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Chapter 8: Education and Training Issues in Donegall Pass
Rob Mark
Executive Summary
Key Findings and Recommendations
Chapter 1: Introduction and Background to the Study
Chapter 2: Population Statistics: Belfast and Donegall Pass, 1971-2001
Chapter 3: Internal Migration and Community Dynamics
Chapter 4: Housing and the Environment
Chapter 5: Health and Wellbeing
Chapter 6: Children and Young People
Chapter 7: Education in Context
Chapter 9: The Role of Community in Regeneration
Appendix 1 Donegall Pass Profile
Appendix 2 Focus Group Topics/Questions
Appendix 3 Recruitment Form
CHAPTER EIGHT - EDUCATION AND TRAINING ISSUES IN DONEGALL PASS
Key Points
- There is a need to establish a local learning community. Learning communities reflect an emphasis of Government on community engagement. Learning is a voluntary activity and requires active engagement of residents if it is to be meaningful.
- There is a need to provide education which will attract new learners into education.
- There is a need to provide information, support and guidance to promote wider involvement in adult learning. Although learning may have many benefits, it is not for everyone. Some people can’t find a way into what is sometimes regarded as a complicated and confusing education system.
- There is a need to provide ongoing support for existing learning activities and for new opportunities based on local needs.
- There is a need to bridge the gap between mainstream providers and local people through the developing and strengthening of local networks. Supporting a bottom-up approach which ensures local residents and local voluntary and community organisations are fully involved in making decisions about learning in the locality is paramount.
- There is a need to identify appropriate funding mechanisms to enable learning to happen. The rules of financial aid tend not to work well for adults learners and for many the financial barriers to participation are too high. Increased investment in the form of direct financial support for learners is needed as well as new flexible, holistic approaches to meeting needs of adult learners.
Introduction and Background
In recent years there has been much rhetoric around the need to engage adults in lifelong learning. In an economy where skill needs are constantly changing, adults need to have access to learning opportunities throughout their lives and to contribute to the knowledge-based economy and the development of communities in Northern Ireland.
The needs for such learning opportunities have never been so great in disadvantaged communities where there is a need for those with lower levels of educational attainment to have the opportunity to improve their skills for life and work. In an ageing society, it is important that everyone has a chance to make a contribution to the development of the economy and their communities. The contribution of learning and skills to greater prosperity and social inclusion is firmly rooted in Government policies on sustainable development. A Government Report in Northern Ireland, noted that:
‘Lifelong Learning can make a major contribution to economic development and to healing the divisions that exist in society. It will contribute to social cohesion, help communities to respond to social and economic change, and help address the problems of exclusion among those in our society who, for one reason or another, feel isolated or disaffected.’ (DEL 1999, p. 2).
In this section of the report, the education profile of adults living in the Donegall Pass, as measured by qualifications held, is identified and examined. The kind of formal and non-formal education activities currently available for local residents is also examined. The views of community workers, church leaders and other adults whose views were sought through a survey on adult education and lifelong learning are reported and some recommendations for future development are made later in ‘visions for the future’.
Findings on Education and Training for Adults
Population Profile of Donegall Pass
The National Census (2001) shows that the Donegall Pass area is made up of 1,076 people of whom 881 (almost 96% of the population) are over the age of 16. Two hundred and sixty-eight people (approximately 25%) of the population, are also of pensionable age. The average age is 40.7 years compared with 35.8 years in Northern Ireland. While the majority of the population in Donegall Pass come from the Protestant Community (approximately 79%), it could also be described as an ethnically mixed area, with approximately 4.7% of the population (53 persons) coming from the Chinese community. This compares to a Northern Ireland average of 0.25%. The area is made up of 53% female. The unemployment rate is 6.%, slightly higher than the Northern Ireland average of 4%. Almost half of those who are unemployed (45%) are long term unemployed.
