News Release issued by
the COI News Distribution Service on 08 September 2009
Creative music
master classes for people out of work or education, learning
adventures for isolated older people and access to digital
technologies in a Tyneside Cinema are all on offer thanks to a
significant investment in ‘learning for pleasure’ announced by the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) today.
The £20 million Transformation Fund, launched by Government to
offer grants for more than 213 innovative informal adult learning
projects in England, will bring to life The Learning
Revolution, a White Paper presented to Parliament in March
2009.
The projects, many spearheaded by partnerships between public,
private and third sector organisations, will help improve mental
health, physical well-being, active citizenship and community
cohesion, as well as providing a stepping stone towards further
learning, qualifications and employment for many people.
Projects include:
· An initiative to engage more than 2,000 adults who are not
currently in training, employment or education, through
celebrity-led creative music and media tasters, master classes and
workshops, led by a partnership which includes Global Radio, the
parent group of Heart FM, LBC and Galaxy stations.
· A partnership between Greater Manchester Passenger Transport
Executive, Merseytravel, Urbis and a National Trust property which
will create ‘learning journeys’ for young people 19-25, older
people living in isolation and people recovering from substance
abuse. Each learner will use a free bus pass to take journeys
around travel ‘lines’, including the Engineering Line, the
Football Line and the Mersey Beat Line.
· A project at Tyneside Cinema, in partnership with Newcastle
University, to use the cinema’s new spaces and facilities to
deliver digital technology, moving image, communications and IT
learning to a wide range of people from different social
backgrounds and develop online learning tools for others to share.
· A massive campaign, led by Booktrust and delivered through GP
surgeries, libraries and Adult Education centres, to inspire
thousands of over-60s to take up reading or writing for pleasure.
Kevin Brennan, Minister for Further Education, Skills and
Consumer Affairs, said:
“We’re happy to announce 213 successful recipients of our
Transformation Fund grants, awarded in the face of stiff
competition from a field of 1,400 applications. With projects
ranging from creative writing and music to reading and art, it’s
encouraging to see so many imaginative ideas for giving adults
more opportunities to learn for the love of it.”
“The benefits of learning for pleasure in an informal setting are
wide-ranging, and they benefit the community as well as the
individual. I hope that many people will develop the confidence
and the local connections to take a big step towards a brighter
future.”
The announcement about the latest Transformation Fund grants
follows the award of £1 million worth of ‘early bird’ funding in
July.
Alan Tuckett, Chief Executive of NIACE, added:
“NIACE is proud to have the role of supporting the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills in managing the Transformation
Fund. We argued in our response to the Informal Adult Learning
consultation that there is no better stimulus for local adult
learning providers than the creation of a fund to trigger
innovation and new partnerships.”
“There’s already evidence from the ‘early bird’ bids of how
creative and imaginative community-based adult learning can be
when given the funding to put ideas into practice.”
Informal adult learning encompasses a wide variety of activities
and can range from a self-organised reading group in a village
hall to a guided visit to nature reserve or stately home. Other
Learning Revolution activities include The Learning Revolution
Festival: a month-long celebration of informal adult learning
that kicks off in October 2009.
To find out more about The Learning Revolution, visit: www.bis.gov.uk/learningrevolution
Notes to Editors
1. To find out what the Transformation Fund grants are for,
download the Learning Revolution Transformation Fund prospectus at
www.transformationfund.org.uk/about-transformation-fund
2. Through the Transformation Fund grants, partnerships of
public, private and third sector organisations in England are
creating projects to:
· Encourage more and different people into informal learning,
particularly people from disadvantaged groups;
· Open up access to learning in new places, in new ways and at
more flexible times;
· Support people to set up self-organised groups and learning clubs;
· Widen choice, by developing and sharing innovative content;
· Build partnerships and strengthen the capacity of informal
adult learning organisations;
· Improve connections and progression between different kinds of
learning; and
· Make better use of broadcasting and technology to stimulate and
support learning.
3. The Transformation Fund adds to the £210 million which the
Government has already ring-fenced to support informal adult
learning. The Government also invests £360 million each year in
museums and galleries, £10 million in UK online centres, libraries
and other community venues and £21.5 million in union learning.
Contacts:
BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk
Mark Malbas
Phone: 020 7215 5303
Mark.Malbas@berr.gsi.gov.uk