Lifelong Learning: Learning for Life Needs Analysis 2014/15

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Needs Analysis

2014/15

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Themes and Drivers

There are several themes that come out of this Needs Analysis that need to be reflected in future sub-contracting and service management. These are listed below:

1. Following the HAFLS Curriculum Review in 2012, HAFLS will continue to be looking to meet the recommendations set out in the final report

2. One of the outcomes of the HAFLS Curriculum Review undertaken in 2012 was to encourage and increase the number of civic engagement courses. This has not been particularly successful in the tender round for 2013/14, and will be a priority for 2014/15 commissioning.

3. HAFLS expects ICT to be embedded in non-ICT classes, and will also be looking to commission some Bring Your Own Device courses in 2014/15

4. Hertsmere will continue to be a target area for 2013/14 funding, as not only is it an area of higher need, but the current HALFS reach is below the population demographic

5. Most current HAFLS providers are Matrix accredited, and the SFA Funding Rules now require all providers who are required to be on the SFA Register of Approved Providers to at least be working towards this accreditation. Further guidance from the SFA is awaited on this, and it may be that all providers will need Matrix accreditation.

6. HAFLS and its providers need to respond to local need and be accountable to local people. 7. In 2014/15 HAFLS will expect ASB funding to be focused on ESOL, Work and Employment skills,

Functional Skills, and certificate units to support residents to return to employment or, if in low paid occupations, to improve their carer opportunities

8. There is a requirement within Community Learning to collect, report on, and increase the amount of additional income and savings that add to the value of the SFA funding. Providers who wish to be funded by HAFLS will need to be prepared to identify their contribution to adult learning to HAFLS for reporting to the SFA

9. Engagement of BME men is very low, and needs to be increased.

10. To ensure that the reach continues to those most in need, and so that HAFLS is able to reach a wider range of learners and meet the Localism agenda, HAFLS will be looking to expand the number of providers. This may impact on the maximum amount of funding that HAFLS is able to give individual providers

11. HAFLS and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) need to work together to develop an understanding of the skills gaps in the Hertfordshire workforce, and how those furthest from the workplace can be reached

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Planned Service Demographic for 2014/15

ASB Community Learning Service

Total Learners 3,029 100.00% 10,290 100.00% 13,319 100.00%

Male Learners 900 29.71% 2,950 28.67% 3,850 28.91%

Learners without Level 2

Qualification 1,060 35.00% 3,087 30.00% 4,147 31.14%

Learners with Learning Difficulties 242 8.00% 1,356 13.18% 1,599 12.00%

Learners with Mental Health Issues 61 2.00% 1,029 10.00% 1,090 8.18%

Unemployed Learners 606 20.00% 1,749 17.00% 2,355 17.68%

BME 515 17.00% 1,836 17.84% 2,351 17.65%

Older Learners (60+) 606 20.00% 2,881 28.00% 3,487 26.18%

Note – Actual target learner numbers are likely to change when the level of funding is received. These numbers are based on 2013/14 funding levels.

Background to the Needs Analysis process

12. Hertfordshire Adult and Family Learning Service (HAFLS) is contracted through the Skills Funding Agency to provide and co-ordinate Community Learning and Adult Skills Budget learning in Hertfordshire. HAFLS receives the following types of funding

• Community Learning, which includes

a. Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL) b. Neighbourhood Learning in Deprived Communities (NLDC) c. Family English, Maths and Language (FEML)

d. Wider Family Learning (WFL) • Adult Skills Budget (ASB)

13. HAFLS receives all the Community Learning funding that comes into Hertfordshire, but only a small proportion of the ASB funding. The large majority of ASB funding goes to the 4 colleges who deliver a wide range of part time and full time courses, including apprenticeships.

14. HAFLS is still expected to provide a similar spread of course types, even though all the funding streams, bar Adult Skills Budget, have now been merged into one.

15. 2013/14 is the first year that HAFLS has had Adult Skills Budget funding with all the attendant rules. In previous years we had received First Steps (FS) which was treated like Community Learning, and in 2012/13 some of the FS was treated as ASB, but not all of it.

16. The move to ASB has seen a shift in what can be offered under that funding stream, and the number of learners that can be reached. This will be explored later in this document.

17. In 2012/13 pilots were run to set up Community Learning Trusts, with a mind to rolling them out as the format for providing Community Learning in 2013/14. However, there has been a shift in government thinking that means that instead of providers having to become trusts, we now just have to apply the principles of Community Learning Trusts in our work. These principles are explored later in this document.

18. Pound plus is still a priority around this funding, so identifying, recording and reporting the additional funding, whether cash or in kind, that is used to augment the SFA funding is important.

19. There will never be enough funding to meet all the needs and wants of adults and families in

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and the targeting of services is important to ensure that we are reaching as many people as possible, and particularly those most in need.

20. HAFLS therefore needs to look at where the funding is best spent – which target groups and

geographical areas are the most in need, and which sector subject areas and providers can have the most impact on the learners of Hertfordshire.

21. HAFLS also has to consider how support can be offered to increase learning opportunities and develop communication and partnership networks across Hertfordshire.

22. To try to do this, the HAFLS needs analysis seeks to collate, evaluate and present the Community Learning and Adult Skills Budget priorities identified by local, regional and national agencies. This process includes Focus Groups to collect views from learners and potential learners.

23. This Needs analysis will aim to use data and feedback from the current provision, learners and local groups, as well as the guidance that has so far been received from central government and local government priorities, to indicate possible directions for HAFLS.

24. The data in this year’s Needs Analysis will be taken where possible from the 2011 Census. However, the data that has been released to date does not cover all our priorities, and other sources will be used where required (eg. local estimates)

The needs analysis seeks:

25. To provide community profile that is as up to date as possible for targeting purposes 26. To provide some analysis of this data in thematic and geographical contexts

27. To use the feedback from local stakeholders, communities and learners to help inform the decision making process

28. To bring together priorities set out by the Skills Funding Agency / BIS, HCC, and HAFLS as well as local needs

Needs Analysis PQQ & Tender Documents

Programme Commissioned

Programme delivered HAFLS and Provider

run Focus Groups / Forums Census and other demographic data SFA stated priorities

Evaluation of programme (SAR)

Stakeholder Groups National, Regional and Local data sets and

reports HCC priorities

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29. To come to some conclusions about the use of funding and identify HAFLS priorities for funding in 2014/15 to best serve the needs of the people in Hertfordshire.

Funding Priorities

30. The priorities in this Needs Analysis are based on the guidance from BIS about the terms and

objectives of Community Learning, Community Learning Trusts, and priorities set out through the HCC “County of Opportunity – Corporate Plan 2013 – 2017”, the HCC Health and Community Services Plan, the outcomes and recommendations from the latest HAFLS Ofsted inspection and feedback from learners, potential learners, providers and stakeholders in Hertfordshire.

31. HAFLS believes that the main aim of the service is to engage learners who have had least opportunity, or have had a poor experience of education in the past. The courses that HAFLS commissions are largely engagement courses, with learners being encouraged to progress on to further learning, employment or volunteering when health, confidence and skills have improved. 32. HAFLS also ensures that the service is universal, through leisure courses that learners pay a fee

towards. However, whatever the course type, progression should be available and learners should be informed of progression routes.

33. Community Learning needs to demonstrate its role in supporting government policies such as

localism, health and wellbeing, value for money (pound plus), a strong economy, and social and digital inclusion. To do this, progression routes must be clear and actual progression of learners collected and reported. Progression should be seen as not just further education or moving into work, but also personal progression such as increased confidence, reduced isolation and improvement in mental health.

34. Progression also includes enabling and encouraging people to move into informal and / or self directed learning, enabling them to take control of their own development.

35. There is still an emphasis on meeting the skills gap, and increasing people’s chances in the job market, but there is also a recognition of the impact that Community Learning can have on community wellbeing and social inclusion, and “helping people develop the confidence and skills to influence decision-making in public services”

36. The latest HAFLS Ofsted report (May 2012) recommends that not only should progression data be collected, but that there should be a greater emphasis on understanding and meeting the needs of local businesses, particularly within the ICT strand of provision.

37. To this end, HAFLS and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) need to work together to develop an understanding of the skills gaps in the Hertfordshire workforce

38. The local LEP are currently focusing on the local need for higher qualifications to meet the demands of local industries. However, HAFLS have a valuable role to play in the continuum of learning across Hertfordshire by providing introductory learning and lower level qualifications and meeting the inclusion agenda

39. There is a requirement for Community Learning providers to have an infrastructure that enables collection of data about non-funded provision and an ability to show how funded and non-funded Community Learning provision works together. This is a major challenge, and one that HAFLS has already made efforts to meet through developing local stakeholder groups and use of Provider Business Days

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40. At the same time, there are still many of the same priorities from government, including volunteering, civic engagement, health and wellbeing, Thriving Families, and an ability to show the added value of community learning embedded in the new structure of Community Learning Trusts.

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41. The objectives of community learning are set out below:

Purpose of Government Supported Community Learning:

! Maximise access to community learning for adults, bringing new opportunities and improving lives, whatever people’s circumstances.

! Promote social renewal by bringing local communities together to experience the joy of learning and the pride that comes with achievement.

! Maximise the impact of community learning on the social and economic well-being of individuals, families and communities.

Objectives:

! Focus public funding on people who are disadvantaged and least likely to participate, including in rural areas and people on low incomes with low skills ! Collect fee income from people who can afford to pay and use where possible to

extend provision to those who cannot.

! Widen participation and transform individual’s destinies by supporting progression relevant to personal circumstances, e.g.

o improved confidence and willingness to engage in learning

o acquisition of skills preparing people for training, employment or self-employment

o improved digital, financial literacy and/or communication skills o parents/carers better equipped to support and encourage their

children’s learning

o improved / maintained health and/or social well-being.

! Develop stronger communities, with more self-sufficient, connected and pro-active citizens, leading to:

o increased volunteering, civic engagement and social integration o reduced costs on welfare, health and anti-social behaviour o increased online learning and self organised learning o the lives of our most troubled families being turned around.

! Commission, deliver and support learning in ways that contribute directly to these objectives, including:

o bringing together people from all backgrounds, cultures and income groups, including people who can/cannot afford to pay

o using effective local partnerships to bring together key providers and relevant local agencies and services

o devolving planning and accountability to neighbourhood/parish level, with local people involved in decisions about the learning offer o involving volunteers and Voluntary and Community Sector groups,

shifting long term, ‘blocked’ classes into learning clubs, growing self-organised learning groups, and encouraging employers to support informal learning in the workplace

o supporting the wide use of online information and learning resources minimising overheads, bureaucracy & administration.

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42. The Adult Skills Budget (ASB) strand of funding that HAFLS now receives is different from Community Learning in that its main focus is qualifications.

43. In 2013 the majority (57%) of the courses commissioned (i.e. not including the Direct Delivery courses) in this strand of funding were around employment or volunteering skills, including career planning and job applications as well as specific jobs skills such as “Working in retail” or “Working in Warehouses” courses. These courses accounted for 86% of the planned guided learning hours (GLH) 44. IT courses, which in many ways overlap with job skills, accounted for 28% of the courses, and 12% of

the GLH.

45. The courses planned by the Direct Delivery team are mostly around Functional Skills qualifications 46. In 2014/15 HAFLS will expect ASB funding to be focused on ESOL, Work and Employment skills,

Functional Skills, and certificate units to support residents to return to employment, or, if in low paid occupations, to improve their carer opportunities

Pound Plus

47. Guidance from the SFA now states that Community Learning Funding must now be a “contribution” to the service delivered.

48. This means that HAFLS and all sub-contracted providers need to find ways of adding to the income received from the Skills Funding Agency, and recording and reporting this income.

49. HAFLS is required to set targets for year on year increases in the level of income generated in addition to the SFA funding.

50. There are three categories of pound plus, as set out in the “Evaluation of Community Learning Trust Pilots: Summary of Key Findings” (BIS: September 2013). These are shown below:

Direct Income

! Fee income from learners

! Sponsorship

! Grants and tenders

! Sales from products and services Cost Savings

! Savings in accommodation

! Use of volunteers to support learning

! Savings in staffing through partnership

! Shared services eg; back office functions Value for Money

! Setting up self organised groups

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51. One of the challenges that is still with us is to ensure that Government funding is focused on those most disadvantaged, while ensuring that the offer is also universal. Maximising fee income from those who can afford to pay is seen as a way of the better off members of society supporting or subsidising those more in need.

52. Fee collection has increased over the past few years, with most of HAFLS providers now collecting some contributions from at least some of their learners. HAFLS needs to ensure that this is continuing, while not impacting on the learners who cannot afford to pay a contribution to their learning.

53. In 2012/13 the actual cost to HAFLS per learner decreased compared to 2011/12, with more learners paying a contribution towards their course. HAFLS are also very good value when compared to other contracted out Community Learning providers.

54. This cost per learner decrease has happened while the number of GLH delivered per learner has increased very slightly

55. To keep HAFLS sustainable the collection of fees needs to continue, even within targeted provision, and those who can afford to pay more should be encouraged to do so. All subcontracted providers have to work within the HAFLS Fees policy

56. Another way to gain the best value is for providers to use other funding streams in conjunction with HAFLS funding. This has been done successfully by several providers in 2012/13, and will be encouraged in the future

57. If other funding streams are used for co-funding, there needs to be clarity about what each fund is supporting to avoid double funding (i.e. funding the same thing twice – such as counting the same learners for more than one funder. This can be avoided by using some funding to pay for e.g. outreach, and another stream to pay for the learning that takes place)

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58. There is a requirement within Community Learning to collect, report on, and increase the amount of additional income and savings that add to the value of the SFA funding. Providers who wish to be funded by HAFLS will need to be prepared to feed this information to HAFLS for reporting to the SFA

The Wider Adult Offer – Managing the mix and balance of provision

59. Both ASB and Community Learning funds are aimed at adults of 19 years and over. Within this cohort, there are specific groups that are priority, or targeted, learners.

