CALL has learned that at least two colleges in London - Tower Hamlets and Hackney – are planning cuts to the adult education and ESOL departments including many redundancies.

UCU and Unison branches at both colleges have launched camapigns to defend the courses and that jobs of those that teach them, you can read statements from both by clicking “read the rest of this entry” below.

Read the rest of this entry »

The WEA have produced a very useful summary presentation on the recent Government white paper in informal adult learning “The Learning Revolution“.

The presentation looks at the key proposals in the white paper and asks some pertinent questions to whether the paper offers adequate solutions to the problems that adult education faces.

You can download the presentation here (ppt, 103kb) or by clicking the image on the right.

In December NIACE launched a campaign called “A Right to a Voice” that aims to overturn the decision, in 2007, to withdraw the right for asylum seekers to access ESOL (English as a Second Language) courses in the first six months in the country.

CALL supports this campaign as part of its second core principle:

Universal access to basic skills, ESOL and ICT courses and a first level three qualification regardless of age.

Lots more information about the campaign can be found on the A Right to a Voice website.

Last week NIACE published the results of its annual survey of adult learning participation which shed further light on the impact of Government’s adult education policy.  The survey has been covered widely in the press with the Government disputing its findings.  You can read more here:

• Adult learning slump hits Labour heartland hardest, TES FE Focus, 8 May 2009.
• Adult learners ‘lowest since ‘97′, BBC News website, 8 May 2009.
• When a rise in numbers is actually a fall, Education Guardian, 12 May

Venue: The Cross Kings, 126 York Way, London N1 0AX

Date: 23rd May, evening.

Cost: £5, £3 concessions. All proceeds to CALL.

Featuring: Motiv, Radio Revolucion, The Amigans, UCU All Stars, Matt Dolphin, the Carbon Town Cryer, DJ Sonic Truth and Bard Stupid.

Organised by the UCU branches at Community Education Lewisham, Hackney Community College and Lambeth College.

Download the event’s flyer here (.doc, 231kb).

Venue: Room M1.02, Cardiff University

Date: Today, 27 April 2008: 5.30pm-6.30pm

Cardiff University has announced a proposal to close most of the subject areas in one of its oldest and most respected departments only months after publishing a book detailing its history and extolling its virtues.

If the proposal is implemented then this will radically reduce the Centre, scrapping its entire Humanities provision, including literature, history and archaeology, music, creative writing, philosophy, art history, religion, photography and Welsh. The closure of the Centre will leave a huge hole in educational provision for the region with hundreds of adult learners unable to complete their studies and to fulfil their full potential. Neither senior academic staff at the Centre nor representatives of the part-time tutor and student groups were consulted before the announcement of the proposal on Monday 20th April (for more details click “Read the rest of this entry”).

This meeting will discuss the situation at Lifelong Learning and map out a plan of action. It’s open to anyone who is concerned by the proposal to cut all Humanities and Welsh teaching from the programme.
Please come and show your support, there will be opportunities for people to become more actively involved.
Read the rest of this entry »

Venue: International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne

Date: Friday 1 May 2009, 10.00am – 3.30pm

Cost: free for WEA members and staff, costs apply for others (details available from the contact below).

Two of Britain’s top professors of adult learning will speak at a North East conference entitled Beyond the Soundbite: the future of adult learning.

Professor Jill Brunt, Chief Executive of the National Open College Network, and John Field, Professor of Life Long Learning at the University of Stirling, will address a conference arranged by the Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) to examine the Government’s White Paper on the future of adult learning, The Learning Revolution.

They will be joined by Felicity Mendelson, MBE, Senior Learning & Development Officer, Newcastle City Council, and Richard Bolsin, General Secretary of the WEA.

For more details, contact the WEA on 0191 212 6100 or northeast@wea.org.uk.

In recent weeks a number of universities have cut continuing education courses for adults across England following the Government’s decision last year to remove funding for equivalent or lower level qualifications (ELQs).

A recent Times Higher Education article highlighted the scale of the problem:

“Severe cuts” are taking place to continuing education courses across the country, the professional body for lifelong learning in higher education has warned.

As the Universities Association for Lifelong Learning (UALL) held its annual conference in Brighton, more universities confirmed course closures as a result of the Government’s decision to stop the funding of students taking second qualifications at an equal or lower level to those they already hold (ELQs).

Read the article here.

Today the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has published its white paper on informal adult learning “The Learning Revolution”.

The document follows a green paper last year that attracted more than 5,500 responses from individuals and organisations. 

You can download the full white paper as well as a summary from the DIUS website.

Recently government spokespeople including the Secretary of State have been critical of the value of “holiday” Spanish courses being subsidised by the state.

Here is Senator (now President) Obama’s view of the value of language learning: