherence in Government funding of post-16 education and training. Respondents identified a need for parity across the various post-16 options, particularly between the full-time education and work-based routes.

• Suggestions included: a national funding body for post-16 education and training; a unified funding mechanism for education and training for 16-19 year olds; and a single mechanism for funding adult further education and training.
• However, some respondents recognised advantages in using different funding strategies to address different groups with different needs, also stressing the need for local factors and priorities to be catered for.
• There was some support for equal treatment for full-time and part-time study.

23. It was widely acknowledged that Government funds are limited, although there were some calls for additional investment.

• Many respondents favoured the idea of a partnership between Government, individuals and employers for funding learning (including in relation to student support).
• Areas identified as a priority for Government support included: basic skills; special needs; low income families; skill shortages; and updating skills that are out of date or irrelevant within the local labour force.
• Some supported universal Government-supported training up to National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2 for young people. Others felt that level 3 training should also be supported.
• Basic information, advice and guidance was widely seen as a service that should be universally available and free for adults, with additional guidance needs paid for by the individual.

24. Proposals for individual learning accounts received favourable comment from the great majority of respondents. Particular comments follow:

• The role of individual learning accounts in helping to overcome skill shortages was endorsed.
• Accounts should be simple to operate and easy to understand and that there should be low cost administrative procedures to support them.
• Most welcomed the idea of a 'smartcard' approach, although some feared that it might put off some people who would most benefit from learning.
• Many respondents made suggestions about eligibility for the first million accounts. Some suggested a universal offer; others, help for particular groups. The most widely supported option was to target help on disadvantaged groups, such as the low paid, low skilled or poorly qualified.
• Many respondents proposed incentives for employers to invest in employee learning accounts, although some raised the issue of potential dead-weight costs.
• The need for a cultural change to persuade individuals to understand the importance of investment in their own learning was widely recognised. Some commented on the question of whether people in disadvantaged groups might need help to be able or willing to use accounts.
• Some were keen that the potential of learning accounts for aspirational, non-work-related training should not be diluted.

25. Issues relating to student support also generated debate.

• Respondents were firmly in favour of proposals to make student support loans available to undergraduates in their early 50s.
• There was much support for increasing the size of Access Funds and allowing part-time and younger students to benefit from this provision.
• A number of respondents saw the Learning Age consultation as an opportunity to support recommendations in New Arrangements for Effective Student Support in Further Education (the report produced by the Further Education Student Support Advisory Group, chaired by Graham Lane, and published by DfEE in 1998) for a completely new system of student support in further education.
• A few respondents commented adversely on higher education student support arrangements but almost all those who did were themselves students or recent graduates.