Adult Learners Week
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S1M-1937, in the name of Cathy Jamieson, on adult learners week.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises Adult Learners' Week between 12 and 18 May 2001; supports the goal of making lifelong learning a central theme of working life; commends the work done by the trade union movement in promoting learning and training opportunities in the workplace, and asks the Scottish Executive to continue with its work in creating a culture of lifelong learning among the people of Scotland.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in this debate and to commend everyone who has been involved with adult learners week over the past years and ensured that people who have taken up the opportunity of education in adulthood get the recognition that they deserve.
It is very much the policy of the Labour party that lifelong learning should be viewed as a continuous development of skills and knowledge to enhance the quality of life that can be achieved through the integration of learning into life and work. The benefits of lifelong learning include economic prosperity, social inclusion, increased citizenship activity and cultural development. Those benefits are important both to the individual and to Scottish society. It is important that a learning culture becomes integrated into work and into life generally and that our society values that kind of personal achievement.
The trade union movement deserves recognition for the opportunity that it has given to people who would otherwise not have been able to take up training or education. The trade union movement has filled that gap for many years. Historically, the unions provided scholarships and finance to assist members with training to attend college and university. A number of the trade unions with which I have been in contact still work on that basis. Trade unions are moving towards new ways of providing education, such as the way in which the Educational Institute of Scotland and the University of Paisley are working together to promote the e-learners for teachers project as part of teachers' professional development. The Transport and General Workers Union, to which I belong, has long made a major contribution to the provision of education as part of its core activities.
It is probably fairly well recognised that many of the areas in which the trade unions have given opportunities for education have been related to the workplace and to the skills that trade union representatives would want to have. Those areas include negotiation, communication and presentational skills, equal opportunities awareness, health and safety, pensions and benefits, training and employment law, and information technology.
It is interesting to note that many trade unions, such as the Transport and General Workers Union, have also moved towards improving the personal development of those who receive training. Many Transport and General Workers Union courses are delivered by trained and accredited tutors drawn from the active membership. Many of those people also become involved in the delivery of training programmes organised by community campaigning and charitable organisations. It is important to note that the reputation that has been gained by the unions as providers of quality training in industrial relations has led many employers to support the organisation of union-led training in the workplace and in a wider context, in terms of developing partnerships between employers and employees.
On the partnership between employers and trade unions, I am sure that Cathy Jamieson agrees that the return-to-learn experience of the health service workers in Ayrshire and Arran, together with that of the trade union Unison, has developed significantly; it has now been taken on board by the Scottish Executive health department as the way forward for all employers. I am sure that she also recognises the improvement in career progression of health service workers who have now moved on into the professions.
I certainly recognise that the initiative to which Margaret Jamieson refers has had many benefits. I know people who have benefited from it and I am glad that it will be used as a model for developing things elsewhere. In addition to what is being done by Unison, the Transport and General Workers Union and other trade unions, a number of initiatives and projects are being assisted by the Scottish union learning fund, which is backed by the Scottish Executive.
A particularly interesting initiative involves the training of shop stewards in a number of local authority areas—including the cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen—in the role of union learning reps, as they are called. They are involved in carrying out training needs analysis within the workplace. That process has encouraged many workers and their families to consider coming into part-time and further education. Previously, many of those people, particularly those on low income, had faced barriers to entering further education. The work of the workplace learning reps has been useful and has identified, for example, people's lack of confidence in their abilities or a fear of failure, which they associate with their previous experiences in education.
Other barriers include poor access to information about the opportunities that are available and perhaps pressures of domestic situations, which may involve caring roles. Disabled access may be unavailable; there could be problems of poor transport; and people may face language or cultural barriers. Especially significant—I hope that the minister will be able to comment on this—is the need to improve basic literacy and numeracy skills. Many people fear coming back into education because they are afraid of revealing a lack of such skills to their new employers or colleagues.