60. The SFA priority groups of learners include: ♦ Low skilled

♦ Those yet to achieve a level 2

♦ Those not in employment but wanting and able to work ♦ Those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ♦ Those seeking to access Community Learning Case Study

Herts Mind Network Partnership working

Herts Mind Network (HMN) recognised the need to develop the social enterprise arm of the organisation, Let’s Talk. Effective partnership working is essential to meet the complexity of challenges faced by people experiencing mental health conditions and to ensure sustainability for HMN.

Funding for vocational advice services to support people back into work, delivered at 7 Well Being Centres across east and west Herts, comes from 5 different funders. Herts Partnership Foundation Trust seconded a business development manager to HMN to explore how social enterprise opportunities could be developed to take advantage of specific available funding. Department of Health funding was secured with Luton and Beds Mind to set up Workshop in Mind, a project to recruit, train and develop people with a mental health condition to become self employed Support Assistants. Services are marketed, for example 1-1 community support, to members of the public who purchase these services.

Let’s Talk grounds maintenance received start up funding from the Social Enterprise Initiative Fund to purchase grounds maintenance machinery, vehicles and training. Working within strict health and safety guidelines people with a lived experience of mental health are contracted as grounds maintenance operators.

Let’s Talk Green Canteen is a horticultural community based training centre and retail trading shed, a partnership between HMN and Watford Community Housing Trust.

HAFLS funded the training courses for people with a mental health condition to be ready to face the challenge of working in the Workshop in Mind and Grounds Maintenance projects.

RITE training courses provided the additional mental health training that people identified as a training need.

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61. In addition to those groups outlined above the HAFLS service has agreed that the following groups of learners should be considered as priorities:

♦ Male learners

♦ Learners with learning difficulties

♦ Learners with mental health issues

♦ Adults without a level 2 qualification

♦ Carers

♦ Unemployed

♦ BME learners

62. In 2011/12 HAFLS spent some time looking at learners with multiple identities, and now recognises that there are areas for improvement, particularly around the BME community. Some work is currently being done in the form of projects, but in 2014/15 this work needs to be embedded in the mainstream provision.

63. Engagement of BME men is very low, and needs to be improved. In the same way there are very few BME learners with LDD or mental health issues.

Voluntary and Community Sector Engagement

64. In the 2010 Community Learning review, BIS said that the reform of community learning should involve more voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises as providers to develop greater community involvement and ownership.

65. Historically the VCS have had a better reach to learners in target groups than the mainstream system. Although in recent years colleges have shown an improvement, most target groups are still better reached by VCS providers.

66. In the latest Ofsted inspection report (May 2012), HAFLS was cited as outstanding in working with the voluntary sector.

67. HAFLS is already fully engaged with Voluntary and Community Sector providers, who currently access PCDL, NLDC and Family Learning funding. In 2012 HAFLS commissioned 13 VCS providers.

68. For 2013/14 academic year, this number has gone back up to 14, following the recruitment of 4 new VCS providers and the loss of 3 through the tender process. One of these three is now represented in the contract with their parent organisation, and the work of one of the others has been taken up by another, related VCS group.

69. The relevance of community venues was recognised in the focus group activity undertaken in 2009/10 where learners “felt more comfortable in the community based venue than at a larger venue, such as a college“, and in 2012 when most participants in the focus groups stated that local, community venues suited them best.

70. However, some concerns about the quality and suitability of some community venues has been flagged by both Ofsted and learners

71. Over the past few years there has been a number of providers who have received larger and larger contracts. While this is good for those individual organisations, and does allow for some economy of scale, for HAFLS as a whole it can be seen as a limiting factor.

72. One of HAFLS strengths in the last Ofsted inspection was the range of providers worked with, and therefore the learners that could be reached.

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73. To ensure that the reach continues to those most in need, and so that HAFLS is able to reach a wider range of learners and meet the Localism agenda, HAFLS will be looking to expand the number of providers

74. This may impact on the maximum amount of funding that HAFLS is able to give individual providers.

Localism and Community / Civic Engagement

75. Although the phrase “Big Society” has now changed to “Localism”, the basic tenets of the idea are still core to the priorities of Community Learning

76. The development and progression of learners into self organised groups, independent learning and volunteering are still clear objectives within Community Learning, as well as enabling learners to be more involved in their local communities

77. One of the outcomes of the HAFLS Curriculum Review undertaken in 2012 was to encourage and increase the number of civic engagement courses. This has not been particularly successful in the tender round for 2013/14, and will be a priority for 2014/15 commissioning.

78. To develop this area firstly a definition needs to be found to describe Civic Engagement. Wikipedia has a useful definition as follows:

Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions

designed to identify and address issues of public concern”

Civic engagement can take many forms— from individual volunteering to organizational

involvement to electoral participation. It can include efforts to directly address an issue, work with others in a community to solve a problem or interact with the institutions of representative democracy

Another way of describing this concept is the sense of personal responsibility individuals should feel to uphold their obligations as part of any community.

In a study published by CIRCLE, the Centre for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, divided into 3 categories: civic, electoral, and political voice.

Civic Electoral Political Voice

Community problem solving Regular voting Contacting officials Regular volunteering for a

non-electoral organization Persuading others to vote Contacting the print media Active membership in a group or

association Displaying buttons, signs, stickers Contacting the broadcast media Participation in fund-raising

run/walk/ride Campaign contributions Protesting Other fund-raising for charity Volunteering for candidate or _{political organizations} Email petitions

Written petitions Boycotting Buycotting Canvassing

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79. Following this, HAFLS will define Civic Engagement Courses as courses with the main aim being to develop civic and community engagement. This could include training volunteers, community allotment courses, learning champions, SOG facilitator training, How to become a school governor, citizenship, having a civic voice and community leader courses.

Progression

80. HAFLS expects all learners to receive appropriate IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance). This must clearly defined relevant next steps (e.g. Into further learning or employment) for the learner on

completion of their course. Information about possible course funding (e.g. Loans) should be included 81. Most current HAFLS providers are Matrix accredited, and the SFA Funding Rules now require all

providers who are required to be on the SFA Register of Approved Providers to at least be working towards this accreditation.

82. The SFA have not finalised this guidance yet, and are possibly looking at requiring all providers to work towards Matrix accreditation.

