WEA response to the Leitch Review of Skills

The Government commissioned Sandy Leitch in 2004 to undertake an independent review of the UK 's long term skills needs. Lord Leitch's final report, 'Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills' was published on 5 th December and is available here

WEA General Secretary Richard Bolsin responded to the report by saying, “If we are to achieve the transformation Leitch describes, then we are going to need everyone to believe positively in their own ability to acquire new skills, competence and confidence, and only the benefits of active learning will do that.”

A fuller WEA response is reproduced below. Readers may also be interested in this letter ‘Gordon Brown Joint Open Letter.pdf', which was recently sent to Chancellor Gordon Brown by the WEA and 32 other organisations with shared concerns over funding for adult education.

WEA Response

The WEA welcomes the vision, expectation and optimism offered in the Leitch Review of Skills, and the specific references to links between skills and social justice. Productive, proactive and dynamic economies are rooted in confident and engaged communities, where learning, skills and creative thinking are fostered and valued.

The Review of Skills forecasts an acceleration in the pace of change caused by global economic drivers and technological advance, leading to a very different economy in 2020. Looking back over a similar period we see significant changes in skills needs. 44 coal mines have closed since 1992 and traditional industries such as shipbuilding, textiles and motor vehicle production have been replaced by service industries. The vision expressed by Leitch will not be realised if those over 25 are trained solely in skills that could become obsolete, and are not educated in critical, creative and analytical skills that will equip people to respond constructively to change. The WEA believes that learning is itself a skill and in danger of being overlooked. Competence is just as important as competencies.

Leitch has rightly recognised that longevity will also extend working lives and that half the workforce in 2020 will be over 25. On the other hand, he is surprisingly silent on migration and the learning and skills needs of speakers of English as a second language.

The key agents for bringing about the changes he advocates are employers and individuals, through learning accounts. But there are no obvious levers, other than market forces, to make change happen. Is there a risk that Leitch has correctly identified the challenges to Britain 's economy of globalisation, but failed to identify sufficiently sensitive systems and support for learners which will enable the country to achieve that 2020 vision?

Will Britain achieve what Leitch demands? We must all hope so and in particular the WEA hopes that:

1. Employers rise to the challenge set for them. The WEA works in partnership with some excellent employers , but the track record of the private sector in investing in the development of all its staff in my lifetime has not been convincing and there remains serious doubt about employers' general support for skills and training.
   
2. Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) are more successful this time around. The intention is to stimulate demand, although the consequence (intended or not) will also be to ration access to publicly funded learning for adults. If ILAs do not significantly reduce current transactional costs and bureaucratic duplication, and release more resource to front-line learning, they will have failed. There has also been little evidence of their contribution to a shift in attitudes or performance in the past.
   
3. The “new offer for adults” finds ways of making affordable access to learning available for adults of all ages and backgrounds, which will mean a more intelligent, means-related scheme than we have in place now. New strategies must be found for the engagement and supported progression of the most marginalised non-learners, to complement Skills for Life and Full Level 2 options.
   
4. There is much more flexibility in recognising and supporting adult education courses which do lead to employment but are not viewed as eligible for funding in full. The WEA's own proven and successful ‘Helping in Schools' programme is just one example of successful provision which is under great strain under present fee escalator arrangements. Other p rogrammes where adults learn to support their voluntary activity for the benefit of others are also being hit by rising fees.
   
5. Our quality of life in 2020 corresponds to our world-class economy, built on cutting edge skills. That means having rounded, confident individuals creating sustainable, successful communities. It is not yet clear, from Leitch or others, where our school governors, volunteers, and others can acquire the skills and competence which they and we need to create the collective mortar which binds together the best and most effective of our communities and adds so significantly to public value. Will all employers invest the same importance and support for that as for level 2 qualifications?