The training of those learning representatives by the unions is proving to be an invaluable social inclusion measure. The initiative identifies the steps that must be taken and the problems that must be addressed if the lifelong learning agenda and action on improving the skills base are to be successful. It is clear from such projects that many people are more willing to inform and work with members of their trade union, as a trusted and respected organisation, in order to overcome their difficulties than they perhaps would be through other agencies about which they do not have information or of which they are not fully aware.
The growing success of the Scottish union learning fund initiatives and the enthusiasm of the trade unions for the promotion of lifelong learning are encouraging. More employers are now coming forward to work with the trade unions in education. For example, the bus company FirstGroup recently agreed to use the Transport and General Workers Union education system to train learning reps in each of its depots in Scotland; it also agreed to make finance available to support the take-up of college courses by up to 1,000 T & G Scotland members working for First Glasgow. That is a welcome example of how the private sector is beginning to co-operate.
Having identified the need to improve the core literacy and numeracy skills of workers, the Transport and General Workers Union is now considering the possibility of training its own tutors in the delivery of basic skills teaching. That move would be of great benefit to the attempts by the Government and others to tackle that issue.
One of the difficulties in the past has been that training, particularly in small organisations, has sometimes been viewed as something that is done only in crises. There have been concerns that some work forces and organisations consider training opportunities only when there are redundancies or a requirement to shift people's skills within the labour force. In considering the way forward, we must recognise what was clearly identified in the Scottish Executive's framework for economic development: that there is, or rather has been, an under-provision and under-demand for training. We must move forward on that and ensure that all firms have the opportunity to provide training for their work forces. I particularly wish assistance to be given to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The old saying, "If you think training is expensive, try ignorance," holds good today. We have an opportunity to create a highly skilled, highly motivated and committed work force and to give people the opportunity for personal development, which is equally valid in the debate about people in Scotland having a good quality of life. I welcome the Executive's initiatives, but it is clear that much remains to be done. I look forward to the minister's response.
I congratulate Cathy Jamieson on securing this debate on her motion. I lodged a similar motion, although my motion was not for debate. My motion was prompted by attending the adult learners dinner and awards ceremony, at which the minister presented the awards. The diversity of the groups and individuals who won awards or who had been nominated for awards was an eye-opener. All had overcome enormous personal difficulties—physical, economic and so on—to make progress.
Let me give members who were not there an idea about the ceremony. One of the award winners was a deaf and hard-of-hearing adult education group. I started off drinking with people in that group—that is not relevant to the debate. They are a jolly bunch, who did not tell me that they had been nominated. They participated in a learning programme about deaf literacy practices and now offer support and help to other deaf people. Their long-term aim is to campaign for equal rights for deaf people.
A different example is that of a chap called Mark Fleming, to whom horrendous things had happened. He had been homeless and had had multiple health problems. He managed to get settled in a community care centre and then got on a computing course. From that, he moved on to develop editing skills in the production of videos and hopes to start a higher national certificate course. I do not suppose that any member has had to overcome anything like the difficulties that that young man had to overcome in order to make progress. I may have found school and university hard, but I faced none of those difficulties.
The third example is that of a group of Asian women who used their sewing skills to sew a banner. That banner became a bond, so to speak, which enabled them to express themselves when they educated people about the difficulties that they faced. That work built up their self-esteem and, as a by-product, members of the group have taken more independent actions, such as standing for election to a community committee, searching out information about education and job opportunities and improving their English. Building self-confidence and self-esteem is a large part of participating in the adult learner system.
That ceremony led me to a meeting of ALFIE—the adult learners forum in Edinburgh. I was interested to learn that that forum has produced a bill of rights, which is called work in progress. However, while the document is a bit raw, it has an interesting aim. It states:
"Authentic democracy is only made possible when citizens are engaged in a permanent search for knowledge about themselves and their society.
This search for knowledge should be lifelong, lifewide and accessible to all, regardless of means or disposition. Essential for realising this commitment is the availability of a wide variety of adult education opportunities."
