Meeting the Leitch report challenge

Conference showcases effective practice in workplace basic skills training

Employers who are developing interesting and innovative basic skills provision in the workplace - including McDonalds, the Army, Booths supermarkets and retail chain Bodycare - joined over 250 education experts at the Basic Skills Agency's Annual Conference (Basic Skills and Employability 2007 - held on 28 March) to debate how we can deliver basic skills training that works for employers and for learners.

The conference was very much about finding out what was happening on the ground rather than listening to 'experts'. 'Let's not wait to be told what will happen, let's use this event to develop ways in which we can influence what will happen,' said Carol Taylor, Joint Director of the Basic Skills Agency, in the introduction to the conference.

The Leitch report's call for a 'demand-led approach' to training - in which employers will play a key role in helping employees to achieve 'economically valuable skills' - provided the backdrop to the event, but the day focused squarely on 'lessons learnt' and on practical ways of developing and improving training.

'If the UK is to become a world leader in skills by 2020 we need to start identifying 'effective practice' and getting more employers involved in skills training,' says Pat Collard, Joint Director of the Basic Skills Agency. 'During the conference we focused on four key themes - engagement, delivery, contextualized learning, and getting the systems in place to monitor and measure success. Our experience shows that employers and training providers need to address all of these to deliver effective basic skills training in the workplace.'

During the day the audience was asked to debate questions on the four key themes and to capture their thoughts in order to develop a resource for training providers - available on the Basic Skills Agency`s website from 13 April. The material will also form the basis of a book - bringing together examples of best practice and expert opinion - which will be available at the end of June 2007.

For further information, or to arrange interviews, contact the Basic Skills Agency Press Office. Telephone 020 7440 7788, mobile: 07979 240936, email: <a href="mailto:valeriem@basic-skills.co.uk>valeriem@basic-skills.co.uk.

Notes to editors

Basic Skills and Employability 2007 was held on Wednesday 28 March 2007 in the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London.

Sessions included:

Session 1: Delivery - presentation, table discussion and feedback

Focusing on 'delivery' Jez Langhorn, National Reputation Manager at McDonalds, spoke about the company`s work to develop employees' competence and confidence. The company's 'Our Lounge' web-based resource, which allows employees to share information and to access learning, has encouraged over 1,000 staff to sign up for e-courses to improve their Maths and English.

Audience feedback - The audience raised the issues of adapting training to suit different learning styles; making use of new phone technologies to deliver learning (m-learning); and the importance of thinking about the learner and the context when designing e-learning packages.

Session 2: Context - presentation, table discussion and feedback

In the session on context, Jayne Norman from Skillsmart Retail, Therese Edmonds from Booths supermarkets and Julie Wilkinson from health and beauty retailer Bodycare discussed their work in developing a training toolkit relevant to the retail sector and to a range of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Audience feedback - The audience agreed on the importance of networking for small companies - allowing them to use and adapt existing materials relevant to their sector. They also commented on the importance of ensuring management buy-in, developing good relationships with staff and using incentives effectively.

Session 3: Engagement - presentation, table discussion and feedback

In discussing 'engagement' Judith Swift, Union Development Manager at the Trades Union Congress and Dave Ward from Link into Learning in Cornwall focused on the success of Financial Literacy training. By focusing on the needs of their audiences they had succeeded in creating training that appealed to learners and their employers. Learners received practical advice and basic skills training whilst employers benefited by reducing workers' stress and improving productivity.

Audience feedback - In looking at engagement the audience felt that focusing on employers and employees and their joint areas of interest was crucial and that there were areas of non job-related training that might appeal to employers – for improving employees' confidence and performance.

Session 4: Management Systems - presentation, table discussion and feedback

Colonel David Cartwright MBE from the Army and Martin Rose from the Basic Skills Agency discussed the Army`s successful five-year initiative to raise literacy, numeracy and language skills - developed by the Army in partnership with the Basic Skills Agency. One of the key 'lessons learnt' was the need to develop an effective management information system - to track the progress of individual learners and report corporate performance - at the start of any training initiative.

Audience feedback - in managing data the audience felt that trust was critical and effective dialogue between learners, tutors, line managers and senior stakeholders to identify the information needed and appropriate systems for capturing and managing information.

The Leitch report - Prosperity for all in the Global Economy: World Class Skills - was published on 5 December 2006. The report recommended that the UK to become a world leader in skills by 2020. This means increasing skills attainment at all levels by 2020 so that:

• 95% of working age adults have basic skills in both functional literacy and numeracy - rising from 85% and 79% respectively in 2005;
• More than 90% of adults are skilled to GCSE level or to vocational equivalents - rising from 69% in 2005;
• The number of Apprentices in the UK is boosted to 500,000 each year, with improved quantity, quality and esteem for intermediate skills; and
• More than 40% of adults are skilled to graduate level and above - up from 29% in 2005.

The report stresses that 'economically valuable skills' must be delivered through a demand-led approach, facilitated by a new culture of learning, and an appetite for improved skills amongst individuals and employers. To attain these goals, the system must become more efficient, responding to market needs, and Government, employers and individuals must all engage and invest more in skills development.