2000/2003
		Contents Vision Estimate of need in Birmingham Aim: National and Birmingham Aspirations Scale and range of provision 3 Year Objectives Monitoring and co-ordination Annual Operating Plan Action Plan Push Forward Evaluation Framework

3 Year Objectives

	Achieve 15% reduction in level of need, by 2003 The strategic and business plans of key organisations in Birmingham make reference to a need to develop increased amounts of work with people without qualifications; refugees and asylum seekers; young disengaged people; ex-offenders and those within the youth offending system; low skill workers; particular communities that are under represented in the workforce or who are not taking up training opportunities; young people leaving care; people who are homeless or have drug/alcohol dependency; people with disabilities. All of these target groups are traditionally associated with lower than average levels of basic skills. In addition to these planned expansions in provision a number of new mechanisms are being introduced that will increase, annually, the numbers whose basic skills are addressed: a) From 1/4/00 every offender’s pre-sentencing report is required to make a statement about the person’s level of basic skills. The Youth Offending Service will undertake developments to increase levels of basic skills awareness and initial assessment. b) The range of personal advisers associated with the variety of gateways being put in place will be trained re basic skills; this, plus curriculum and staff development work within New Deal, youth service and careers programmes, will lead to higher rates of achievement via established programmes for young people. This will be supported by the introduction of the national test (and its “quick test” version) within such programmes. c) Birmingham and Solihull TEC have developed an employer basic skills development plan, which identifies as key elements: linking employers with external advisers; the skilling of company intermediaries (including union learning representatives); increasing employer awareness; strengthening the basic skills knowledge of business advisers etc. d) The number of Learndirect and other ICT centres, including learning centres on employers premises, is planned to increase over the next 3 years. These centres are increasingly being networked with other grids for learning. This will soon enable basic skills materials to be widely distributed through inter-connected networks. e) The Health Authority will undertake work to link health improvement target work with basic skills. f) There is a planned increase, via the Standards Fund, of school based family literacy and family numeracy courses. New models of family literacy/numeracy will be developed that are library research-skills led; workplace led; further education led. g) The attention being given to enhancing basic skills achievement within all vocational and prevocational training programmes will bring more bridging activity, more focused assessment tools, based on the new standards, and staff/curriculum development to improve rates of success. h) Providers in Birmingham are identifying basic skills as growth curriculum targets, using the expansion of FEFC funding for mainstream community based learning, and additional resources to target non participating groups. i) The need to increase diversity of provision will continue to require a number of new pilot activities. These will include the introduction of intensive, context-focused provision to meet the specific needs of adults with higher levels of basic skills. j) The Basic Skills Agency have recommended a national promotional strategy to the DfEE. Linking this to local promotions will stimulate some of the 83,200 higher basic skills group to find ways to rapidly meet their own basic skills needs by a variety of self-supported means. Library services, and others, are equipping themselves with ICT and basic skills resources to be able to offer such support. Increase the range and diversity of basic skills support by 2003 There will be a push to promote “basic skills and their impact” not only within specific opportunities such as Adult Learners Week but also via a more sustained local campaign; in an attempt to galvanise people who don’t think they have basic skills needs. Basic skills activities will need to be inserted into a wide range of other activities. Each existing city strategy is being reviewed for its potential as a vehicle for basic skills. This means that an increase in the variety of basic skills provision will arise from the base of voluntary sector capacity building, community safety, corporate approaches to work with young people, area regeneration, the increased range of activities under the new Deal banner, health improvement processes etc. The probation service, health authority trusts and social housing associations are establishing approaches that include addressing basic skills needs of service users and key roles of service intermediaries. Basic skills will also be promoted through the range of regeneration activities by linking basic skills with capacity building activities. Much of the provision is still annual programmes of small numbers of hours/week. There needs to be increased clarity, within such provision, concerning curriculum level, target group, lesson structure etc. Following the Basic Skills Agency consultancy, in September 1999, it is clear that voluntary sector organisations need to play a more substantial role in promoting and meeting basic skills needs, but that they need to be strengthened to do so. A programme of infrastructure development is being planned with voluntary and community organisations, via Birmingham Voluntary Service Council and Birmingham and Solihull TEC. The development of ICT centres in Birmingham and the extensive distribution systems being put in place mean that the time is right to expand the anywhere/anytime approach to basic skills learning. There is a willingness of organisations in Birmingham to work together to give learners wider access to interactive materials. The approach to meeting the wider range of needs will include the development of menus of opportunities appropriate to different target groups. These will include the enhanced meeting of basic skills needs through: short courses for specific purposes intensive programmes which deliver a substantial number of hours of learning in a short time, for a clear purpose open and flexible learning, to support ICT/online basic skills in a variety of learning centres New Deal and other programmes for unemployed workplace programmes, including trade union programmes college and Adult Education literacy and numeracy courses using the new curriculum to structure teaching and learning programmes targeting particular groups of young people basic skills support on further education and training programmes family literacy and numeracy programmes basic skills courses within the community pilot/demonstration activities that will create sustainable new approaches Birmingham will need to draw on a balanced range of all of these opportunities in order, after 3 years to produce an annual total of 15,000 basic skills learners. Increase the quality of basic skills support for learners by 2003 Organisations across Birmingham are working towards standards that relate to the elements of the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark. The intention is that all organisations covered by this plan have achieved, or are working towards, recognised standards in basic skills delivery by 2003. To support these moves to increase the quality of basic skills, delivery organisations will be responding to national changes, such as access to a national regime of tutor training re the new adult curriculum. At the same time a menu of customised support opportunities will be available during the next 3 years. These opportunities will include: ICT support for basic skills; widened access to appropriate software support for gaining the Basic Skills Agency Quality Mark resource boxes to support basic skills in different contexts support for implementing the details of the new curriculum and assessment in various settings staff development for part-time tutors and staff working in detached settings basic skills awareness, initial assessment, and increased access to national qualifications for tutors curriculum development activities related to basic skills in specific contexts (citizenship; health; financial management etc) access to basic skills on-line training training for key intermediaries and paraprofessionals It is anticipated that more than 300 staff per year will access these forms of support. One major infrastructure issue facing delivery organisations is the availability of adequate numbers of skilled tutors. There will be a major programme of developing adequate numbers of volunteers, tutors and learning support workers to match the planned expansion of numbers. This will be done through use of the new Basic Skills Online programme, through the training of key intermediaries (including Union Learning Reps) and a supported expansion of new volunteer and tutor training, matching the new tutor training standards as far as possible. It is intended to train 300 new staff over the three year period.