Launched in 2001, the 'Skills for Life' Government strategy aims to improve the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and basic ICT skills was included as a third area of adult basic skills alongside literacy and numeracy within the Skills for Life programme. All the literacy, English for speakers of other languages and numeracy provision is based on national standards, backed up by a core curricula and national qualifications. The Government wanted to integrate these skills within workplace-based vocational programmes, as it was felt that literacy, language and numeracy skills at the appropriate level can be embedded and developed more effectively through vocational programmes. Over time, the intention is to converge support for adult basic skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT into the wider programme of support to help adults get the foundation skills for employability, so that those foundation skills will contain a core of key skills alongside other sector-specific and general skills.

The DfES has a Skills for Life Strategy Unit that is seeking to facilitate the learning of basic skills through the workplace. The thrust of this policy comes from the main objectives of the Skills Strategy white paper and links to the development of a number of work-related teaching and learning projects designed to support the development of adult basic skills. Skills for Life interventions were to be developed through Employer Training Pilots (ETPs). The 'Platform for Progression: Employer Training Pilots Year 2 Evaluation Report' was produced by Jim Hillage, George Loukas, Becci Newton and Penny Tamkin (2004). It highlights that completion is affected by learner, provider and area factors:

'We have identified three sets of factors that appear to affect completion:

• There are a range of learner-related factors. Learners who are older, male, do not have a disability, work flexibly (ie part-time or on a night-shift) have lower (but at least some) prior attainment and are not a member of a union have, statistically, the greatest chances of completion. Obviously some of these factors, eg union membership, are related to other characteristics (such as size of workplace or sector, although we have looked at these separately and found no statistically significant relationship with completion).
• There are also course-related factors. For example, learners doing an NVQ in leisure and sport, hospitality or manufacturing had the highest chances of completion while those on business administration, health and social care or transportation related courses had the lowest tendency to complete (so far, as some will still be in learning). We also found that the odds of completing a course were statistically lower for learners with colleges than those with non-college providers.
• Area-related factors exist too. Some pilot areas have much higher completion rates than others which seems to relate to their approach, eg those with the higher completion rates tend to be those that concentrate most on initial assessment. Other local factors that appear, at least anecdotally, to affect completion rates include the availability and extent of employer support. (pp xiii - xiv).

Development activities undertaken within the Skills for Life Programme

One DfES-funded project extends and enhances BSA’s paper-based Getting the basics right in…. booklets, which map the adult literacy and numeracy standards to a range of occupational standards by working with a selection of National Training Organisations/Sector Skills Councils. The on-line maps are intended for use in training and development for staff within each sector.

Interactive versions for all curricula are now available, including the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Core Curricula with Access for All, the Adult ESOL Core Curriculum and the Adult Pre-entry Curriculum Framework for Literacy and Numeracy, can be accessed from the DfES readwriteplus website.

Screening is used to find out whether or not someone might have a literacy, language or numeracy need and the Fast Track Screening Tools for Literacy and Numeracy have been updated and new materials for ESOL screening have been developed.

Information on initial assessment, learning materials for Entry 1-3 and Levels 1-2 for Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL are available from the Read Write Plus website.

ESOL screening and assessment tools have also been developed and are available on the NATECLA ESOL Skills for Life website.

DfES commissioned LSDA and NIACE to clarify and illustrate the key ways of thinking about dyslexia and the range of teaching and learning approaches used with adult dyslexic learners. Tutors and learners were interviewed to obtain feedback on their experience of using different approaches, their view of successful outcomes, how they monitor success and on what would support them in using a range of appropriate approaches. Case studies and support materials have been produced. A Framework for Understanding Dyslexia is now available, providing general information on the nature of dyslexia, a review of theories about dyslexia, an overview of approaches and programmes used by specialists who support dyslexic learners and a resources section.

The DfES commissioned LSDA to deliver the Planning Learning and Reporting Achievement (PLRA) project. Its objective was to develop trial guidance and materials to support teachers and learners in the process of planning learning, recording progress and reporting achievements in ESOL, literacy and numeracy. The results of the PLRA project are available on the readwriteplus website.

The DfES and the LSC commissioned NIACE to deliver a project on Embedded Literacy, Numeracy and ESOL. The project developed a definition what is meant by embedded ESOL, literacy, numeracy, made recommendations about effective models of embedded literacy, numeracy and ESOL courses/provision and identified funding issues in relation to embedded literacy, numeracy and ESOL provision. The project’s final report, which outlined the findings of the 35 action research projects, is being used in phase 3 of the project. Phase 3 is being taken forward by the National Research and Development Centre and is developing close links with ABSSU’s new embedded learning materials project and the work of the DfES Standards Unit. Phase 3 will produce practical guidance related to the embedding of learning in a range of vocational, recreational and community contexts.

Summary of aims of Skills for Life interventions in the Employer Training Pilots

The interventions were intended to:

• Provide an understanding of the interdependencies between literacy, numeracy and vocational qualifications by developing support materials in an easy to understand format, contextualised to key occupational sectors. Outcomes will be one leaflet for use by employers and intermediaries and one leaflet for employees.
• Carry out an audit to identify and review good practice in using the Employer Toolkit, with reference to the skills and knowledge needed by intermediaries in supporting employers. The development of a simple and accessible "How to use the Toolkit" together with guidelines on its most effective use for engagement and achievement.
• Promote impartial advice and guidance to increase access to and understanding of the National Tests through the development of a package of advice and guidance for employers on the potential use of on-site test centres, together with on-screen assessment.
• Provide access to sponsors and mentors by the development and piloting of a training programme with associated materials. The resulting trained mentors to facilitate engagement and learning in the workplace.
• Provide intermediaries with knowledge and skills on the screening process to enable them to support a greater uptake of customised workplace programmes through development of materials, including web-based materials.
• Work with the TUC to deliver a short course for Union Learning Representatives in understanding and working with Employer Training Pilots.
• Build provider capacity through the development of a short-term initiative aimed at both FE and Work-based Learning Providers. Set up a small number of pilots to test effective approaches together with delivery framework and associated materials.
• Raise awareness of higher Skills for Life needs and engage learners to work for level 2 achievement. Develop and trial training packages.
• Development of a model to engage SMEs, by the provision of a guidance document covering the key issues, specific challenges and creative solutions identified in good practice models of engagement and achievement.
• Co-ordination and effective dissemination of all ETP successful interventions. Facilitation of regular Working Together Events. Provision of an ETP newsletter together with CD ROM to include good practice interventions examples and exemplar materials.