The document goes on to list the articles of the bill of rights. I will list some of them in order to demonstrate that there are handicaps in the way of people who face the difficulties that I outlined. When I questioned members of ALFIE, they were clear that they wanted to be
"involved in the formation of adult education policy at local, national and international levels."
They wanted to be participants—they did not want to have adult education policy handed down to them. They knew what their problems were and believed that they should have an input into the system. Article 9 of the bill of rights says that they want
"to be taught by qualified and competent tutors who have appropriate subject related knowledge as well as knowledge and understanding of adult learning needs".
They told me that they often felt that they were being patronised or taught by people who did not know how to teach adults with the sort of difficulties that I mentioned.
Article 10 speaks about
"support for study at all levels, e.g. books, IT, tutorials and local study support centres to encourage all types of learning, including distance learning."
Another handicap that forum members faced was that of travel to places of learning. Some of them lived in rural areas—one was from a constituency in the Borders. Forum members also required
"structures of social support, e.g. dependant care, childcare"—
the forum involved single parents and all kinds of people who could not educate themselves and move forward because of practical difficulties—
"travel costs and other financial assistance".
This is a learning process for me. I was very impressed by the people at ALFIE, and I ask the minister to give their bill of rights serious consideration when it is complete and is no longer work in progress.
I also thank Cathy Jamieson for securing the debate and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to it.
I want to make it clear to Cathy that I do not disagree with her, although I will perhaps identify slight distinctions of emphasis. As a Conservative, I entirely endorse Cathy's reference to the trade union movement. There is no doubt that the movement has played a significant role in the promotion of adult learning.
However, it is also important to remember—and, to be fair, Cathy referred to this and commended everyone—that adult learners week is a collaborative initiative between education providers, training providers, broadcasters and industry. It is important that partnership elements are remembered. Collective contribution enriches the outcome for all those who participate.
I would welcome the minister's comments on one or two matters. If the trade union movement is involved, that is great. Its involvement gives people who are seeking adult learning a vehicle—or a pair of legs—to seek it. However, many people are boxed into environments or circumstances in which there are real impediments to and difficulties in accessing adult learning. I understand that adult learners week was co-ordinated by Community Learning Scotland to develop increased participation in education and training, particularly for those who do not have easy access because of class, gender, age, race, language, culture, learning difficulty, disability barriers or insufficient financial resources. It might be instructive for Parliament and helpful to the relevant committees to ascertain from Community Learning Scotland how it got on with adult learners week. Would it be able to give us a report on participation? Were areas identified where access was not utilised fully? Were there reasons for that? Does Community Learning Scotland have a positive report on the response to the week?
Cathy Jamieson mentioned the possible impediments that might deter people from participating. People might be embarrassed or nervous about their basic literacy or numeracy, or feel that they do not want to make fools of themselves by even saying that they might be interested in a subject. That is of critical importance. I suspect that Community Learning Scotland could comment on that and give us some guidance.
In conclusion, I endorse the motion. Some very useful lessons are to be learned from the week. If the minister could procure further information from Community Learning Scotland, we would all be enriched.
I, too, congratulate Cathy Jamieson and endorse her remarks about the co-operative movement and the trade unions.
The Liberal Democrats are committed to the principle of lifelong learning, which is increasingly recognised and an expanding area. I think Cathy Jamieson mentioned that all teachers will be involved in adult learning in a big way as a result of the McCrone settlement. The quality of that learning will determine the quality of the future of Scottish education.
We also welcome Executive initiatives such as the individual learning accounts, which have the virtue of being flexible, available and affordable. Individual learning accounts are a model of the kind of thing that we want to do more of to improve accessibility. The Executive has also produced a good deal for mature students and disabled people who enter university.
Lifelong learning is of economic importance. In our debates about the Borders economy, we have recognised the need for upskilling. The textiles industry is reshaping itself. That means that those who remain in the industry need more training to develop their skills and those who have been made redundant must depend on support that allows them to develop new skills that will allow them to find a different place in the work force. In unhappy circumstances, we have seen good examples of that recently. Individuals have had to leave particular firms, but they have trained as drivers of heavy goods vehicles or developed information technology skills in the hope of getting jobs in the wider area or even in their own towns.
