Skills for Life: Improving Adult
Literacy and Numeracy
On 15 December 2004, the National Audit Office
(NAO) published a report (Skills for Life: Improving Adult Literacy
and Numeracy: Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (HC 20
2004-2005)) which finds that the Department for Education and
Skills' Strategy is starting to have an impact on people's levels of
literacy and numeracy and is increasing participation in learning.
- The latest estimates suggest that the Department has achieved
its 2004 target of increasing the skills of 750,000 people.
Achievement of the 2010 target will require a further 1.5 million
learners to achieve a first qualification.
- since 2001, the Department has done much to improve the
framework for delivery. The quality of learning still needs to be
raised, and more teachers with up to date training in teaching
literacy, language and numeracy are needed. Initiatives are in place
to train teachers but will take time to make an impact.
- The Department has sponsored a variety of approaches to
identifying people with low skills and engaging them in learning. It
will need to continue to find and sponsor new and creative ways to
persuade more people with the lowest skill levels that improving
their skills is worthwhile.
- The Department has promoted initiatives to engage employers but
progress at local level is slow. Low skilled employees are one the
hardest groups to reach and more small and medium sized employers
need to be persuaded of the benefits of raising the skills of their
employees.
- Voluntary and community organisations are essential partners
because they are often best placed to encourage into learning those
people who are very hard to reach. Barriers to these organisations
becoming effectively involved have been identified and the Learning
and Skills Council is working to address them.
The full report can be viewed on the
NAO website