83. In 2012, a total of 25% of learners who took part in HAFLS focus groups said that they had not been given further information about progression routes

84. 72% of those interviewed said that they would like to progress on to further learning

85. HAFLS expects providers to be aware of appropriate local progression routes for their courses, and signpost people effectively to encourage them to continue with their learning and development. To support this, HAFLS encourages networking at provider business meetings and wider stakeholder groups meetings.

86. Progression needs to be seen in it’s widest sense, and should include not only moving into further learning or employment, but also personal development such as increased confidence, reduced isolation and improved mental health.

87. In 2012/13 providers were required to run a progression survey, with the following figures reported: • 89% of learners who responded felt that their confidence had improved

• 13% progressed into new or improved employment, and 12% into volunteering • 32% moved on to further learning

88. In 2012/13 there was a 29% re-enrolment rate on to HAFLS courses, which means that only approximately 3% of learners progressed on to courses outside of HAFLS funding.

89. While this seems low, it needs to be remembered that providers were only asked to sample 6% of their learners for the progression survey, so 94% of learners were not asked this question.

Skills for Life in ACL Learning

90. PCDL and NLDC do not have specific targets for Skills for Life (SfL) attainment. It is expected to act as a first point of engagement and to support those learners in accessing learning and referring them on to appropriate provision where it is applicable. It is considered best practice to embed SfL learning in mainstream provision, where this is not possible learners must be referred to appropriate provision

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91. ASB funding can be used for Functional Skills qualifications. However, qualifications are not always easily accessible, particularly for learners who are not confident enough to commit to a long course or feel able to take exams.

92. Meeting Skills for Life needs means that providers need to ensure: ♦ The needs of learners are identified.

♦ Learners are encouraged and supported to develop their English, maths and language (EML) skills enabling them to fulfil their potential.

♦ Providers must feel confident to offering appropriate support, including referral to other agencies where appropriate

♦ The support offered is appropriate, of a high quality and meets the needs of learners.

93. All providers will need to consider how they might support learners with EML needs access to learning and achievement. Areas of Hertfordshire with the highest EML needs include Stevenage, Hatfield, Broxbourne and Watford.

94. To support this, HAFLS are putting into place some guidelines around supporting SfL in the classroom, and will expect providers to adhere to these in 2014/15 academic year.

HAFLS Curriculum

95. Over the past few years there has been a drop in the number of GLH per learner (from an average planned 14.6 hours per learner in 2010/11 to 12.5 in 2012/13), and per enrolment. Some of this is due to the fact that while everyday costs have increased, the Community Learning funding has remained the same, and in real terms, decreased.

96. This means that HAFLS courses now show less value for money than in previous years.

97. While providers have worked hard to put fees in place for learners, the longer the course, the higher the fees need to be, which means that those most in need, and therefore the learners that HAFLS targets most, may not be able to access longer courses

98. However, it is recognised that compared to national averages, HAFLS are still near the top of contracting out providers when it comes to value for money.

99. In 2012 HAFLS undertook a curriculum review to ensure that the service was meeting the needs of local communities and local and national government priorities

100. The main recommendations are as follows: That the curriculum should focus on the following themes:

♦ Community and Civic Engagement. Courses should help develop more self sufficient, connected and pro active citizens leading to volunteering, civic engagement and social integration. These courses can include Community learning champions, Self Organised Groups(SOGS), allotment courses, training of volunteers and having a civic voice

♦ Digital inclusion. As more services go online, learners will need to be confident to access these services. Learners also need to be able to access a range of information that is now available on line. They also need to know how to keep themselves safe on line.

♦ Curriculum should link clearly with key council policies and agendas. The Council has a key remit for Reducing Childhood Poverty. HAFLS courses can contribute to this through courses that

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support financial literacy and enabling learners to either gain or become more confident to gain a qualification. The other key agenda is Health and Well Being. HAFLS makes a key contribution to the Health & Community Service Plan. HAFLS should place a key emphasis on courses that promote Health and Well being.

♦ HAFLS provision should promote courses that promote pathways to employment.

♦ Use of project funding to support new initiatives and meet identified gaps in the provision.

♦ Consider how the curriculum reaches underrepresented groups.

♦ Monitoring of the curriculum to ensure that progression opportunities are in place and promoted.

♦ Support localism and systems for local accountability and ensure the provision reflects the learner voice.

♦ Ensure that there is a balance of provision across the county.

♦ Ensure that Family Learning continues to offer courses that support families and improve outcomes for children.

♦ Promote independent learning. Develop learners in and outside the classroom to manage their own learning.

♦ Develop the curriculum in ways that support the £ plus. This will be done by developing courses that support volunteering, reduction in welfare, care and health costs and generating additional income through fees.

♦ Recognising the importance of measuring the impact of the curriculum by exploring opportunities for using the SROI (Social Return on Investment)

101. While some of these recommendations are covered elsewhere in more detail, it is worth noting that HAFLS will be looking for courses that encourage civic engagement, including those around local democracy, innovative ways of engaging male learners – not just employment courses, and courses that involve learners from under represented and hard to reach groups with multiple identities. 102. HAFLS also recognises that embedding ICT in other SSA classes is a good way both to tackle the

digital divide by introducing people to non-threatening ICT and to enable learners to develop more independent learning skills

103. Embedding can be done in a variety of ways, but in 2013/14 HALFS would like to commission some Bring Your Own Device courses to support this agenda and increase the use of devices such as mobile phones and tablets in learning

The National Picture of Adult Learning

104. The data for this section has been taken from the BIS National Adult Learner Survey 2010 (NALS), BIS Community Learner Survey Report - March 2013 (CLSR), and the Data Service Quarterly Statistical Release data July 2013.

105. NALS covers all forms of adult learning, whether government funded or not, while the Data Service report is specifically about funded learning and the CLSR focuses on Community Learning alone. All reports refer to 16+ learning.

106. NALS identifies 3 types of adult learning: Formal Learning, Non-Formal Learning and informal Learning. Most HAFLS funded provision falls into Non-Formal Learning (i.e. being taught in a class but not leading to a qualification).

107. NALS shows a national drop in participation in all forms of adult learning of approximately 11%. NALS states that the largest drop is within non-formal learning (17% drop from 2005 to 2010).

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However, this trend is shown to have evened out in the latest Statistical Release, with numbers remaining about the same in 2010 and 2011

108. HAFLS has shown a decrease in enrolment numbers of 2.7% from 2010 to 2011, and several providers have noted that recruitment has become harder in the last year. This is in line with the Data Service figures for Community Learning (a 2.6% drop in the last year). However, the number of individuals taking part in HAFLS courses remained approximately the same over the two years. 109. NALS suggests several reasons for these drops in participation, including the economic downturn of

recent years (with 58% of their respondents citing cost as an obstacle to engaging in learning), and a reduction in participation in ICT skills as a larger proportion of the population has developed basic computer skills.