I would like to make a plea that I have made before. It seems to me that funding for the Borders College does not recognise the problems that are inherent in having a small population. It is difficult for the college to increase the number of students. When people come to the college, they can be supported, but the college needs core funding so that it can offer upskilling courses to smaller numbers than might be involved in a city.
At a dinner during a visit to Stornoway with the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, I sat beside a lady who runs a voluntary organisation in Uist that is involved in adult learning. She told me that the organisation had helped 72 people into work in a fairly short time—in circumstances where that is not easy.
In a particular week in February, I was contemplating the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the damage that had been done to the Borders by storms and the Yorkshire train crash in which a chap went off the road and down on to a railway line. I got a feeling that people were not in charge of their own destiny. Things that people could not control were coming out of the blue. In that week, I was asked to present prizes at a ceremony for adult learners. At that presentation, I realised that there are people who can take control of their destiny and who can help themselves if they are given the opportunity.
I met a man called Roy Middleton, who had been made redundant from the textile industry. He took a course in floristry and now has a business in Selkirk that he tells me is doing well. I would like to give a particular mention to an organisation called LEAD—Linking Education and Disability. I met Fiona Hewitt, a lady who became blind quite suddenly and now has a guide dog. She took a course in computing and now works as a secretary.
Alison Gair had had a head pointer for 27 years, since she was small. Alison was really disabled—she had a head pointer and she was in a wheelchair. She took a course with the help of Leonard Cheshire and she gained a lot of self-respect. Her sponsor says that she can now wear her hair naturally without a head pointer. She wants to improve her chances of getting a boyfriend. She wanted to get a job as a secretary, to feel useful and to enter the adult world more fully. She now has a part-time job as a secretary. She wants to gain a qualification to improve herself, her writing skills and her self-confidence. She wants to publish her writing—poetry and short stories. She wants to access the internet so that she can benefit from an online tutor, keep in touch and make new friends. Transforming people's lives in that way and increasing their self-esteem is what adult learning is all about.
In the Borders, we have had a pilot for better government for older people. People even older than I am have started Open University courses, transformed their lives and given themselves a genuine interest. All such things contribute not only to the individuals but to their communities. We hope to help people to help themselves. By helping themselves, they can help others.
On Friday, when I was down at a Sue Ryder home, I met a bloke called Dave. I cannot remember whether he had been in an accident, but he had been damaged and was in difficulty. He was in a wheelchair. Dave learned computing and is now teaching somebody else. He is a volunteer for LEAD and helps it to help other people. Their learning makes their world a better place, which in turn improves the world for us all. We should not just have an adult learning week; we should have an adult learning year.
I am happy to respond to this debate, which was initiated by my colleague Cathy Jamieson. I will respond in reverse order, first to Ian Jenkins. He made a point about the on-going work in my constituency. I am well aware of the excellent work that is being done not only in Uist, but in Barra, Lewis and Harris. He cited exactly the type of people who we all want to be assisted and helped to enable themselves to overcome incredible challenges and barriers. Access to adult learning allows them to do that.
In response to Annabel Ewing's points, I am more than happy—I beg your pardon, I meant Annabel Goldie. Presiding Officer, I do not know how I can begin an apology that will suffice.
He had better make it good, Presiding Officer.
Carry on, Mr Morrison.
I have no idea how to begin an appropriate apology. In response to Annabel Goldie's points, I am happy to discuss with my officials her request for more information and I will ensure that she is given full details of what has been happening with Community Learning Scotland and any relevant information. I am delighted, because it was refreshing to hear Annabel Goldie so resoundingly endorse the trade union movement.
