Section 4 - Conclusions and Recommendations
4.2 Recommendations
The wide range of recommendations which emerge from this study can be categorised under three headings:
- widening participation in learning;
- improving outcomes from learning; and
- improving project and programme design.
i) Widening Participation in Learning
Even in those areas where lack of basic and vocational skills represents a major obstacle to the improvement of individual and local competitiveness, the motivation to engage in learning can remain low. For example, a survey in low skill, high unemployment Hattersley showed that only 11 per cent perceived that their lack of qualifications was impeding their access to employment. This study suggests a variety of possible and appropriate responses.
- DfEE and DETR should encourage regeneration partnerships to invest greater resources in promoting the critical importance of learning to individuals, businesses and communities.
- Providing 'one-stop-shops' or investing in outreach-based promotional techniques are common features of SRB-supported projects - offering testimony to the perception that the fragmentation of the education and training system constitutes a barrier to learning. DfEE should review ways in which the appearance of fragmentation can be reduced within the mainstream.
- DfEE should encourage the emerging Learning Partnerships to consider, as an early priority for action, how the messages about learning opportunities can be simplified and improved.
- The precise nature of the 'barriers' to participation varies between groups. Partnerships need to ensure firstly that there is a rigorous analysis of the nature of local barriers and secondly that all are tackled. The UfI and supporting network of local learning centres will have a key role to play in removing barriers to adult learning.
- The 'customised training' approach was first introduced to the UK in the mid-1980s. However, it remains relatively uncommon, although it offers an excellent 'hook' into learning since the training is associated with a particular vacancy. DfEE and DETR should consider issuing good practice guidance on this approach.
- This study has identified a range of examples where partnerships have improved the local availability of provision, through diversifying the use of school and college premises. DfEE should explore what incentives could be established to extend this practice beyond SRB funding.
ii) Improving Outcomes from Learning
Low levels of literacy and numeracy represent massive barriers to economic and social inclusion in many areas. The case studies in this report demonstrate the need for action to tackle poor basic skills and for an appropriate level of investment.
- DfEE should explore the Birmingham Core Skills Partnership approach and strategy. This, and other SRB projects, may serve as models which could be widely replicated.
- On the evidence of this study family literacy schemes and other interventions which try to tackle parents' basic skills needs through their children provide effective 'hooks' into learning. DfEE should explore ways to promote their use more widely.
- While the importance of early years intervention is clear, DETR and DfEE should encourage SRB partnerships to continue to promote basic skills among adults.
For many SRB partnerships the principal objective in promoting learning is to improve employability. The value of the customised training approach has already been discussed. In the context of disadvantaged communities, there needs to be assistance (at all ages) in making the transition to work, either as part of, or as adjuncts to, learning processes.
- DETR and DfEE should ensure schemes engage and the involve employers in the design and management of local learning strategies as this is critical in achieving improved employability
- In those communities where unemployment is the norm, work experience is a pre-requisite for employability, and this understanding should be built into scheme design.
Many of the schemes reviewed here recognise the links between domestic circumstances and educational attainment, and have attempted to tackle the former as part of strategies to improve the latter. There is scope to extend the availability of the kind of programmes to assist with individual and family stress pioneered in Speke Garston's A Quiet Place and elsewhere.
iii) Improving Project and Programme Design
The study sample divides between those schemes embracing a relatively large number of small projects, and those focusing resources on a limited number of key themes. There is room within regeneration-funded portfolios for small-scale pilots, but these only make sense if there are clear arrangements for the evaluation and dissemination of lessons. Otherwise, schemes need aims commensurate with the scale of the issues - rather than simply bringing benefits for a limited number of beneficiaries.
- Partnerships should be encouraged to develop, and Regional Development Agencies(RDAs)/Government Offices (GOs) to approve, programmes of activity rather than projects. Partnerships should be required to explain how regeneration-funded activity will be rolled out into the mainstream.
If programme impacts are to be maximised, they need to reflect a rigorous analysis of the underlying problems and a strategic assessment of priorities. Among other things, this should indicate how SRB-supported activity relates to mainstream provision.
- RDAs should be satisfied about the strategic justification for proposed learning activities funded by the SRB.
The whole thrust of this report reflects the importance of seeing the SRB as a catalyst for influencing mainstream provision - for acting as a change agent. This remains implicit in SRB guidance rather than explicit.
- SRB outputs should be extended more directly to reflect the influencing, catalytic dimensions discussed in this report.
- Partnerships should seek, wherever possible, to design interventions with those responsible for their implementation, so that regeneration-funded activities go with the grain of local learning priorities. This necessarily means involving colleges, schools and other providers in programme design from the outset.
- Partnerships should use every opportunity provided by the design and implementation of regeneration-funded programmes to develop partnership working for the longer term.
- These case studies show the complex interplay between participation in, and achievements through, learning and the wider community context in which the projects are taking place. This emphasises the importance of engaging local communities in the design and delivery of learning activities, of promoting multi-agency working and of employing local people in learning-related projects wherever possible.
- Forward strategies need to be built into programme and project design from the start - particularly where projects are likely to need a 'foster home' when the regeneration funding ceases.
Most projects reviewed here are achieving their output targets, which are assiduously monitored; and most have end-of-scheme impact targets. However, few have sufficiently well-developed performance indicators in between these extremes. The evidence of this study suggests that improving the measurement of performance in regeneration-funded learning projects is a priority, for both DfEE and DETR. There are a number of discrete dimensions.
- The definition of outputs for overall scheme monitoring purposes needs to be amended to provide a closer reflection of progress towards learning objectives. For example, at present 'pupils benefiting' is largely a euphemism for 'pupils undergoing' - there is no attempt to assess whether there have been 'benefits' (nor any expectation that there should be). DfEE and DETR should jointly review the learning-related outputs to identify some modest additions that are consistent with the broad-brush requirements of scheme monitoring, but which provide a better guide to learning objectives. This might be done by bringing practitioners together in a working group.
- DfEE should encourage partnerships to develop more imaginative approaches to performance measurement as a tool of project and programme management. Whilst challenging to put into practice, these approaches would obviously have to vary according to programme and project objectives and activities. However their design should follow these principles:
- they should relate to baseline positions;
- where projects have multiple objectives, they should normally have multiple performance indicators;
- objectives and their appropriate performance measures should be defined with the aid of the question: 'how will this project make a difference?'
- in some cases it may be necessary to adopt performance measures with a variety of time-scales; but, wherever possible, there have to be some which give guidance on progress during project lifetimes - so that corrective action can be taken if it is needed;
- they should be readily collectable; and
- in most cases they are likely to reflect changes in the relative position of the client group against an appropriate comparator.
