Session 2 – 11th April – 14.30-15.20

Title: Assessing the true costs of Community Learning

Presenters:                  Duncan Holtom & Sarah Lloyd-Jones

Organisation:             People & Work Unit, CUV Partnership Research

Summary:

Both the Westminster and Welsh Assembly governments are committed to widening participation in learning at all levels, from basic skills training through to higher education. Community based learning provides an important site for learning for both non-learners and those who want to progress, but who either don’t want, or are unable to attend courses at larger institutions, such as colleges and universities.

Despite the importance of community based learning, at present there is no strategic planning process and no dedicated funding for it. ELWA it trying to address this, yet at present because little is known about the true costs borne by providers delivering and learners participating in community based learning, the evidence base to inform decisions about its planning and funding remains weak. In response the CUVP commissioned the People and Work Unit to conduct a study to assess the true costs of community based learning.

The approach taken by the study was to identify and assess:

• The groups of learners different providers were targeting or working with;
• the barriers to learning faced by these groups;
• the institutional responses adopted by CUV partners in response to these barriers; and
• the cost implications of these institutional responses.

This paper discusses the study’s conclusions that critically assess the effectiveness of community based learning in enabling different groups of learners to overcome the barriers they face. The research indicates that community based centres, working in partnership with existing providers such as colleges and universities, are reaching some groups of learners who would not go directly to college or university. This in turn is supporting the economic and social regeneration of these communities. Nevertheless, there are significant cost implications to this approach, and the paper will include a presentation of the cost of a model community based learning centre.

Estyn (2004a). ‘Widening participation in adult community-based learning:A survey of best practice’, http://www.estyn.gov.uk/publications/Widening_Participation_Adult_Education.pdf [Accessed, 20th August 2004]