#BestEd Campaign
#BestEd is a
campaign aimed at raising the profile and
encouraging debate of adult education in Scotland. We're engaging
with our Members, Ministers, the public and government bodies to
talk about how we can come together in an uncertain time to create
a fairer and more equal Scotland - and make a real
difference in people's lives.
Contact
us if you want to get involved. You can also follow #BestEd and
@BestEdCampaign
on
Twitter, join the conversation in
our LinkedIn group, and
visit us on Facebook to support, discuss, share your thoughts,
and create new ideas on adult education.
Policy Forum and Meeting with Angela
Constance MSP and Post-16 Education Reform
Inputs, Blogs and Briefings,
Including Post-16 Education
Reform
Engage for Education
Press Release: #BestEd Campaign Says
Scotland's Future Depends on Better Adult
Education
#BestEd Policy Forum meeting with Angela
Constance MSP
A delegation of Members from the
Policy
Forum recently met with Angela Constance, MSP. The
context of the meeting included the Post 16 Review, the CLD
Strategy Review and how we make connections to the findings of the
Christie Commission with its focus on prevention.
There was also discussion around wider contributions
that adult education makes, particularly to: health, the economy,
early years, family and parenting, culture and the
environment.
We are keen to articulate to government
our vision for "best education" for adults engaged in learning in
the voluntary and community sector. We had gathered
practice examples and a strategic overview of evidence for the
meeting.
A key
area identified by the Forum was getting consistency in provision
of adult education across Scotland. This will be of particular
importance as changes due to post-16 education reform take effect.
We highlighted the distinctive contribution of the voluntary sector
in getting to "hard to reach learners"; those who need a second
chance or fresh start. We are providers of community based adult
learning alongside local authorities and colleges.
The
Post 16 consultation and the related paper on regionalisation and
addressing relationships with CLD were important points in the
discussion. These consultations end on 23rd December and the
minister expressed an encouraging willingness to hear from the
wider adult education sector.
One result of the meeting was a
commitment to further dialogue and conversation. Hopefully there
will be regular opportunities for representatives from the policy
forum to meet with the minister and build on the work of this
initial meeting.
Next Steps
Post-16 Education Reform:
Putting Learners at the Centre and
Consultation on regionalisation of further
education. Learning Link Scotland will be
coordinating a response to both consultations. We will send draft
responses out by Thursday 8th December for your comments and
feedback. We would welcome feedback no later than the 20th
December. We would also encourage you to responde to the
consultations independently.
Putting
Learners at the Centre: Delivering Our Ambitions for Post-16
Education
Ensuring
colleges deliver for local communities: Consultation on
regionalisation of further education
Policy Forum: The
second meeting of the Policy Forum will be held early in the new
year. Many of you expressed interest in the Forum and some
emailed with their ideas and thoughts as they couldn't attend. We
want future Policy Forums to be the place that provides you with
the opportunity to share your views, so we gather insight from
across the Membership.
Online Debate: We
want to hear what you think about #BestEd, the Post-16 Education
Reform and the CLD Review so join us on twitter and
our LinkedIn
group. You can read Jayne's thoughts on #BestEd on the CLD Standards
Council's website and join the discussion.
We've created a Learning Link Scotland
#BestEd blog. We've invited input from a range of people in adult
education. The blog will hold all the #BestEd guest writings and
articles which you can comment on and debate. The page can be found
at learninglinkscotland.blogspot.com.
Opportunities: We
will also be producing a series of inputs, blogs and
briefings as part of the #BestEd campaign, including a
response to the Post-16 Education Reform.
Read
Jayne's guest blog at the CLD Standards Council as well as our
one-page
briefing on Post-16 Education Reform.
You can follow #BestEd, @BestEdCampaign
and @learninglinksco
on Twitter, join the conversation in
our LinkedIn group, and
visit us on Facebook to support, discuss, share your thoughts,
and create new ideas on adult education.
Engage For Education
is an online initiative by the Scottish Government, designed to
enable direct conversation between ministers and parents, children
& young people, teachers & school staff to discuss
issues relating to learning and education.
Engage for Education has asked for discussion topics in
Education. We are looking for opportunities to discuss the
importance of adult education. Jayne has already responded, so you
can
read her comment, and then add your own opinion.
We will also be looking for other ways to get invovled with
Engage for Education, and will discuss these futher at the Policy
Forums.
Press
Release:#BestEd Campaign Says Scotland's Future
Depends on Better Adult Education
Jayne Stuart, Director at Learning Link Scotland, launched the
#BestEd campaign at their recent annual conference.
The main message is that adult education is a prerequisite to a
healthy, vibrant, equal society. The world changes so quickly, and
often too unexpectedly, for us to afford the naïve belief that what
we learn as children and young adults will see us prosper tomorrow.
However, it would seem that adult education is currently being
pushed aside, and we are in danger of losing all sorts of
opportunities in Scotland. Education can't end when you reach 24,
and by only offering learning to young people, we are creating a
future crisis for our country.
In support of these ideas, learners and organisations engaged in
adult education are coming together to support #BestEd, and to talk
about what kind of Scotland we want to live in.
This is a discussion not just about jobs and employability, but
about the broader value of education, and how our ambitions might
be achieved. Its about what sort of future we want for Scotland and
its people, and what role adult education can play in achieving our
hopes and aspirations. Jayne said she 'recognised the government's
emphasis on prevention', and stated that 'to achieve success,
education must be offered more widely than to children and young
people. We must prevent the negative trend we will create by not
safeguarding adult education'.
We need innovation and investment across the country, ensuring
everyone has access to the full range of adult education they
deserve. Innovation and investment that will transform peoples'
lives, and make the necessary social and economic difference to our
country.
The Government is committed to reforming post-16 education but
Jayne warned innovative reform can't just "tinker around the
edges". We need real change and real opportunities for adults.
The first stage of the #BestEd campaign has been launched
online. This will be followed by a series of events, policy forums
and ministerial meetings.
Jayne Stuart
Director