Policy Hub
On 6 June 2008, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report (Skills for life: progress in improving adult literacy and numeracy) which examines the achievements of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Learning and Skills Council in improving adult literacy, numeracy and English language skills since 2006.
The report finds that the department has made good progress towards meeting the 2010 public service agreement target to improve the basic skills of 2.25 million adults between 2001 and 2010. Spending on the Skills for Life programme has increased from £167 million in 2000/01 to £995 million in 2006/07.
However, the true impact of the Skills for Life programme on the nation’s skills base is still not known. In addition, the report notes that the department has made less progress in strengthening numeracy skills. Participation and achievement in Skills for Life provision varies across the country. The department is working to engage more hard-to-reach learners but different parts of government can work together more effectively to do more to encourage people on to Skills for Life courses – for example there is potential to create a much better flow of people into learning from Jobcentre Plus benefit streams.
The report acknowledges that the department is engaging more employers but stresses that it needs to do more to persuade them of the benefits of literacy, language and numeracy training for their staff. With regard to increasing the diversity of learning providers, the department has made progress in widening provision delivered outside further education colleges.
The report advances a number of recommendations, observing that until a follow up to the 2003 Skills for Life survey is undertaken, the impact of the Skills for Life programme on the nation’s skills base will not be clearly understood. Furthermore, it suggests that the voluntary sector should be used more to engage hard-to-reach learners and highlights the worryingly low number of numeracy teachers despite the growth in the number of qualified teaching staff.
Skills for life: progress in improving adult literacy and numeracy (PDF)