Overview

6. Some of the key messages from the consultation responses are set out below:

• There was overwhelming support for the Government's emphasis on lifelong learning and its overall vision of the learning society, as set out in the Foreword to the Green Paper.
• The proposed expansion of further and higher education to provide for an extra 500,000 people by 2002 was warmly endorsed.
• The concept of the University for Industry was widely welcomed.
• Proposals for developing individual learning accounts received favourable comment from the great majority of respondents.
• In general, respondents supported the Government's plans to invest in young people so that more would continue to study beyond the age of 16.
• The majority of respondents acknowledged the Government's emphasis on adult basic skills and supported its proposals to double provision for adults by 2002; and to set up a working group led by Sir Claus Moser to advise on effective basic skills provision for adults.
• There was a clear consensus that the Government's aim of widening and increasing participation in education and training - via further, higher, adult and community education - was a necessary and desirable step. Many respondents expressed their willingness to be involved in this undertaking.
• There was general agreement with proposals to raise standards across post-16 teaching and learning.
• Many respondents welcomed the idea of setting clear National Targets.
• There was a general recognition of the importance of learning in the workplace.
• The Government's proposals for developing a respected and responsive qualifications system were broadly applauded.

7. Some other issues raised by respondents included:

• the importance of building on existing successful structures and measures and of the Government working in partnership with interested and experienced institutions and organisations at all levels to achieve common goals;
• wariness of too much reliance on information and communication technologies (ICTs), although their considerable potential to facilitate lifelong learning was generally acknowledged;
• the need to ensure that appropriate linkages were made between and across initiatives and measures - and the Government Departments promoting them;
• considerable interest in the publication of further information about the development of initiatives such as the UfI;
• the potential consequences of working towards the Government's vision for its partners; and
• the need for the Government to back up its proposals with resources.

8. The Green Paper was generally welcomed by key national organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Funding Councils, the Local Government Association (LGA), the National Advisory Council for Education and Training Targets (NACETT), NIACE (the National Organisation for Adult Learning), the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Basic Skills Agency (BSA), the TEC National Council (TNC) and the NTO National Council. The following quotations are selected from among these responses:

'The CBI has been calling for over a decade for the UK's competitive edge to be sharpened through individuals learning to the optimum. The CBI therefore strongly supports both the vision of a learning society set out in The Learning Age and its mutually reinforcing objectives of enhancing business competitiveness and individual employability.'

'[NIACE] warmly welcomes the breadth and generosity of vision in The Learning Age and, in particular, David Blunkett's foreword in which he recognises that "as well as securing our economic future, learning has a wider contribution. It helps make ours a civilised society, develops the spiritual side of our lives and promotes active citizenship."'

'[The TUC] warmly welcome the Government's commitment to make lifelong learning a key priority for action. The Learning Age has a refreshing breadth of vision in its objectives for learning. We welcome the aspiration of developing a framework for supporting learning for employment, personal development and social cohesion. The TUC recognises the value of learning as a means for people, individually and collectively, to reshape communities and society, improve job security and career progression, and to achieve fulfilment.'

'The [Further Education Funding] Council warmly welcomes 'The Learning Age' and supports its vision of an inclusive learning society. It agrees that a culture of lifelong learning must be firmly established in order to bring about the fundamental shift in the nation's attitudes to education and training that the Learning Age requires.'

'The [Local Government] Association warmly welcomes the Green Paper…as a positive and practical approach to post compulsory learning. We strongly support the emphasis on widening participation, on personal development, learning and achievement.'

'NTOs strongly support the importance of developing a learning culture as critical to the country's competitiveness.'

'The Government is to be congratulated for producing a paper that attempts to treat the entire area of post-16 learning as a whole and for designing a consultation process that allows time for debate in breadth and depth. The very fact of the paper's publication can be regarded as one important step towards building a learning culture.' (professional body)

Background

9. The Learning Age and its companion documents, Further Education for the New Millennium (DfEE, 1998) and Higher Education for the 21st Century (DfEE, 1998) covered all education and training after the age of 16. It invited comment on more than 60 issues, ranging from the potential of broadcasting to the development of credit accumulation and transfer schemes. The Green Paper complemented the Government's earlier White Paper, Excellence in Schools (Cm 3681) (The Stationery Office, 1997), which dealt with learning between the ages of 3 and 16. Similar consultations on lifelong learning were undertaken in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

10. About 4,000 copies of the Green Paper were sent to colleges, universities, TECs, employers, careers services, trade unions and others. In addition, over 1.5 million copies of a free summary leaflet have been circulated. During the consultation period, Ministers and senior DfEE officials hosted or supported 12 major conferences around the country. Well over 1,000 people attended these conferences. In addition, many organisations up and down the country ran discussion events for their members and partner organisations.

11. The Government received almost 3,000 responses.

• Two thirds came from members of the public. This was particularly gratifying. In general, these responses reflected great interest in, and commitment to, the concept of the learning society. Many respondents made constructive comments on the various proposals in the Green Paper, often informed by their personal experiences.
• One third of the responses came from interested institutions and organisations. Local education authorities, TECs, NTOs, colleges and universities were strongly represented among these. Further details are given in the table below.

12. Specific responses to the Green Paper are available on request, unless respondents have indicated that they wish their views to remain confidential. Contact 0114 259 4689 or fax 0114 259 4148 or email val.hewson@dfee.gov.uk.

13. Further copies of this summary (Ref: LARespSum) are available from:

DfEE Publications,
PO Box 5050,
Sudbury,
Suffolk,
CO10 6ZQ
Tel: 0345 602 2260
Fax: 0345 603 3360
Email: dfee@prologcs.demon.co.uk

The summary is also available to download from this site.

Types and Numbers of Respondents