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| This article first appeared
in the December 2000 issue of Literacy
Today (issue no. 25). |
The Workplace Basic Skills Network has been appointed by the DfEE to manage the Building Basic Skills in the Workplace initiative. Fiona Frank, communications/coordination manager, explains how workplace basic skills can fit into a company's training strategy and how workers can benefit in more ways than just an improvement in basic skills.
The Workplace Basic Skills Network
is committed to promoting a positive view of workplace basic skills, in
which transferable, integrated basic skills are valued and promoted within
company training strategies.
But what does workplace basic
skills actually mean, in practice? We think that, for workers, workplace
basic skills training, in addition to improvements in technical competence,
should lead to:
- increased self-esteem and
confidence
- an enjoyable experience
of structured learning
- acquisition of independent
transferable learning skills
- improved prospects and greater
employability
- improved ability to reflect
critically upon, understand and develop communicative processes
- increased ability to participate
actively in workplace and community activities through improved communications.
Learning, as well as benefiting
workers in doing their jobs, should also improve other life domains as figure
1 shows.
Figure 1
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To reach these goals, we should
promote a methodology of teaching that is participatory and consultative.
We are particularly concerned
that basic skills tutors who are moving into workplace delivery should
be able to access accredited professional development pathways which help
them to understand the issues which arise when basic skills are delivered
in workplace rather than community settings. The network's professional
development programme, developed to meet this need, is now well established
throughout the country.
The Building Basic Skills in
the Workplace initiative, funded by the DfEE, has led to 32 successful
partnership projects developing or extending high quality workplace basic
skills provision across England. It includes some support for regional
networks in the North East and the West Midlands, and for a sub-regional
network in the South West. The 32 projects were agreed from 159 bids by
a panel of assessors made up of representatives from the National Institute
for Adult Continuing Education, (NIACE) the Further Education Development
Agency (FEDA), the DfEE and the Network, based at Lancaster University.
The competition was strong and we had to turn down many excellent projects
that were well worth funding.
All the funded projects are
partnerships through which the target is to reach 1198 employees for basic
skills learning programmes. Over half of the projects have a strong focus
on ICT delivery and assessment. Four company learning centres are to be
developed, nine projects are working with trade unions while five projects
have strong links to vocational or key skills training.
Part of the work we will be
doing during the life of the initiative is to bring together these and
other projects to share good practice, and to develop some good practice
guidelines for workplace basic skills delivery. This work has begun to
be developed, with some draft quality indicators for workplace delivery
being written in consultation with the Basic Skills Agency.
Visit www.thenetwork.co.uk.
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