Understanding the contribution of the third sector to Learning and Skills

1. Understanding the contribution of the third sector to Learning and Skills November 2009 Lorna Adams – Director Katie Oldfield – Associate Director Christoph Kőrbitz – Senior Project Manager Jessica Owens – Research Executive IFF Research 020 7250 3035

2. The research asked…

3. Research method

4. Third sector providers make an important contribution to overall learning and skills agenda through.... Attracting / engaging ‘hard to reach’ learners Holistic rather than funding-led offer Adding value to overcome more difficult starting point Employability skills and employment outcomes

5. What type of learning is provided?

6. The third sector engages ‘hard to reach’ learners who are more likely to be.... WBL learners have lowest prior achievement: 67% previously unemployed; 65% no L2 qualifications 36% of ESF learners and 23% of WBL learners 26% of WBL learners and15% of ESF learners WBL All All 45% of WBL learners live in the lowest 20% of areas in the Index of Multiple Deprivation 63% aged 16-18, against only 26% outside the Third Sector WBL ESF WBL

7. Achievement rates Source: ILR 2007/08 Third sector achievement rates in FE higher than non-third Sector across the board Young third sector learners secure comparable achievement rates in WBL / ESF but… Lower achievement rates for adults on WBL and ESF courses

8. Considerable time and effort is put into learner engagement… • Learners report that staff “treat them like equals”. Emphasis on class participation & 1-to-1support for • students who • need it. “They would go through what you have achieved, what you need to achieve…it was good for me because I like everything organised. I knew what my targets were and I knew what I had to do to achieve my targets.” “The tutors there were straight to the point, they were very helpful, broke everything down into stages so it was easy to understand.” Ongoing Feedback Teaching approach Flexibility • Offer personalised • combinations of • courses, Key Skills • and employability assistance. • Flexible starts and course lengths. • Learners visit the provider / tutor outside lessons Holistic offer • Initial assessments identify learners’ additional needs: • Literacy, numeracy or IT • Communication & team work • Referral to counsellors, welfare advisers or external agencies as needed

9. Employability skills & employment outcomes are key learner motivations... Providers Learners BUT some reported problems finding work placements

10. Learner journey: Emily, 22 “People might say it’s like going back to school, but it really wasn’t. Yes, we had to work, but they made it feel easy and straightforward as well”.

11. Provider feedback Providers with lower achievement rates tend to work with the most disadvantaged learners... ...and they want ‘added value’ metrics to reflect this. Concerned funding will be directed away from disadvantaged learners towards more ‘mainstream’ programmes e.g. Apprenticeships Need continuity of funding priorities to enable longer-term planning Seek more communication about how Third Sector provision will fit within the new SFA and YPLA

12. Questions?

13. MAIN FINDINGS QUESTIONS Third sector provision engages ‘hard to reach’ learners: Learners are up to twice as likely to be ethnically diverse; have a Learning Difficulty and or Disability (LLDD); resident in a deprived community, more likely to be unemployed and Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) and have lower prior qualification levels than in mainstream learning. This is dependent on the learning stream, but an example in WBL is that 45% of third sector learners live in deprived communities compared with 28% of learners from the other sectors. Learning supports paid work: In 2007/08, a fifth of Work Based Learners and just under a fifth of ESF learners found employment after their learning finished. This compares with 32% of learners using other non third sector provision, and given the higher number of disadvantaged learners, this compares very well. A substantial number of learners interviewed stated the experience and qualification gained with their Third Sector provider was directly related to finding a job. In which areas of government policy is it important to engage with hard to reach learners? Is this evidence useful to these government departments? How might this evidence be used? How can we use this evidence to help ensure that the third sector can access funding opportunities to support people during the recession? What more can be done to link the learning providers with possible employers for their learners?

14. MAIN FINDINGS QUESTIONS Developing employability skills: Around half of all learners interviewed felt that the course helped them develop their employability skills, such as job searching, how to write a professional CV, prepare for job interviews, improved confidence, assertiveness, people skills or team working. We understand that these skills are often additional to the course / learning aim, but that these employability skills as part of the overall offer from the sector. Overall achievement rates in the third sector compared to mainstream provisionare higher for FE, young people; black and minority ethnic groups; adults undertaking skills for life provision and LLDD. In adult skills for life learning in FE, there is a 77% achievement rate compared with 64% in mainstream provision. For LLDD, achievement rates within third sector FE are 88% compared with 73% in mainstream. The third sector is on average three percentage points higher in their achievement rates for young people in FE than mainstream (last year 76% achieved, compared with 73% of mainstream). In the black and minority ethnic FE learning population, last year there was an 85% achievement rate compared with 72% in mainstream. This is an example of the extra support given to learners by the third sector. Is it important, and if yes, how do we ensure that more of this type of work is undertaken? This information highlights the need to ensure that there is a level playing field for the third sector in delivering provision. What can we do about this?

15. MAIN FINDINGS QUESTIONS Re-engaging learners: Previously disaffected learners describe feeling able to engage with Third Sector provision due to the flexible approach to learning, approachable staff and one-to-one help they receive with both learning and personal issues. Many learners discover a new motivation to learn and find work and learner satisfaction with Third Sector courses is overall extremely high. The third sector provides a range of support to learners: According to our qualitative data, this includes one to one tutoring and mentoring; personal support; advice and guidance; financial and job seeking advice; and a route to other specialist agencies e.g. drug and alcohol support agencies as well as the public sector e.g. connexions and probation services. Individual learners report this support as important to their overall achievement, though the report is unable to evidence this. The third sector supports learners to complete their course “in their own time” and not at the expected average as defined by the funding regime. The sector reports concerns that this often leads to shortfalls in funding which have to be drawn down from other sources such as charitable trusts which are not consistently available to the sector. This is another example of the extra support given to learners by the third sector. Is it important, and if yes, how do we ensure that more of this type of work is undertaken? Should government agencies find ways to ensure that this additional support is recorded and reported on? In what way and to what end? Do we expect the third sector to fund this? If not, how can it be resolved?

16. Understanding the contribution of the third sector to Learning and Skills November 2009 IFF Research lorna.adams@iffresearch.com katie.oldfield@iffresearch.com IFF Research 020 7250 3035