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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Adult Education and Training

United Kingdom - Scotland

Last update: 30 July 2019
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Overall Policy Aims

The Scottish Government’s aspirations for adult education and training are outlined in Adult Learning in Scotland, a Statement of Ambition (Education Scotland, 2014). It outlines that:

  • Adult learning is essential to enable and encourage adults in Scotland to acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary to play an active and productive role, both personally and societally
  • Adult learning opportunities may be formal or informal and take place in a range of settings but they must be accessible according to the needs and aspirations of the individual or group
  • Adult learning settings include, among others, educational establishments, the workplace, communities and online learning at home

The system of continuing, post-school, non-tertiary education in Scotland includes three main types of provision that are available to adult learners:

  1. Community Learning and Development (CLD)
  2. Training
  3. Further education

There is overlap among these types of provision. For example, colleges contribute strongly to both training and CLD, as well as providing college courses formally described as 'further education'.

Lifelong Learning policy, which is implemented through training, further education and CLD, is set out principally in the refreshed government strategy document, Skills for Scotland: Accelerating the Recovery and Increasing Sustainable Economic Growth (Scottish Government, 2010). The strategy has a renewed focus on the skills required to accelerate economic recovery, and on providing the opportunities for skills to be developed and for these skills to be used effectively. For more information see Chapter 2.2: Lifelong Learning Strategy.

Community Learning and Development (CLD)

The common defining feature of CLD programmes and activities is that that they are developed in dialogue with communities and participants, enabling them to re-engage in learning. The Community Learning and Development Strategic Guidance (Scottish Government, 2012) states that the purpose of CLD is to empower people - individually and collectively - to make positive changes in their lives and in their communities through learning. It sets out the focus for CLD within the National Performance Framework as:

  • Improved life chances for people of all ages, through learning, personal development and active citizenship
  • Stronger, more resilient supportive, influential and inclusive communities

The term 'community learning and development' describes a wide range of informal and non-formal learning. In CLD provision, a wide range of partners deliver outcomes through:

  • Community-based adult learning, including adult literacies and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)
  • Community development (building the capacity of communities to meet their own needs, engaging with and influencing decision makers)
  • Youth work, family learning and other early intervention work with children, young people and families;
  • Volunteer development
  • Learning for vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the community, for example, people with disabilities, care leavers or offenders
  • Learning support and guidance in the community

These activities are understood to be inter-related, with adult learning being a large part of community development activities.

Education Scotland provides support to, and oversees the quality of, the CLD sector. Local authorities are bound by statutory regulations to work with local partners, including the voluntary sector, in developing and planning delivery of CLD.

Training

Training provision is underpinned by the Skills for Scotland strategy (Scottish Government, 2010). Government funded national training programmes are managed and delivered by Skills Development Scotland. Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs), taken in colleges or in courses offered by employers or other training providers, are the main type of training provision. This type of provision is generally for young adults. For example, Modern Apprenticeships offer individuals paid employment combined with the opportunity to train at craft, technician and trainee management level. While this is an all-age programme, support is targeted at young people aged 16-24.

Further Education

Further education has a wide remit which includes:

  • Preparing learners for qualifications (including vocational qualifications)
  • Access to higher education and for participation in any programme of learning
  • Assisting persons whose first language is not English to achieve a level of competence in English language.

The Scottish Government publication Putting Learners at the Centre – Delivering our Ambitions for Post-16 Education (2011) is the key policy document for this area. Colleges are the main providers of general further education in Scotland. College reform has resulted in institutions which are now more focused than ever on skills for work and economic growth and they offer a wide range of courses which best suit the needs of students and employers.