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RECOMMENDATION 1 - A National Basic Skills Strategy for Adults
The Government should launch a National Strategy to reduce the number of adults with low levels of basic skills.

RECOMMENDATION 2 - National Targets
(i) As part of the National Strategy, the Government should commit itself to the virtual elimination of functional illiteracy and innumeracy.

(ii) In addition to the accepted participation target for 2002, the Government should set specific basic skills targets for adults and for young people to be achieved by 2005 and 2010, on the scale proposed in the new National Strategy.

RECOMMENDATION 3 - A National Campaign
There should be a continuous high profile promotion campaign, with clear segmentation for different groups of learners, to be devised by a new Adult Basic Skills Promotion Task Force. This should be set up in 2000.

RECOMMENDATION 4 - Entitlement
(i) All adults with basic skills below Level 2 should be entitled to a confidential assessment of their skills on demand, access to high quality information, advice and guidance, and access to a variety of programmes of study - all free of charge.

(ii) People who have successfully completed basic skills courses should be a priority target for the first million Individual Learning Accounts funded from TEC resources to help them progress.

(iii) The Government should consider how, in the long term, Individual Learning Accounts can be most effectively used to motivate these learners.

RECOMMENDATION 5 - Programmes for the Unemployed
(i) The Government should:

a) ensure that the basic skills of all New Deal clients are assessed soon after they make contact with their Personal Adviser, and that intensive basic skills courses are offered early on to those with basic skills at Entry Level or below;

b) ensure that all claimants for benefit are entitled to assessment of basic skills and offered effective provision to improve their skills if below Level 2.

(ii) The New Deal Task Force should be asked urgently to ensure that clients with basic skills below Level 2, on options other than the education and training option, get access to basic skills support.

(iii) Training should be provided for all Personal Advisers so that they can identify basic-skills needs and encourage the take-up of basic skills opportunities where this is necessary.

RECOMMENDATION 6 -Workplace Programmes
(i) The Government should set up a Workplace Basic Skills Development Fund. This would provide seed funding for companies to set up basic skills programmes either in the workplace or at a local institution such as a college or adult education centre.

(ii) Up to a fixed budget limit, the Government should finance the wage cost of day release for up to 13 weeks for people with basic skills below Level 1.

(iii) The revised Investors in People guidance should include a requirement for companies to have effective arrangements for assessing and dealing with basic skills difficulties.

(iv)Training for basic skills at the workplace should be funded on a par with funding of such programmes in FE Colleges.

(v) A 'pledge' scheme for companies should be introduced to allow them to indicate their support for raising standards of basic skills among adults.

RECOMMENDATION 7 -Trade Unions
(i) Unions should provide basic skills programmes for their members based on the new National Strategy.

(ii) Unions should work with the TUC to train and develop "union learning representatives", who should support and advise learners and work with employers on the development of basic skills provision in the workplace.

(iii)Unions should be encouraged to submit bids to the Union Learning Fund, and the Workplace Basic Skills Development Fund, for the development of basic skills programmes.

RECOMMENDATION 8 -The University for Industry
In pursuing its commitment to making basic skills a priority, the UfI should:

(a) ensure that learners undertaking courses below Level 2 through UfI-endorsed programmes should have access to, and guidance on, basic skills help available;

(b) ensure that in working towards its targets for basic skills support in the workplace and elsewhere, materials, tutor support and qualifications meet the quality standards we propose;

(c) commission multimedia basic skills products, on-line learning and digital TV programmes, to provide for adults with basic skills needs through learning centres and at home.

RECOMMENDATION 9 - Community Based Programmes
Local Basic Skills Action Plans should specifically include community based provision to meet increased local need, for which particular resources should be identified. The Secretary of State should take account of the adequacy of such community-based provision in approving local Adult Basic Skills Action Plans.

RECOMMENDATION 10 -Basic Skills Support in Colleges
(i) As soon as possible, and no later than 2002, all providers funded by FEFC should, as a requirement of funding, be required to assess all appropriate students enrolling and offer additional support.

(ii) By 2002 all students assessed as requiring additional support with basic skills in colleges should be able to take up this help.

RECOMMENDATION 11 - Family-Based Programmes
(i) All infant and primary schools in educationally disadvantaged areas should have family literacy and numeracy programmes by 2002.

(ii) The Basic Skills Agency should continue to develop and evaluate new models of family literacy and family numeracy programmes.

RECOMMENDATION 12 - Quality
By 2002 all basic skills programmes should be required to meet a new nationally determined framework of standards in order to qualify for funding.

RECOMMENDATION 13 - Inspection
The three inspection agencies, FEFC, OFSTED and TSC, should work together on a common inspection framework based on clear and transparent standards and consistent with the proposed national quality framework.

RECOMMENDATION 14 -Teacher Training
(i) All new staff and volunteers should undertake recognised initial training in teaching literacy and numeracy to adults.

(ii) The BSA and the new Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO) and others should work together to produce new qualifications for teaching basic skills to adults.

(iii) By 2005 all teachers of basic skills should have this qualification or an equivalent.

(iv) Diploma courses in teaching basic skills to adults should be established

RECOMMENDATION 15 - Use of Information and Communication Technology
In view of the importance of Information and Communication Technology in basic skills learning programmes, the DfEE should ensure, in collaboration with relevant bodies, that such programmes receive all the necessary advice and support.

RECOMMENDATION 16 - Core Curriculum and Qualifications
(i) There should be a new national basic skills curriculum for adults, with well-defined standards of skill at Entry Level, Level 1 and Level 2.

(ii) Only basic skills qualifications based on this new curriculum should be funded from the public purse. Whether assessed by coursework, test or a mixture of both they should use a common set of standards laid down by QCA.

(iii)Existing qualifications should be revised to meet these new national standards.

(iv)Existing qualifications based exclusively on tests should be replaced by a new National Literacy Test and a new National Numeracy Test both available at Levels 1 and 2.

RECOMMENDATION 17 - Local Partnerships
(i) Implementing the National Strategy locally should be the responsibility of the local Lifelong Learning Partnerships. These would include representatives of those concerned with adult basic skills. Their composition would be submitted to the Secretary of State for guidance. (ii) Each Partnership should be required to submit an Action Plan for the approval of the Secretary of State.

RECOMMENDATION 18 - A National Strategy Group
A new national Adult Basic Skills Strategy Group, with Ministerial chairmanship, should be established by the Secretary of State to oversee the implementation of the National Strategy. It should be supported by a Technical Implementation Sub-Committee.

RECOMMENDATION 19 - Role of the Basic Skills Agency
The role and responsibility of the Basic Skills Agency should be revised so that, building on its present responsibilities, it can:

(i) advise each Partnership on their Action Plan;

(ii) promote and disseminate good practice;

(iii) co-ordinate and promote the professional development of teachers;

(iv) promote basic skills nationally;

(v) assess progress against targets;

(vi) report to the Secretary of State each year on progress towards meeting the national target.

RECOMMENDATION 20 - Funding
(i) A priority for the Technical Implementation Sub-Committee should be to produce more definitive estimates of all the costs involved in the National Strategy, refining the broad estimates made here.

(ii) The FEFC, TECs and other major funding bodies should modify their funding mechanisms to provide incentives for providers to increase the scale of adult basic skills provision.

(iii)The FEFC should increase the entry units for basic skills to encourage outreach work, and to account for the requirement of institutions to assess all appropriate students.

RECOMMENDATION 21 - Research
The Department for Education and Employment should ensure that a research programme is set up to provide a systematic basis for the proposed strategy, including continuous monitoring of Action Plans. This should be done in collaboration with the Basic Skills Agency.