110. These reasons would seem to be reflected in HAFLS, with Libraries in particular having issues recruiting to their previously very popular ICT sessions, and more providers being encouraged to ask for some contribution to the cost of courses from their learners.

111. Other potential barriers to engagement in learning identified in NALS were inability to fit it round job and family commitments, and a lack of time.

112. All of these barriers are also reflected in the CLSR, and seem to be consistent with HALFS’ experience

113. The CLSR had more of a focus on what learners got out of their learning experience, what motivated them to take up learning, and the demographic of the learners.

114. HAFLS does not collect information on all of the outcomes that the CLSR looked at (such as the improvement in quality of life), but there are some comparisons to be made:

! CLSR reported 10% of learners moving into work, HAFLS shows 13% in 2012

! CLSR reported 11% moving into volunteering, HAFLS shows 12%

! CLSR reported that 82% of learners were more confident in their abilities, HAFLS shows 89% of learners gained in confidence (however, this is broader than the question asked by CLSR)

! CLSR showed that 52% had already moved on to further learning, HAFLS showed 32% 115. These figures show that outcomes for HAFLS learners are at least consistent with country wide

outcomes, if not slightly better, except in the progression on to further learning.

116. This suggests that more work may need to be done on identifying progression routes, and supporting learners to understand the benefits that they may get from a move into courses that may cost more

The Overall Hertfordshire Picture: Geographical Data

117. The demographic information about Hertfordshire in this document has been taken from the 2011 Census (where it is available) and Hertfordshire Forward publication “The State of Hertfordshire: An Evidence Base on our People and Places”.

118. The 2011 census records the population of Hertfordshire at 1,116,000.

119. Of this total 851,200 are over 19, and so fall into the Community Learning demographic. Of this number, 27.8% are 60+.

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120. The proportion of older learners taking part in HAFLS funded learning in 2012/13 was 24%. This is a slight rise from 2011 (22%), but is still not reflective of the Hertfordshire demographic.

121. The 2011 census shows that people from BME groups (non-white) make up 12% of the overall Hertfordshire population, with Watford having by far the highest proportion (27%), and Welwyn Hatfield (15%), Hertsmere (14%) and 3 Rivers (13%) all having above the average level.

122. The percentage of population identifying themselves as White: Other White makes up 5% of the Hertfordshire population, with Watford (8%), Broxbourne (8%), Hertsmere (7%) and Welwyn Hatfield (6%) being above the average.

123. The Census information shows that the four districts with the largest proportion of people over 16 without a level 2 qualification are Broxbourne (43.2%), Stevenage (39.5%) and Dacorum and Hertsmere ( both 33.5%),. This has shifted since the last data collection, where the figures were Hertsmere (30.1%), Three Rivers (29%), North Herts (28.5 %) (Hertfordshire Forward District Profile Reports May 2011).

124. It has to be borne in mind that the figures below are for the population of 16 years and over, while HAFLS only funds learning for those 19 and over, and this may affect the outcome of the measures. However, it does offer a picture of the needs in Hertfordshire.

125. The table below is data from the 2011 Census:

All Persons No Qualifications Highest level of qualification: Level 1 qualifications Total Below Level 2 Qualification Total Below Level 2 Qualification Number Percentage Percentage Number Percentage Hertfordshire 892,538 18.2 13.8 285,612 32.00% Broxbourne 74,850 25.5 17.7 32,335 43.20% Dacorum 115,983 18.8 14.7 38,854 33.50% East Hertfordshire 110,139 17.2 13.5 33,813 30.70% Hertsmere 79,841 19.4 14.1 26,747 33.50% North Hertfordshire 102,388 18.0 13.2 31,945 31.20% St Albans 110,590 12.9 10.0 25,325 22.90% Stevenage 66,866 21.5 18.0 26,412 39.50% Three Rivers 69,819 17.6 13.2 21,504 30.80% Watford 71,693 17.5 13.3 22,081 30.80% Welwyn Hatfield 90,369 17.2 13.0 27,291 30.20%

126. The latest claimant figures show recent falls in the number of people of working age claiming unemployment benefit, and in June 2013 were at 2.2% for Hertfordshire as a whole. (LEP Economic Report 2013 June Update)

127. Between May and June 2013 there has been a decrease in those claiming benefit in all districts in Hertfordshire, except Welwyn Hatfield. These decreases range from Stevenage, down 0.1% to East Herts, down 6.7%

128. Hertfordshire is one of the least deprived areas in England, with no Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs – small geographical areas covering around 1500 people) in the worst 5% or 10% deprived in England (2007 Index of Multiple Deprivation).

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129. The top 50 most deprived wards (out of 192 wards in total) in Hertfordshire have been constant target areas for the last 7 years.

130. The “Deprivation across Hertfordshire: Analysis for the sustainable Community Strategy and Local Area Agreement” report by OCSI published in August 2008 points out that “…the large majority of people with no qualifications who are not in employment do not live in the most deprived areas” Programmes aimed ONLY at these areas would be projected to meet 16% of this group at the most. 131. This means that HAFLS needs to be aware that a continuing push to increase numbers from these wards could lead to gaps in the reach of HAFLS to people who need educational support bet who do not live in these areas.

132. HAFLS has now moved this target to a maintenance target. There is already a good reach in these areas, and increasing it further would have a detrimental effect on the ability of HAFLS to reach target learners who live in other parts of the county.

133. The districts with the most wards in the top 50 most deprived list are Stevenage (10) and Broxbourne (9). East Herts has only one ward in the top 50 most deprived list but this does not mean that there are not other pockets of deprivation there.

134. Of the three districts with the highest number of deprived wards (Broxbourne, Stevenage and

Watford), Broxbourne and Stevenage are also in the top three districts with the most adults with below a level 2 qualification.

135. These districts have shifted since the last data as reported in 2012/13 Needs Analysis, with only Hertsmere remaining.

136. Family Learning, in particular, focuses on the most deprived wards with 47% of all Family Learning learners coming from the targeted wards, compared to 38% overall. Family Learning delivered 40% of their courses to people from the 3 districts containing the most deprived wards.

137.The table below shows the level of HAFLS delivery in the districts with the most adults with below level 2 qualifications. All % All ASL Family Learning % FL Learners FL Learners as % District Learners All 13,698 2,457 17.94% Broxbourne 1,390 10.15% 367 14.94% 26.40% Dacorum 1,942 14.18% 176 7.16% 9.06% East Hertfordshire 1,200 8.76% 110 4.48% 9.17% Hertsmere 887 6.48% 166 6.76% 18.71% North Hertfordshire 1,370 10.00% 217 8.83% 15.84% St Albans 1,169 8.53% 139 5.66% 11.89% Stevenage 1,217 8.88% 310 12.62% 25.47% Three Rivers 1,134 8.28% 270 10.99% 23.81% Watford 1,406 10.26% 304 12.37% 21.62% Welwyn Hatfield 1,037 7.57% 313 12.74% 30.18%

Unknown and Outside Herts 957 6.99% 86 3.50% 8.99%

Districts with most adults without level 2 qualification or above

138. Hertsmere will continue to be a target area for 2013/14 funding, as not only is it an area of higher need, but the current HALFS reach is below the population demographic

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139. 14.18% of learners came from Dacorum where there is quite a high concentration of providers. As Dacorum is neither one of the districts with the highest number of deprived wards, nor one with the highest level of adults without level 2 qualifications this shows an overprovision for the population and need level of the area.

