Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills
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Government invites bids for a share of £20m to fund adult learning
Denham calls for a 'summer of learning' in keynote speech during Adult Learners Week
Organisations can bid for a share of £20 million in Government cash from today to open up and promote informal learning for adults and young people across the country.
In a speech to NIACE's Annual Policy Conference, Skills Secretary John Denham kicked off the bidding process, publishing a prospectus designed to show how a wide range of groups and partnerships of all sizes can win funding. The deadline for bids is July 12 this year but an "early bird" funding pot of £1 million is available for ideas submitted by June 12.
Mr Denham said the money will herald a "summer of learning" for young people and adults - whether for fun, or to get the skills and qualifications needed to get into or on at work.
The Transformation Fund delivers on a pledge made in the Government's Learning Revolution White Paper published in March which describes how Government and a multitude of partner organisations can work together to create a new movement for informal learning.
Its aims include:
* encouraging more and different people into learning, particularly people from disadvantaged groups;
* opening up access to learning in new places, in new ways and at more flexible times;
* supporting people to drive their own learning through self organised groups and learning clubs;
* widening choice, by developing and sharing innovative content
* making better use of broadcasting and technology to stimulate and support learning; and
* supporting a new culture of learning, including driving sign ups to the Learning Revolution principles, its pledge and Open Space Movement.
Launching the prospectus in Adult Learners Week, Mr Denham said:
"Learning in all its many forms improves our quality of life, our happiness and our personal wellbeing. Our recent Learning Revolution White Paper has sown the seeds of a new movement for informal learning and now we want to help it grow. We want to build new partnerships, open up access to resources and find exciting ways of getting people learning.
"It's vital that groups come together to collaborate because it's through that collaboration that new ideas are sparked. And of course, Government can't do this by itself. That is why we've committed funds to this new £20m Transformation Fund. It could lead to collaborations between, for example, art galleries and community broadcasters or voluntary organisations. It could mean empty shops and premises are opened up to host learning on the high street, or perhaps vouchers made available allowing people to organise their own courses.
"The funding will be used to strengthen the wiring that needs to be in place for a learning revolution to succeed, to breathe life into new ideas to help release untapped potential, and to leave a permanent legacy. I hope to see some bold and creative ideas come forward."
The Transformation Fund is one initiative that forms part of The Learning Revolution White Paper. The White Paper also proposed an informal adult learning pledge - currently signed up to by over 100 organisations including the Women's Institute, BUPA, the Church of England and several local authorities. By signing the pledge, organisations affirm they will actively promote participation in learning, and will find new ways to get more people involved. The Learning Revolution highlighted an autumn Festival of Learning which will host events to reach out to people already learning and to new groups of learners, supported by a national campaign to promote the benefits of learning for pleasure. The "Open Space" movement will see organisations thrown open their doors to get new spaces opened up for self-organised learning activities at low or no cost.
The Government is also helping communities find creative ways to reduce the negative impact empty shops have on the high street. Up to £3m has been made available so that empty shops can be converted temporarily into social enterprises, local art displays or learning centres.
The £20m Transformation Fund money is in addition to the £210m which DIUS has ring-fenced to support adult learning and will continue to protect funding for specialist adult education colleges and institutions. The Government invests £28m to pay for free access to museums, £10m for UK online centres in libraries and children's centres and £21.5m for union learning representatives.
Mr Denham will announce today that a new National Adult Learning Survey (NALS) in 2010 will explore all aspects of adult participation in learning.
Mr Denham also outlined in his speech to NIACE the importance of investing heavily in skills and in reshaping our skills strategy to become more agile and alert to future skills needs as well as current ones. Mr Denham said:
"Despite the effects of the global economic crisis, it's entirely right that our focus should remain on raising skills levels among the working population overall. The fact was underlined by last week's announcement from the UK Commission on Employment and Skills about the importance of investing in skills if we are to be a globally competitive economy by 2020. The £5 billion a year we are investing has seen a record number of people gain the sorts of vocational qualifications that will put them in a stronger position to get work, or to make progress in their career, as well as the literacy and numeracy skills to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Notes to editors
1. For a copy of John Denham's speech, please see http://www.dius.gov.uk.
2. The Transformation Fund Prospectus 2009-10 can be found at http://www.dius.gov.uk.
3. The Learning Revolution was published on 23 March 2009 as a command paper. Please see http://www.dius.gov.uk/skills/engaging_learners/informal_adult_learning/white_paper.aspx to read the full document or executive summary.
4. Prior to The Learning Revolution, a full public consultation was held from January to May 2008, as well as a six-month deliberative consultation featuring roundtables and events with stakeholders. DIUS received 5, 500 responses to the consultation from individual learners and from a wide variety of different organisations. For further details see http://www.dius.gov.uk/consultations/~/media/publications/Response_to_IALC
5. The Foresight Report into Mental Capital and Wellbeing, published in October 2008, was sponsored by DIUS. The two-year study concluded that there is a clear case for action across society to boost both mental capital and wellbeing to reap very high economic and social benefits for the future. For further information, see: http://www.foresight.gov.uk/OurWork/ActiveProjects/Mental%20Capital/Welcome.asp.
6. Communities Secretary Hazel Blears outlined plans to convert empty shops into social enterprises, local art displays or learning centres on 14 April 2009. For further information, see: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1201277
