BACKGROUND TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING CONNECTIONS
A comprehensive review was undertaken of the role of a range of non-departmental public bodies ( NDPBs) in 2001. Until that point Community Learning and Development ( CLD) had an NDPB dedicated to developing the work of the sector, originally called the Scottish Community Education Council ( SCEC) and latterly Community Learning Scotland ( CLS). This review in 2001 was set against the identification of structures that would best achieve the key objectives of a developing policy agenda. The review concluded that the Scottish Executive, as it was then called, was fully committed to a co-ordinated community learning policy as a means of engaging with young people, promoting social inclusion, developing individuals and communities and promoting lifelong learning.
To deliver most effectively on these objectives Ministers decided that Community Learning Scotland would cease to exist as an Executive NDPB with effect from 1 April 2002. Its community learning, adult learning and associated functions would transfer to Communities Scotland, an Executive Agency of the then Scottish Executive. The youth remit would transfer to the non-governmental organisation Youthlink Scotland.
At the same time, Ministers of the then Scottish Executive announced that a 'Development Engine' for ALN would be created within Communities Scotland in line with the recommendation in the report Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland ( ALNiS) 1. The government invested £65million new funding from 2001-2008 for this development. It aimed to help drive forward the Executive's new initiative to raise levels of literacy and numeracy through funding to the 32 ALN Partnerships via the CLD Partnerships. It would also provide a new specialist focus on research and development and professional development and awareness raising in adult literacy and numeracy while ensuring effective co-ordination with national developments in community learning in general.
The department in Communities Scotland was titled Learning Connections. It was envisaged that there would be significant synergies with Communities Scotland's remit for regeneration, in particular linking physical regeneration to community regeneration.
Communities Scotland itself was abolished on 1 April 2008. On that date, most of its non-regulatory functions were transferred to the Scottish Government's Housing and Regeneration Directorate. The work of Communities Scotland's Regulation and Inspection division was transferred to the new Scottish Housing Regulator. Learning Connections was transferred to the Lifelong Learning Directorate of Scottish Government.
The current Strategic Review of Learning Connections was instigated in March 2009, following on from its transfer to LL Directorate. Its aim was to review the impact of the transfer of Learning Connections to LL Directorate and to determine the best way of maximising its effectiveness in policy advice, policy implementation and practice development.