Learning and Skills Council National Office
Improving the links between learners and education
SHM’s projects for the LSC are diverse in their aims and area of focus, but are underpinned by a common theme: helping Further Education organisations to engage and serve learners more effectively by unlocking the motivations of diverse communities and hard to reach groups. Engaging hard to reach groups and helping them to access FE is not only the right thing to do because it enables organisations to deliver against their equality and diversity commitments; it makes sense from an economic point of view because such groups are potentially an untapped resource that could make a positive contribution to local economies.
In the LSC Learner Engagement Programme, which ran between 2004-05, SHM was commissioned by LSC National Office to run research workshops with diverse groups of learners across the nine regions of England – including young Muslim women, young BME people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), young people in jobs without training, looked-after young people, and young people with behaviour problems – using SHM’s participatory design approaches. These creative approaches enlist participants in developing innovative solutions to problems, while yielding deep insights into their motivations. The Learner Engagement Programme also involved training in the participatory design approach. For this, SHM ran training sessions in each region of the country with organisations involved in learner engagement, including Connexions and a range of voluntary organisations. (For more information about the LSC Learner Engagement Programme, please contact the LSC and cite LSC Publication No: LSC-P-NAT-050436).
SHM’s other work with the LSC focused on understanding an unlocking learner motivation has included:
Improving the links between learners and education
SHM’s projects for the LSC are diverse in their aims and area of focus, but are underpinned by a common theme: helping Further Education organisations to engage and serve learners more effectively by unlocking the motivations of diverse communities and hard to reach groups. Engaging hard to reach groups and helping them to access FE is not only the right thing to do because it enables organisations to deliver against their equality and diversity commitments; it makes sense from an economic point of view because such groups are potentially an untapped resource that could make a positive contribution to local economies.
In the LSC Learner Engagement Programme, which ran between 2004-05, SHM was commissioned by LSC National Office to run research workshops with diverse groups of learners across the nine regions of England – including young Muslim women, young BME people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), young people in jobs without training, looked-after young people, and young people with behaviour problems – using SHM’s participatory design approaches. These creative approaches enlist participants in developing innovative solutions to problems, while yielding deep insights into their motivations. The Learner Engagement Programme also involved training in the participatory design approach. For this, SHM ran training sessions in each region of the country with organisations involved in learner engagement, including Connexions and a range of voluntary organisations. (For more information about the LSC Learner Engagement Programme, please contact the LSC and cite LSC Publication No: LSC-P-NAT-050436).
SHM’s other work with the LSC focused on understanding an unlocking learner motivation has included:
- A major programme of qualitative and quantitative research investigating the needs of young Muslim learners. (See http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-engaging-young-
muslims-in-learning.pdf). - A programme of research around the country to identify best practice in local partnership arrangements for tackling the problem of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). (See http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/2006/quality/goodpractice/nat-
learningfrom3llscpartnershipsworkingtotacklelevelsofneet-re-may2006.pdf). - An innovative pilot project based on a motivational engagement programme for young white working class males from two schools in North London to help prepare them for progression into further education, training or the labour market.
- A major programme of consultation within the FE sector to develop a handbook for learning providers developing learner involvement strategies within their organisations. (See http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/lsc/National/nat-281718-learn-strat-may07.pdf).
- A needs analysis focusing on provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LLDD) in the East of England Region, findings from which have fed into the LSC East of England Learning for living and work implementation plan.
- Research with offender learners in custodial and community provision in the South West and in London, which lead to the development of an innovative segmentation of offender learners based on ‘motivational mindset’. SHM’s research generated recommendations for strengthening and repositioning provision to engage offenders more effectively.
