Adult Learners' Week

The Government has set ambitious targets for widening participation, attracting new learners to basic skills provision. However, there are usually good reasons why those people who have basic skills needs have not come forward to take up opportunities. If they don't like the idea of coming to classes before, why should they come now? How can you make the provision different?

Adult Learners' Week, which runs from 10-16 May 2003, offers a platform for providers to reach and capture the interest of new learners.

Researching and planning the event

Research, planning and preparation, are the key elements of any event to target new learners and/or learners with basic skills needs. Learn about the needs, interests and aspirations of the target audience as well as the barriers that have prevented them from taking advantage of existing provision.

The best source of information are the people you are trying to reach. Working with community organisations is often the best way to access the target group. "Traditionally it is very difficult to recruit for courses dealing with basic financial and numeracy skills," commented the teaching team from Bolton Community College. "Many experienced basic skills tutors find that such courses can be patronising - after all it is those that have had to live with little money for a long time who will often have the better home financial skills. The teaching team went out to a number of community groups to assess the learning needs of their members and then built a course based on these negotiations, consulting with learners as the course progressed."

Check the practical arrangements of your event and make sure you take into account childcare, venue and travel arrangements.

Filton College, in Bristol, who targeted the inner city community found:

• Offering childcare facilities was invaluable in enabling learners to attend classes.
• Participants had found it valuable to have bus fares reimbursed to attend classes.
• Project funding made it possible to provide information, advice and guidance at open-house events to new students.
• The project co-ordinator provided tutorial support both informally as needed and in response to referrals from tutors. Tutorials helped students to work through any problems or difficulties they encountered.

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