140. As may be expected, NLDC is concentrated in Dacorum, with 32% of all NLDC learners coming from this district in 2012. Although this is understandable with the number of VCS groups based in this area, it is a very large proportion to be based in one district, although it is a lower proportion than in previous years.

141. In 2010 there was no NLDC delivered in North Hertfordshire. In 2012, there was still very little NLDC delivered in North Herts, Stevenage and St Albans., but as shown above, Family Learning is strong in Stevenage. The 10% over all HAFLS provision in North Herts is generally reflective of the population. 142. In 2012 provision in St Albans has fallen below the general demographic, but although there are

pockets of need in St Albans, it is a less deprived area in general that many other districts in Hertfordshire.

143. Nearly 7% of all HAFLS learners in 2011/12 live outside Hertfordshire – the same as in 2011/12 144. Working with HAFLS providers and partners has highlighted several areas where there is a lack of

provision – both funded and non-funded. These specific areas are Borehamwood, Buntingford, Royston, Rickmansworth, Berkhamsted and Tring

Funding Streams

145. The SFA have recently restructured the funding streams, but although individual funding streams within ASL funding will no longer exist we are still currently expected to report by course type to ensure there is a continuation and balance of Family Learning, NLDC and PCDL type courses. 146. Adult Skills budget sits outside of the Community Learning budget, and has very different funding

criteria.

147. To keep a balance in provision it is still be important to provide some Family Learning, some skills for jobs, and some community and personal development courses. However, there HAFLS will need to ensure that the curriculum balance for Community Learning and ASB work together to create a cohesive offer across Hertfordshire

148. Any leisure courses that do take place have to charge fees to fit with the government’s drive for co-financing of adult education and the need to show value for money.

149. There will also be an expectation to charge contributions for non-leisure courses as well to help bring down costs. All providers delivering Community Learning will need to follow the HAFLS Fees policy.

Provision and providers

150. In 2012 the HAFLS service commissioned Adult and Community Learning across a wide range of providers which consisted of 13 VCS groups, 4 Colleges (plus Next Step), and 2 HCC departments, as well as a Direct Delivery team. HAFLS also has its own Family Learning team.

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"Of the 15,440 enrolments in 2012/13 in Community Learning funding streams (ie. Not including ASB) 6,086 (39.4%) were delivered through voluntary sector providers.

"The four Hertfordshire colleges delivered 4,565 enrolments, 29.56% of the total.

"The remaining 31% were delivered through libraries, Herts Music Service and by the HAFLS Family Learning Team.

151. These proportions have remained much the same in comparison to 2011/12 provision

The Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS)

152. Up to the end of 2012/13, levels of funding for VCS programmes was drawn from NLDC and PCDL provision with one contract for FEML and WFL, and totalled £775,438 across the four streams. 13 VCS providers were commissioned in total, 6 for NLDC. The lowest amount of funding was £10,490 and the highest £136,705 (PCDL and F L contracts combined).

153. The actual amount of learning measured in planned GLH (actual GLH not available for college data) delivered by the VCS in these funding streams was 71,410 against a total of 172,457 (41.4%), demonstrating that they contributed just under the expected amount of learning for the funding they received. They received 44.1% of the funding in these funding streams.

154. To deliver this programme VCS projects used 104 individual tutors.

155. The VCS demonstrates a clear effectiveness in meeting the needs of hard to reach learners. It has given the HAFLS service the opportunity to deliver in trusted organisations, with close links to the community. It has also offered HAFLS the chance to engage some highly specialised provision.

Case Study

Community Learning Partnership May 2012

Community Learning Partnership contracts with Hertfordshire Adult and Family Learning Service (HAFLS) for the provision of adult safeguarded learning in the PCDL, Wider Family Learning and Family Language, Literacy and Numeracy funding streams.

CLP’s target groups are families living in disadvantaged communities, and in which the adults have low skills and works in partnership with schools, children’s centres, Extended Services, specialist providers, and other HAFLS providers. CLP delivers adult and family learning in Central, South and West Hertfordshire, concentrating on the most deprived areas.

CLP have been delivering family learning courses in De Havilland School, Hatfield for parents who do not have a numeracy or literacy qualification. The courses have been designed so that the parents study on their own for the first part of the class and then move on to learning with their children. The course has helped the parents gain their national qualifications as well as helping them improve their self-confidence.

It also has a two fold benefit as the children have improved in their school work and also in their own sense of self belief. The Extended Schools Co-ordinator, who has been involved in recruiting the parents to the course said “This course has helped the mums so much as they have gained confidence in themselves as people and as parents. They now have a support network in each other as well. The children have improved in every way also. They are so excited when they get to come in and work with their mums.”

One of the parents stated “I am a single mum of two and I have never had the time to do

anything for myself. I have been doing quite a few courses at De Havilland School with CLP and now I am ready to take my Level 2 qualification in numeracy. Hopefully I will achieve this and then I can get a learning assistant job, which has been my dream”.

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Another parent added “I have done voluntary work as a youth worker for a while, but now I

have my national qualifications, thanks to CLP, I can study a proper youth work qualification and move on to a paid job, which will be great for me and my kids”.

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156. Sub-contracting with the VCS has enabled HAFLS to develop some projects over the past few years, which focus on very specific areas of work. These include training learners with mental health issues to develop and run self organised groups, which was set up in partnership with the Joint

Commissioning Team

157. In most HAFLS Widening Participation targets the VCS providers show a higher engagement than the other groups of providers. The only areas where colleges outstrip the VCS performance is in those over 60 (2% better engagement) and Men (1.5% better).

158. 17% of VCS learners have learning difficulties, compared to 5.1% of college learners, and 4.4% of HCC providers’ learners.

159. 45.17% of VCS learners and 33% of college learners coming from the top 50 most deprived wards in Hertfordshire.

160. The VCS also do much better reaching BME learners than either the colleges or HCC providers, with 20.7% of their learners coming from BME groups compared to only 12.36% in colleges and 15.73% in other providers.

161. Both the VCS and Colleges slightly improved their reach to BME learners in 2012/13 compared to 2011/12.

162. There are clear benefits and risks to provision commissioned through the voluntary sector: Benefits:

" Increased engagement for most widening participation target groups.