I have tried to recall when, in the past two years, I have ever had occasion to agree with anything Christine Grahame has said in this chamber, never mind outwith it, but I fully endorse everything she said. She is absolutely right about the type of person we both had the pleasure of being in the company of one month ago at the 10th anniversary awards ceremony. They are incredible people. They are of extraordinary calibre, have exhibited extraordinary determination and have overcome incredible barriers. It was refreshing to meet them in the same week as I had the misfortune to glimpse the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, which—if I may put it bluntly—was vomitogenic compared with the pleasure of being present that evening.
We must remember that we have an adult learner in the chamber this evening. Brian Fitzpatrick is just about to finish his education, because he will have completed two full days in the Scottish Parliament. We wish him well. I am sure that he will ably represent the people of Strathkelvin and Bearsden.
Christine Grahame mentioned the awards ceremony. Like everyone, I was greatly impressed and delighted by the range of learning that was undertaken by entrants to the competition—university degrees, counselling, languages, even film-making. I welcome the opportunity that Cathy Jamieson has given us to debate this important issue.
We fully support the goal of making lifelong learning a central theme of working life. We have established learndirect Scotland to promote lifelong learning and provide a one-stop shop for adults who want to learn. Already, 104 centres have received learndirect Scotland branding which, I am delighted to report, includes two in my constituency—one in Castelbay in Barra, the other on Benbecula. In addition, we have introduced individual learning accounts to help people invest in their own learning with financial support from the Executive. We set a target of 100,000 accounts to be opened by 2002, but that target was met last week, which shows how quickly people have shown an interest in receiving £150 to fund learning. Already, 32,000 people have begun courses.
Then there is our massive increase in support for further education, which means an increase over the life of this Parliament from £289 million to £436 million by 2004—a 50 per cent increase. Our colleges are now providing learning opportunities to many more people, who have been denied them in the past. We have set the further education sector the challenging target of attracting an extra 40,000 student places over three years, with particular emphasis on people from a background of low income or disability. I am delighted that the sector is well on the way to achieving that target.
Adult literacy and numeracy problems, which were raised by Annabel Goldie—I am getting it right—and Cathy Jamieson, are serious. Far too many people have problems with literacy and numeracy, and many are struggling to hold down jobs. We have announced £22.5 million to be spent over three years to tackle the big problem of adult literacy and we hope to announce more details on that soon.
Cathy Jamieson was right to highlight the central role of the trade unions in lifelong learning. Their support is crucial to creating a culture of lifelong learning in the workplace. The unions have a responsibility to encourage their members to embark on learning programmes, particularly in the workplace. Trade unions have shown considerable commitment to driving forward learning in the workplace, as with Unison's return to learn programme, for example. Our Scottish union learning fund—funded to the tune of £1.6 million over four years—will undoubtedly help the unions to do more.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress has received financial support from the enterprise network to help build up the trade unions' capacity to promote learning. It has received more than £100,000 to support its bargaining for skills initiative and £180,000 for the establishment of its lifelong learning unit. My colleague Wendy Alexander has further shown her commitment to working with the unions by chairing the trade union working party on lifelong learning. When she cannot attend that party's meeting, I am deputed to attend.
The motion asks the Executive
"to continue with its work in creating a culture of lifelong learning among the people of Scotland."
We have made a good start in developing such a culture, in which there are more learners such as the lady who won the John Smith award for lifelong learning at the awards ceremony that has been mentioned—after returning to learning after an incredible gap of 70 years. That is a remarkable achievement and she is a remarkable lady.
We are creating a culture in which adults, perhaps prompted by an advertisement on TV or on the side of a bus, call learndirect Scotland, as more than 126,000 Scots have. We are developing a culture in which people are willing to commit £25 of their own money to save £150 on their learning costs with an individual learning account, as more than 32,000 Scots have. A culture is being created in which Transport and General Workers Union members who work in some of Scotland's largest councils can speak to their workplace learning representative and access the support of one of the lay tutors who are funded by the Scottish union learning fund.
However, we are not complacent. We know that there is much more to do, but we believe that by working with all our partners, including the trade unions, we will embed the culture of lifelong learning in the hearts and minds of the people of Scotland.
Meeting closed at 17:37.