This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Contract awarded for literacy curriculum
03/12/2002
The Scottish Further Education Unit and the University of Edinburgh have received a £100,000 contract to design and develop an adult literacy and numeracy curriculum, it was announced today.
Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Iain Gray said efforts to boost literacy and numeracy levels in Scotland would lead to better jobs and wages for many Scots, contributing significantly to the Executive's efforts to tackle poverty, and the promotion of health, social justice and community regeneration.
The Minister was speaking at the "Promoting Partnership in Lifelong Learning in Health and Social Care" conference in Glasgow.
Mr Gray said:
"A new curriculum will enhance teaching approaches to ensure learning is better adapted to individual needs. It will also improve our ability to assess the needs of learners and measure their progress. It reaffirms our commitment to implementing last year's Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland report in full.
"Sadly, more than 800,000 adults in Scotland have low levels of literacy and numeracy. This is a staggering statistic that demands action. Extraordinarily, however, it was largely neglected for decades.
"That is why we are investing significant new sums to ensure that people with low skills in literacy and numeracy are offered the support and training they need to improve those skills. This will help them gain better employment, lead more fulfilling lives, and play a more positive role in family and community life.
"Stemming from the September Scottish Budget, funding for adult literacy and numeracy has been boosted to £40 million over three years.
"A total of £32.5 million of this funding will be allocated to Community Learning Partnerships. This will allow us to extend the present national target of helping 80,000 people by 2004 to helping over 150,000 people by 2006.
Mr Gray continued:
"Partnerships between the voluntary sector and formal learning providers form the basis of the adult literacy sector, which does invaluable work for the community as a whole.
"Communities Scotland is taking full account of this partnership approach in developing a national training programme that meets the needs of all literacy tutors and practitioners.
"The partnership between the Open University, the public sector union, UNISON, and the Workers' Educational Association in conducting lifelong learning for NHS employees is a further example of different organisations working together to achieve real results.
"This partnership is helping to fulfil the Executive's Learning Together Strategy that stresses that lifelong learning for NHS workers is vital to delivering a modern high quality responsive healthcare for patients.
"Concrete results stemming from these strategies include the Executive's £300,000 investment which has allowed WEA/UNISON to arrange more than 70 courses across Scotland for more than 1000 NHSScotland staff.
"Our vision is to ensure that all Scots have access to top-class learning opportunities throughout their lives. To achieve this aim, partnerships between the community learning, public and voluntary sectors are crucial and to be commended."
The conference aims to bring together those involved in health, social care and lifelong learning to examine the factors behind successful partnership working.
The new curriculum contract is to begin in January. SFEU in partnership with the University of Edinburgh will develop guidelines for approaches to learning and teaching along with new ways of assessing learners needs within 12 months. Within 2 years they will also develop improved ways of measuring, locally and nationally, the progress made by learners. The contractors will develop their materials through consultation and piloting with all sectors of adult literacy practitioners, taking account of best international practice in England, Ireland, Canada, the USA and elsewhere.
The project will break new ground in finding new ways of recording all the progress made by learners rather than relying wholly on recording the numbers obtaining formal qualifications. The aim is to develop a system that encourages accreditation for those who seek it, while also appealing to those with the greatest learning needs who may have negative memories of tests in school and who are likely to be put off by a qualification focussed model.
The Learning Together Strategy, launched three years ago, aims to give all NHSScotland staff the chance to learn and develop their potential.