Vision in our Sights?

• We have tested how far, and how quickly, the various elements of the strategy can be put in place within all parts of a complex urban system.

There are very few of the 52 strands of the strategy that we are not currently engaged in developing.

We have successfully:

• linked up a Birmingham and Solihull email strategy update group of key intermediaries
• provided a consistent diagnostic assessment tool across all major organisations
• improved the levels of resources across a broad range of organisations
• assisted organisations to prepare their own basic skills plans
• increased the networking between provider organisations
• linked city-wide developments with regional and national developments
• promoted take up of the new national tests in literacy and numeracy
• held a ‘springboard’ conference re ICT and adult basic skills, to help inform local and national ideas of ways forward
• brought the fragmentary approaches to ‘basic skills and young people’ into a more coherent set of developments
• increased participation and advised the local LSC on its targets
• worked via Job Centre Plus; via Probation Service; via youth organisations to create a stronger focus on basic skills
• supported planned extensions to family literacy/numeracy
• supported ESF programmes to target unemployed, offenders, refugees, low skill employees etc
• worked through health to reach mental health service clients
• commissioned a baseline survey of needs in localities
• supported work via Business link to reach large numbers of employees
• strengthened work via LearnDirect
• supported pre Connexions work, via ‘Connect’ project
• strengthened the role of the voluntary sector
• provided resources and staff training in libraries|
  
  
• We have been involved in most of the national development activities
  
  We have been linked into:
  • feedback on the new BBC basic skills website
  • feedback on nationally kitemarked materials
  • feedback on, and some trialling of, new assessment toolsestablishing the ‘Link Up’ volunteers/mentors programme for Birmingham
  • establishing, and delivering locally, the ‘Step Into Learning’ programme of training for managers of neighbourhood nurseries
  • we have established how quickly we can get all teachers of literacy and numeracy, trained to deliver the new curriculum and standards. This has included staff, however many hours they teach, in colleges, adult education, training providers, prison, and voluntary organisations. All staff in Birmingham and Solihull were trained by February 2002 (350 teachers across 57 organisations).
  • With Advantage West Midlands and the Basic Skills Agency, we are helping to develop training for vocational tutors in how to embed literacy and numeracy skills development into their vocational programmes.
  • We have trialled an increase in new models of delivering basic skills

In the six months from November 2001 to May 2002, 385 new learners were provided for via 60 hour intensive provision. The extra 20,880 learner hours needed the equivalent of an extra 1,530 teaching hours, from within the cohort of teachers already delivering high volumes of basic skills work. This, plus some trialling of residential basic skills work, has helped to inform national developments as well as shifting the pattern of provision locally.