European Agenda for Adult Learning

UK National Co-ordinator2014-15

Thinking about impact: Ayear of Impact Forums in the UK

1. Background

1.1 The four UK devolved government administrations

There is no universal governance system across the UK; devolved administrations have been created in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. The legislative authorities include: the Scottish Parliament; the National Assembly for Wales andthe Northern Ireland Assembly. The UK Parliament legislates for England-only matters; some English regions and cities are in the process of being granted devolved powers. Each UK Administration has responsibility for education but the Parliament at Westminster retains authority over foreign affairs, defence, immigration, social security and welfare, employment and general economic and fiscal policy. Whilst the education systems in Wales and Northern Ireland are similar to those in England, Wales is increasingly developing independent policies. Scotland has, for many years, developed different models from other administrations.

1.2 Terminology

Most European countries adopt an understanding of adult learning as a continuum of informal, non-formal and formal learning. In the UK, formal learning is that which is organised, structured and usually leads to accreditation or a qualification. Non-formal learning is often described as Community Learning (CL), which covers intentional, organised learning but which is often negotiated, co-produced and usually, but not always, non-accredited provision. Such opportunities in the UK are sometimes referred to as informal learning whereas this descriptor, in other European countries, is reserved for the unintentional, daily learning in which we all take part through talking, reading or using the media or computers. The Impact Forums generally referred to ACL and, occasionally, to formal learning.

1.3 The Impact Forums

The Impact Forums of the UK, in response to the EAAL, were designed as forums – in the Roman sense – for discussion and debate at the four administration levels of the UK, (England, Wales, N Ireland and Scotland). In the first instance, they were to provide opportunities for sharing information, ideas, issues and challenges as well as identifying some responses. The terms of reference formally captured this:

‘The Forum will:

  • Enable greater policy coherence through sharing existing research, looking at regional and local case studies, and disseminating these;
  • Promote evidence-based approaches to policy development and formulation across the UK, particularly around the social and economic impact of learning;
  • Produce, translate and disseminate evidence to networks in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, including, government policy-makers and at Adult Community Learning Conferences;
  • Attend the UK summative conference in September 2015’

The Impact Forums were not designed as a systematic approach to research, neither did they seek to replicate or develop work on the wider benefits of adult learning. Others have undertaken research, such as the report on the Benefits of Lifelong Learning (BeLL) across 10 European countries,[1] which captured individual as well as organizational benefits of learning, analyzing and distilling what seems to lead to them. Similarly, the work of the Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning at the Institute of Education[2], examines the benefits for society, work places and individuals, with an emphasis on health-related outcomes. The work of Feinstein et al [3] looked specifically at the outcomes of adult learning on health, and mental health in particular. Additionally, Fujiwara’s work on Valuing the Impact of Adult Learning [4]analysed the effect of adult learning on four different domains of life: health; employment; social relationships and volunteering. NIACE has produced reports on impact from different learning perspectives, and during the forums, shared its work on Capturing Wider Outcomes.[5]

These Impact Forums were designed to bring together organisations, groups and agencies with an interest in adult learning, to shareresearch insights andknowledge and exploreexperiences. The forumswere intended to create greater, shared understanding of the impact of participation and engagement, from strategic, policy, planning, development and practice perspectives.

1.4 Who participated?

Between 20 – 25 people were involved in each forum, with diverse sectors and organisations being represented. In addition to ‘the usual suspects’ of adult learning providers and relevant national and local government departments, members came from community and voluntary organisations concerned with such issues as drug and alcohol abuse, mental health and homelessness as well as young people, elderly people and women. Employers’ organisations were represented as well as small and large business and commercial organisations; Universities, including the Open University; BBC; Further Education Colleges; development agencies and Trades Unions organisations, including Union Learn. Adult learners were also represented.

This diversity meant that information, knowledge-sharing and discussion reached a wide range of organisations and individuals.

The forums contributed to a key objective, to disseminate evidence to networks and open up discussion and debate. They also addressed one of the key EAAL themes of improving knowledge and monitoring the adult learning sector.

2. What did the forums do?

A thematic approach to the forums was agreed, to address the EAAL themes of :

  1. Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality;
  2. Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training;
  3. Promoting equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship;
  4. Enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training;
  5. Improving the knowledge base on adult learning and monitoring the adult learning sector.

This approach was implemented bysharing knowledge, research, challenges and solutions (EAAL priorities 2 and 5) in relation to;

a)Particular groups of people who might be described as excluded or disadvantaged, compared with the population as a whole, such as: young people who are ‘NEET; homeless people; people who have experienced mental ill-health, especially that related to drugs and alcohol; families in particular neighbourhoods or situations; unemployed people and those with few or no education qualifications (EAAL priority 3);

b)Digital inclusion and the implications for adult learning (EAAL priority 3);

c)The impact of PIAAC and the development of basic or essential skills of English and Maths(EAAL priorities 1 and 3);

d)Employability (EAAL priorities of 1 and 4).

