Learners benefit from shaping their education
Estyn’s report on ‘The effectiveness of learner-involvement strategies in adult community learning and work-based learning’ examines how well providers use tools such as surveys, forums and feedback to find out what learners think about their education and training experiences. In addition, many providers use learner-involvement strategies to help learners to develop their own personal, social and leadership skills.
Ann Keane, Chief Inspector, says,
“It’s encouraging that involvement strategies are successful in engaging learners more directly with how providers plan and deliver learning. Providers should continue to provide opportunities for learners to take more control of what and how they learn.
It is also important for providers to communicate the results of surveys and feedback so that learners can see the impact of sharing their opinions in enabling the provider to make positive changes.”
Inspectors have found that a significant number of adults take more responsibility for their own learning and for promoting the benefits of learning to others when they become course representatives or otherwise engage with providers in discussions about how they can improve their provision for learners. As a result, many learners gain confidence in their own ability to become leaders in their communities.
The report shows that learners in work-based learning providers have also developed a range of skills that help them in their daily working lives as a result of learner-involvement activities which have helped providers to make improvements, including improvements to the quality of teaching and learning.
Providers have responded well to Welsh Government guidance on learner-involvement and several best-practice case studies are highlighted in the report. The Workers Educational Association Cymru has a long-established strategy to involve its learners routinely in leadership roles. Learners are trained as community-learning representatives which helps them to develop the skills and confidence needed to promote learning in many contexts.
The report contains a series of recommendations for adult and community learning providers, work-based learning providers and the Welsh Government. Adult community-learning providers should put formal infrastructures in place to help learners to organise their own classes and activities in their communities. Work-based learning providers should monitor the impact of taking part in learner-involvement activities on individual learners more closely, and Welsh Government should review its learner-involvement strategy to place more emphasis on the development of citizenship skills.
Notes to Editors
About the report
This report (The effectiveness of learner-involvement strategies in adult community learning and work-based learning), is the third in a series of three reports requested by the Minister for Education and Skills in his annual remit a letter to Estyn. The report focuses on how well adult community learning (ACL) and work-based learning (WBL) providers implement learner-involvement strategies. The report is available in full at here.
Best practice case studies
- Women’s Institute Wales
- Worker’s Educational Association South Wales
- The University of the Third Age
About Estyn
Estyn is the Education and Training Inspectorate for Wales. Our aim is to achieve excellence for all in learning in Wales. We do this by providing an independent, high-quality inspection and advice service.
Our vision is to be recognised through the expertise of our staff as an authoritative voice on learning in Wales.
We are independent from, but funded by the Welsh Assembly Government (under Section 104 of the Government of Wales Act 1998).
For further information please visit our website www.estyn.gov.uk