Is Workplace ‘Skills for Life’ Provision Sustainable in the UK?

Ed Waite, Karen Evans & Natasha Kersh
Wednesday 23 March 2011,
15.00 to 17.00, Committee Room 1

Drawing on longitudinal data from the ‘Adult Basic Skills and Workplace Learning’ project (2003-2008), together with recent findings from LLAKES Strand 3 (Project 2), this seminar will explore the key factors that facilitate and inhibit sustainable ‘Skills for Life’ workplace provision. We draw on the metaphor of a social ecology of learning to explore the inter-relationships between individuals and groups at policy and organisational level and combine this with Michael de Certeau’s theoretical work on everyday social practices in order to cast light on the diverse ways in which ‘Skills for Life’ provision has been put to use by organisations and learners.

 The research highlights some key barriers to sustainability in terms of complex and rapidly shifting funding arrangements that place a strong emphasis on target-bearing qualifications together with challenges related to adapting provision to the workplace. The seminar will also present findings from case study research into companies and public sector organisations that have succeeded in developing provision over the long-term. Although these sites have generally succeeded in garnering broader organisational support for ‘Skills for Life’ provision – in keeping with the ‘whole organisation’ approaches that are advocated by ‘Skills for Life’ development agencies-  the ‘third-order’ priority of learning in the workplace means that it is difficult in practice to establish sustainability in most organisations.

All events take place at the Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London

The event is free but booking is required.  Please email LLAKES – llakesevents@ioe.ac.uk to confirm your place.