Local Communities and LearningLearning Partnership Conference27th June 2006

Jim Austin, Head of Gloucestershire Adult Education Service

• 97 definitions• A geographical identity• Identification through common

interest/concern

What do we mean by communities?

What do we mean by learning?• That which we learn through life

experience• Knowledge gained through family and

friends• Informal learning• Formal learning leading to qualifications

Learning in GloucestershireMany and varied• University• Workplace• Community/voluntary sector• Schools• Colleges• Children Centres• Other less obvious institutions

The work undertaken by the County Council

• Funded by the Learning and Skills Council and County Council

• Focus on disadvantaged/vulnerable communities

• Delivered through 21 organisations• 8 Local Learning Consortia• Over 15,000 learners supported• 13% ALDD,10% BME, most uptake in…?

Learning in Gloucestershire• Able to plan provision across the county

as a whole• Able to ensure there is a consistent high

quality across the county• Able to link to other learning within the

county – children centres, extended schools, work force development

For the future?

• Reduction in LSC funding• Introduction/increase in fees• Continuous improvement in quality• Tough choices – more plumbing, less

pilates• The impact of the FE White Paper

Future Opportunities?• The role of Children Centres and Extended

Schools in disadvantaged communities• Regeneration programmes• Future use of the social care budget• The impact on communities of ‘commissioning’

services• The use of technology• Role of ‘clubs’/volunteers to deliver learning