The forum meetingsaddressed these themes, but not only in discreet ways. They considered how disadvantage, employability, a lack of essential skills and digital exclusion are linked and often experienced by the same people.

However, research and development from both the National Co-ordinator and each UK Administration, linked to these specific themes, was shared at the forums. Each forum was run according to common terms of reference[6] but using and developingtheir particular administrative context, issues and priorities.

Researched papers and evidence were presented by NIACE, as part of its work as the national co-ordinator, and by invitedlocal organisations, from each forum, according to thetheme of the meeting. Policies and guidance from the different governance perspectives were identified and reported and examples of developmental activities, programmes, practice, and case studies were shared. The success of developments, as well as the challenges and issues were identified and assessed; responses were aired and ideas for further development by forum members taken away. Networking between attendees, in response to what was heard and discussed was a strong feature of the forums, with new relationships and links across providers and sectorsbeginning to emerge.

During forum sessions, little reference was made to learning for pleasure or as a hobby; the discussion and debate was concerned with learning for wider social and economic purposes. This may have reflected the representation at the meetings or the current emphases in adult learning across the UK. However, a great deal of reference was made to learning in and for communities, in relation to all of the identified themes.

3. How did the UK National Coordinator capture insight and information from the Impact Forums?

In trying to understand impact in its broadest sense, an over-arching theoretical framework[7] was developed; it helped to consider how impact is a diverse and multi-layered concept. This framework was shared across all the forums, refined and further informed the process we used to capture information and issues arising from each forum[8]. It was also usedas a structure to collate and summarise information and insight, across all the UK Impact Forums, on the themes adopted. This process helped to distil the multiple layers of impact. The documents were shared with the Forums and members of the Reference Group and complemented the papers and notes presented and shared at the forums.

4. What has the UK National Coordinator learned from the process?

4.1 Establishing the forums created an impact

The impact of creating forums was very quickly identified. Three of the UK administrations (England, Scotland and Wales) have adult learning organisations, which conduct research and development, to support advocacy and speak out for the right for adults to learn. They described how they gained by being able to facilitate gatherings of more and different organisations and agencies,with whom to share research and evidence of the impact of adult learning. The forums added valuable impetus to their work. But, in Northern Ireland, where the work of FALNI (Forum for Adult Learning Northern Ireland) was enhanced, with resources available to support networking and action planning, there is no such organisation. The Impact Forum in Northern Ireland filled a gap and provided an opportunity to galvanise adult learning stakeholders to share evidence of impact and begin to mobilise action.

Specifically, the impact forums facilitated:

  • learning from members both within and across UK administrations
  • co-ordination of information, issues and ideas, from different perspectives of adult learning,within each administrative area
  • exchange of information and ideas between policy-makers, officers and practitioners
  • discussion and debate with policy makers about the impact of some policies on programmes and provision
  • insight intopartnership initiatives, within adult learning as well as with other sectors, in order to address the diversity of adults’ priorities, interests, ambitions and aspirations
  • information-sharing aboutwhere adult learning complemented, supported and enhanced other policy areas and agendas, outside the ‘adult learning’ departments
  • identification of the social and economic benefits to individuals, families, communities and work-places of participation in learning
  • insight into challenges faced by different policy areas and identification of some responses and solutions
  • reporting onresearch and data from different administrations and assessment of how they could help in different contexts
  • sharing processes and tools to capture impact data at different levels of operation
  • identification of potentialcollectiveadvocacy to, amongst others, funders, politicians and government officials,in relation to future agendas in adult learning.

The forum processes supported:

  • greater policy coherence with and between administrations (TOR1)
  • the promotion of evidence of social and economic impact (TOR2) and
  • sharingof evidence of the impact with wide networks and at conferences and workshops (TOR3).

4.2 There is a large body of evidence of the impact of adult learning

NIACE, as UK National Co-ordinator,prepared and provided research papers[9]which were sent out one week in advance of the meetings, to ensure that forum members were well-briefed and able to contribute to the forums. The papers includedall aspects of the UK WorkProgramme (2014/15) on:

  • Excluded Groups; for example, families in particular situations, people who are homeless, those recovering from addictions and ex-offenders
  • Employability, especially amongst young people who are described as NEET (not in employment, education or training)
  • Digital inclusion/exclusion and
  • the development of the Citizens’ Curriculum, as part of a response to adult literacy, numeracy and the PIAAC data.

