European Social Fund in England

Skills for life

Need for more 'skills for life' teachers addressed by new London unit.

A new Institute of Education-based unit will improve the planning for the supply and quality of "skills for life" teachers for adults with literacy, numeracy and language needs in London.

The London Strategic Unit for the Learning and Skills Workforce, launched on 7 December, was commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council and London Development Agency to plan for and respond to the needs of the teaching and training workforce.

Pat Hulin, head of the London Strategic Unit, says: "The teaching staff are the most vital resource that the sector has. There is an urgent need to plan on a regional basis to deliver quality skills for life. Early data analysis shows that of the 9,000 tutors employed to teach "skills for life", almost half are on temporary contracts and fewer than a quarter of those are qualified to teach. Less than two-thirds of permanent teachers are fully qualified. These only represent the tip of the iceberg. There is much to be done in developing all teachers' skills in supporting learners with language, literacy and numeracy needs. The volume and range of provision in London is a huge challenge. There is a need to embed Skills for life in all teaching and training and to ensure that all staff have the skills to support the learners. We are working closely with sector and the professional development providers to ensure there is regional capacity to recruit and train staff appropriately"

Based in the Institute's London Centre for Leadership in Learning, the unit, funded initially from the European Social Fund, will be the single source of information on London's skills for life workforce size and profile. It will coordinate a regional campaign early in 2006 to recruit and train new teachers and will have a unique strategic role in supporting effective workforce development.

Ian Lucas for the further and higher education minister Bill Rammell MP, said: "To help adults with poor skills we need an increase in language, literacy and maths teachers qualified for their specialist role. We also need tutors and trainers in community, vocational and workbased settings, who are professionally capable in supporting these Skills for Life learners. The Government is developing a workforce development strategy to achieve this across the country and the work of the London Strategic Unit will be essential to underpinning our work at regional level. The Unit will contribute to our aim of fully qualified Skills for Life workforce by 2010 and we welcome its commitment to leading on this initiative in the London region."

Philip de Montmorency, Skills & Employment Manager at the LDA said: "We are delighted to have been able to support the development of the London Strategic Unit and welcome its launch as an important and exciting new initiative to support London's learning infrastructure.

"The scale of the task demonstrates the urgent need for a more strategic approach, and the continual raising of quality through professional development and support. The Unit will nurture a first class Learning and Skills workforce and ensure a quality experience for London's learners."

Further information from http://ioewebserver.ioe.ac.uk/ioe/cms/get.asp?cid=12821