" Often a friendly entry to adult learning which can give people the confidence to start

" Access to specialised provision and support for vulnerable learners in specific groups

" Ability to work in partnerships to develop provision that meets not only SFA targets, but also local government priorities, and gives opportunities to develop focused projects for the benefit of HAFLS learners

" Closer links to communities

" Coherence with national and regional strategies for engagement with the VCS Risks

" Large numbers of smaller providers results in increased demands on the service capacity to offer support and monitoring of provision.

" Due to the participation of learners with higher needs, and those harder to get into learning, the cost of the VCS provision is higher

" There are no economies of scale in VCS providers, meaning that costs tend to be higher than colleges

" The size of the providers sometimes makes reaching and maintaining the quality standards required hard to achieve, particularly if there is a turnover in staff

" VCS are sometimes at risk of becoming financially unviable if subject to funding cuts

" There can be business continuity issues in small VCS groups

The Colleges

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164. In 2012/13 the colleges collected a total of £272,800 in fees from HAFLS learners, averaging £32.54 per enrolment. This is slightly lower than the 2011/12 figure of £35.62 per enrolment, and is showing a steady decline from the 2010/11 average of £37.72

165. The four colleges deliver a range of courses, from leisure courses to family learning and accounted for 43.54% of all enrolments (including First Steps). When only Community Learning is looked at the proportion of enrolments delivered by the colleges is 29.57%.

166. The college reach to targeted groups has generally improved in the last few years, particularly for men and learners over 60 years old where they are now slightly better at engagement than the VCS. However, they still lag behind in other targeted groups, particularly LDD and BME learners.

167. It would not be expected that the colleges would reach the same level of engagement with LDD learners as the VCS, as HAFLS specifically contracts with groups who specialising in working with learners in this group, including those with mental health issues or learning difficulties.

168. Nearly 70% of college provision is within the three main SSAs. AMP is still the largest SSA, with 33% of all college enrolments on these courses.

Benefits:

" Colleges can access existing quality systems

" Colleges learners have access to a wider range of resources not available for some VCS learners

" The cost of college provision is generally lower – associated with economies of scale, more mainstream learners and the collection of fees

" Colleges are in a good position to implement a continuum for learning from initial engagement through to higher education

" Colleges already have systems in place for delivering and reporting on the ASB funding stream.

Risks

" Increased college provision usually results in a college learner profile resulting in less engagement with hard to reach and target learners

" There are some technical issues with aligning HAFLS and College procedures for enrolling learners and storing that information

Other Provision (Internal Commissioning):

169. There is other provision that has been traditionally commissioned by HAFLS that does not fall into either college or VCS provision. In 2011/12 this provision was provided by Departments within Herts County Council.

Libraries

170. Libraries traditionally offer taster sessions in ICT with some Family History courses. HAFLS ability to meet large learner targets has relied on the volume of learning that is undertaken in Libraries. In 2012/13 learning in Libraries accounted for 9.9% of all enrolments.

171. For 2013/14 Libraries decided not to tender for funding. This has meant that HAFLS has had to rethink some of the delivery, and is likely to have fewer learners for the same level of funding, as Libraries were particularly cheap per learner.

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172. It may also have an impact on the number of older learners that HAFLS is able to reach, and the amount of ICT on offer. However, this will not be clear until after the academic year has run its course. 173. Across Hertfordshire, however, this provision is still being offered by Libraries, it is just not part of the

HAFLS offer any more Herts Music Service

174. Herts Music Service offer Wider Family Learning courses, particularly around families playing and learning music together, and some PCDL

175. Because of the courses that they offer, Herts Music Service is particularly good at getting men engaged with 23% of their learners from 2012/13 being male compared to the overall FL percentage of 10.89%

176. Cost per enrolment in FL is very low, only second to Libraries for value for money. However, cost in PCDL is much closer to the average cost per enrolment.

Benefits:

" Very good reach to men for family learning engagement

" Low cost per enrolment

" Strong internal partnerships Risks:

" There is little evidence of progression from HMS WFL courses; even tasters do not have clear, evidenced progression routes

" The majority of courses are only 1-8 hours Direct Delivery

177. The Direct Delivery team largely deliver Family Learning courses, with a small amount of PCDL. In 2013/14 they are also starting to deliver some ASB so that they can continue to offer qualifications, particularly in English, maths and language.

178. The HAFLS Family Learning team has worked hard at increasing participation within the target groups, in 2009/10 achieving a very good 21.6% BME learners and 48% learners with below level 2 qualifications.

179. Men and older learners are still more difficult to engage in family learning, with Direct Delivery only reaching 8.8% and 1.7% respectively. However, in the PCDL strand of their delivery they reached 28.9% men and 33.6% older learners

180. The Direct Delivery team provided courses in 111 venues in 2012/13, mostly in schools and children’s centres, targeting areas with high need.

181. One of the aims of Family Learning is to create a culture of life long learning. Progression is therefore seen as an important outcome for family learning.

182. Family Language, Literacy and Numeracy is the only funding stream in 2012/13 with an expectation of some learners taking exams.

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183. In 2012/13 15.3% (298) of DD FEML learners took exams, of whom 82.2% (245) passed

184. 37% of all exams were numeracy, the remaining were literacy. The proportion of Numeracy exams has fallen over the last couple of years, from 52% in 2010/11, and 43% in 2011/12

185. Direct Delivery enabled 141 people to gain a level 2 qualification in 2012/13 Benefits:

" Direct Delivery have an excellent reach in deprived areas

" Most FEML courses result in exam passes for learners

" Direct delivery has a very good reach to BME learners

" The Direct Delivery team is very flexible in what and where they deliver, enabling HAFLS to fill gaps in provision where necessary

" The Direct Delivery team is diversifying the funding streams that it delivers in Risks:

" Men do not tend to engage with family learning

" Recruitment to WFL courses, based in schools and Children’s Centres has proved more difficult in the last couple of years

Case Study

HAFLS Family Learning at Andrews Lane, Cheshunt

The HAFLS Family Language class at Andrews Lane School in Cheshunt have studied together for approximately five terms until July 2011. There were eight women in the class: 6 Turkish, 1 Iranian and 1 Czech. They were working towards their English Speaking Board exam. Six of the class passed this exam.

The aim of the class was to improve their speaking and listening skills to enable them to speak English with their children. This would help with school work and would make it easier to engage effectively in school situations, such as talking to their child’s teacher. There were also more general skills gained that supported their engagement in other aspects of community life, such as visiting the doctors and the library.

Outcomes

Staff at the school say that the women are now much more able to communicate with them. The Turkish-speaking teaching assistant was previously frequently used to assist with issues that arose, but is now much less often used as the women are more able to explain their needs. The Head Teacher is pleased that this group of parents have been able to participate in a class as for a long time they didn’t engage with the school. They used lack of language as a reason, but is appears that their lack of confidence was very limiting. This course has increased their language skills and their confidence in communicating with the school.