The papers prompted discussion about what seemed to have an impact on the participants but also on learning environments, the curricula offered and the teaching and learning approaches used. Development approaches were shared and the arising tools, processes and reports made available so that others could access and use them. This helped the forums to see that impact is not only about the difference learning can make to individuals, families, communities, work or work-places but also about how capturing impact data can aid providers to reflect on and improve the quality of the learning experience and further optimize the impact.

Organisations, from each administration area, were also invited to present evidence of their work in similar areas of development and/or research. These papers and presentations provided information on local developments and practices, further insight into what works, as well asthe challenges faced by different organisations and their learners. Data on outcomes and impact were shared. Forum dialogue and discussion followed presentations and greater insight and understanding gained; papers were shared electronically, after the meeting, along with meeting notes. The presence of policy-makers at most forums helped to inform them, not only of developments, which might influence future policies, but also of some of the challenges faced due tocurrent policies. Similarly, the policy-makers had opportunities to help providers and practitioners understand the challenges and opportunities faced by them.

The range and diversity of perspectives and evidence presented, highlighted the difficulty of accessing the rich sources of information and insight into impact. There are many websites and data-bases which hold such information. Representatives of the Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe, EPALE, attended Impact Forums, made presentations about its purposes and offered to assist in opening access to information, publications and blogs.Placing reports, research and responseson the platform, could help to add another dynamic to the forums and being to address this challenge.All Forum members were encouraged to consider making contributions.[10]

4.3 Some individual learning providers adopt systematic, longitudinal approaches to evidencing the impact of their work

The England Impact Forum found that the diversity of experiences and organisations at the forums offered an opportunity to explore ways in which evidence of impact was systematically gathered and for what purposes the data and insights were used. Discussion revealed diversity of practices, which sparked lots of interest and questioning. It was agreed to formalise this exchange of information in the interest of promoting evidence-based approaches. A workshop format was used for one session, with presentations from 4 different organisational perspectives. Each approach was examined, through a critical framework, for the impact identified, generalisability and replicability of the model, both in the UK and across Europe. All approaches demonstrated that gathering impact information is part of reviewing and evidencing the difference which adult learning makes, to individuals, curricula, organisations, partners, stakeholders, and policy makers. It also contributes to accountability and can demonstrate returns on investment.

The peer critiqued approaches included[11]:

a)a CHANGE model, capturing Confidence, Health and well-being, Aspiration, New thinking, Getting involved and Empowerment, used by Northern College, Adult Residential College

b)the Greater Manchester New Economy cost-benefit analysis approach by a local authority adult learning service in a neighbourhood development in Rochdale, Lancashire

c)an annual impact survey, as well as a long term study, implemented across England, by the Workers’ Education Association (WEA)

d)a base-line with end-of-course questionnaire approach, along with an external evaluation, used in health literacy learning by the Community Health and Learning Foundation.

Sharing such insights opened up possibilities, not only for those who attended the workshop, but also for all Impact Forum members to learn, adapt and adopt similar approaches.

The CHANGE model was built upon the prime purposes of offering adults opportunities to change their lives, in a lasting way, through learning. By analyzing how that change manifests itself, the CHANGE acronym was created. Northern College was assessed, at its last OFSTED inspection, as outstanding in all aspects. This approach could be adapted for other college institutions.

The work by Rochdale Local Authority demonstrated how an injection of adult learning, piloting the Citizens’ Curriculum approach,could begin to address issues of employability, drug and alcohol abuse recovery, neighbourhooddisruption, law and order issues and fear. A whole neighbourhood approach was adopted and many public and voluntary organisations and agencies were brought together to address the challenges presented. The results were analysed using the standard cost-benefit model used across Greater Manchester and clearly demonstrated fiscal, social and economic gains. The total investment of £35,000 revealed a return of over £69,000. This approach too could be adapted for other neighbourhoods, where multiple social and economic issues arise.

Further dissemination, to even wider audiences, of this detailed approach to capturing the Social Return on Investment took place at the summative conference.

The Workers Education Association (WEA) is a UK organisation operating through regional and local structures, which took the decision to conduct an annual survey with a follow-up survey of learners, 18 months after completion of their learning. They capture case studies, using a template format to capture information in a consistent way. This means that they use both quantitative and qualitative data to demonstrate impact to potential funders and partners as well as inform their research into responsiveness, curricula, learners’ profiles, learners’ needs, systems and processes. The impact recorded includes increased health and well-being; increases in volunteering, year on year; increases in confidence and in pay for those in employment. A key impact is the development of social capital. This approach could be transferred to other organisations, especially those that operate across multiple sites and locations.