The learners had a stall at the school fete in the summer of 2011 where they sold Turkish food they had made. The Head Teacher was very pleased as this is evidence that they are becoming more involved in community life.

All of the learners joined their local library, and over 50% are continuing to visit the library and use the services.

The learners attended the HAFLS Broxbourne Celebration of Learning event in March 2011 to receive certificates. Many of their children attended the event with them.

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What learners study – HAFLS funded provision - SSAs

186. The majority of HAFLS courses are within three Subject Sector Areas (SSAs), ICT; Arts, Media and Publishing; and Preparation for Life and Work

187. The inspection of 2004 found the curriculum offer commissioned by the service to be too broad to maintain effective leadership. Since that time HAFLS has focussed on three main subject areas. In 2011/12 80.6% of all enrolments were in just three SSAs. No other SSA accounted for more than 4.04% of enrolments.

SSA % Enrolments 2011/12 % Enrolments 2012/13

Arts, Media and Publishing 25.74 26.11 ICT 25.08 21.92 Preparation for Life and Work 28.95 32.64

188. The level of participation in these SSAs does not necessarily reflect demand, but may simply reflect what is available. As HAFLS is such a small team, spreading the curriculum across more areas causes problems in curriculum leadership and quality assurance

189. However, as the main target of Community Learning is to increase participation and skills, ICT and Preparation for Life and Work are the best suited SSAs to meet these demands. The levels of HAFLS funded courses start at complete beginner to encourage participation from new or nervous learners, and the outcomes are skills that enable more social interaction (eg. ESOL, email etc), better chances of work (confidence building, IT skills, CV writing) and the chance to progress on to further learning. 190. Many of HAFLS courses also improve learners’ health and wellbeing (eg. Mind courses, confidence

building, healthy eating and cookery). The Curriculum review looked at the possibility of classing these courses under Community Learning rather than their SSA, but decided that although these softer outcomes were very important, for recording purposes, courses should be kept in the SSA that their subject matter refers to.

191. 38.5% of AMP courses were not art for art’s sake, but used art as a vehicle for delivering other outcomes for the learners – such as family learning outcomes, or improvement in mental health (Mind courses).

192. Arts courses include a wide range of creative activity that focuses on community delivery. These include a number of music courses that focus on African Drumming, Djemba, and Family Learning. There are also good links with ICT programmes that meet learner interests, such as digital

photography, video and animation courses.

193. The number of enrolments on ICT courses has decreased. As suggested in the BIS NALS, this may be partially due to the general level of ICT skills in the population improving, so fewer people need basic introductory courses.

194. The types of ICT courses are developing and the number of courses about social media and use of mobile devices are increasing

195. There is still a digital divide, however, that needs to be tackled. Some of this work needs to be done not only through providing IT course, but also through embedding the use if IT into the teaching of all subject areas

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196. this is becoming more important as more services are now accessed on line and require IT skills – such as claiming welfare benefits

197. In ICT introductory courses such as “computers for beginners” and ‘getting started’ courses form most of the course file. However, there is a range of more advanced courses, particularly around digital photography, photoshop and courses for work skills

198. Preparation for Life and Work accounts for 32.64% of all enrolments and 37.3% of all guided learning hours. This is due to the levels of Family Learning provision and the community learning focus of NLDC. Family Learning courses (especially FEML) tend to be longer courses

199. Preparation for life and work includes a range of Family Learning programmes, NLDC programmes including skills for jobs courses such as core skills for volunteers, community champions, women into work, assertiveness, confidence building and courses with embedded Skills for Life, such as cookery courses that embed numeracy and embroidery courses with embedded ESOL.

200. 7.46% of all HAFLS enrolments, and 12.06% of all planned GLH in 2012/13 were on ESOL courses, including Family language courses.

201. Preparation for Life and Work is the SSA with the most Guided Learning Hours (37.3% of the total) 202. HAFLS continues to build the relationship with the Health and Wellbeing team at HCC, and the

decision of the Curriculum Review that courses to improve people’s health and wellbeing reflect this 203. Although the figures below show the number of courses that can be related directly to an

improvement in Health and Wellbeing, many courses result in similar benefits for learners as an ancillary outcome – for example, older learners being able to lead more independent lives following courses on email and internet use.

204. In 2012/13 10.32% of all course instances and 12.06% of all enrolments were Health and Wellbeing related

205. In the table below Physical Health courses include Sport, Dance, Walking, Healthy Eating and Healthy Cookery courses. Personal Development courses include Acting/Drama, Art-Ability, Mind courses (not physical health), Confidence Building, PIP Pack, Family Finance, and Anger

Management VCS Colleges Other Course Instances Not H&W (N) 586 824 763 Physical Health (H) 27 17 1 Personal Development (D) 191 11 3 Total 804 852 767 N% 72.89% 96.71% 99.48% H% 3.36% 2.00% 0.13% D% 23.76% 1.29% 0.39% Enrolments Not H&W 4101 8069 4759 Physical Health 189 216 4 Personal Development 1789 99 24

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Total 6079 8384 4787

N% 67.46% 96.24% 99.42%

H% 3.11% 2.58% 0.08%

D% 29.43% 1.18% 0.50%

Who HAFLS learners are

206. The target groups HAFLS identified for 2011/12 were BME, Men, LD, Mental Health issues, Older Learners (60+ ), unemployed, and learners from the 3 districts with the lowest level of adults with level 2 qualifications or above.

207. Because of the way the upload of data works, we have not been able to capture unemployment data for colleges, so no analysis has been done on this cohort. However, they will continue to be a target for 20141/15

208. HAFLS service target for unemployed learners will be 17.7% 209. The learner targets for 2012/13 and the actuals were as follows:

Target Group Target % Actual %

% Male Learners 27% 27.32%

% Learners living in the 3 districts with the highest number of adults with below

level 2 qualifications 22% 24.76%

% Learners with LD 9% 15.59%

% Learner with Mental Health Difficulties 6% 10.42% % Learners who declared themselves

Unemployed 13% 28.96%

Maintenance Targets

% Learners from Ethnic Minorities 17% 14.46%

% Older Learners 21% 21.92%

% Learners from Target Wards 35% 37.9%

210. All calculations have been done stripping unknowns out of the equation

211. Currently, the SFA do not include Travellers as an ethnic group. Ethnic Minorities also do not include learners from “White Other” ethnic groups. 7.8% of HAFLS learners were from this group

212. For the first time for a few years, HAFLS exceeded the target for male engagement. However, this group still prove difficult to engage with, and need to remain a target for 2014/15

213. The number of carers recorded in 2012/13 was 561 enrolments and 355 learners. In 2011 these figures were 529 enrolments and 405 learners. This shows that fewer individual carers are being reached, but those that do engage tend to go on to more courses