Educational profile of the area
Education census data reveal that almost 55% of the population have no qualification, compared to 42% in Belfast. The numbers of people without qualifications also increases with age (18% over 45 and 19% of those over pensionable age). Approximately 15% of the population have a degree, half that of neighbouring South Belfast which stands at 33%. While there is no data available on the extent of participation in adult education in the area, interviews in this study have shown that very few adults engage in any kind of formal education activity. Few adults who participated in interviews for this study also indicated any kind of interest in adult learning. The fact that so many have no qualifications would suggest that education is not highly valued and that adverse school experiences coupled with low levels of motivation may contribute to very few adults having any real desire to participate in education.
The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) revealed that approximately 24% of the adult population in Northern Ireland have reading and writing problems. While no specific data exist for Donegall Pass, many adults living in the area are thought to have literacy and basic skills needs and interviews with adult groups and with community workers in this study reinforce this widely held opinion which points towards the need for the further development of accessible basic education for adults.
The population profile reveals an aging population with few qualifications. There is a problem of long term unemployment and a sizeable ethnic Chinese population whose educational needs do not seem to be catered for.
Educational facilitates for adults in the area
Donegall Pass is located near to a number of providers of formal education that includes a further education college, a university and local schools. Courses offered by all of these providers do not generally appeal to the local adult population. Some schools in the locality have attempted to engage with adults - for example, programmes offered at Botanic Primary School have attempted to get parents involved with the school, but this has not yet been extended to the Donegall Pass area
Courses at colleges tend to be vocational or skill-based in orientation. Courses have been offered in subjects such as forklift truck training and construction skills. While such courses may appeal to some men they often don’t have an across the board appeal to young people in the area who have had bad experiences at school and who feel alienated and excluded in their local environment. Women tend to be more willing to come forward and join activities with few men reported as getting involved in educational activities.
The area is also located within the catchment area of other providers of non-formal adult learning such as the Worker’s Educational Association and the Ulster People’s College. While these organisations each provide a range of educational opportunities aimed at encouraging adults with few qualifications to get involved in education, these organisations have not been particularly active in the development of new types of non-formal educational opportunities in the area. Other bodies such as the Churches and organisations such as the Orange Order provide social and recreational activities of an educational nature.
Formal and Non-formal Provision
Interviews with staff working in the field of community development in Donegall Pass indicated that educational opportunities available to local people were of the formal type provided largely by institutions such as the Belfast Further & Higher Education College and Queen’s University. The courses offered were often not suitable for a variety of reasons, e.g., lack of entry qualifications, lack of finance or lack of appeal. Many of the courses were not seen as appealing to groups such as the young or old. Commenting on the need to engage with younger people one community worker commented:
‘we need to get away from just offering stuff.. the important thing is to identify with the parents themselves what their barriers are discussing education with them in its broadest sense.’:
The CATER programme, operated by the South Belfast Partnership Board, is an example of a programme which seeks to build links between local communities, parents and schools and, in so doing, building relationships and partnerships, which could potentially enable parents to become more actively involved in local schools and in their children's education. The project has sought to do this by making contact with local parents through the school and local community organisations. It has built relationships by finding out the needs of parents, e.g., lack of IT skills, which was often a barrier to helping their children and providing suitable training and support needs like childcare. Other 'capacity building' courses have been offered including 'Read to Succeed,' ‘ Helping Children with Maths’ and ‘Parents as Co-educators’. Many of the women who took these initial courses at Botanic School subsequently enrolled in other educational courses, became local volunteers or are now involved in local community activities. This programme is an example of a partnerships which encouraged engagement in the community.
There have been some attempts to offer other community courses based on local needs, e.g., information technology, community leadership and lobbying skills. However, such courses have only had a limited success and in some cases have had to be cancelled due to a lack of interest.
These are isolated examples of community orientated learning activities designed to promote informal learning in the community. However, they were often designed without full consultation with the local community and are not located as part of a wider plan for community regeneration that has been negotiated with and developed by local people. However well intentioned, if local residents and their representatives are not fully involved with the development of such provision, the likelihood of these courses being supported and ultimately providing a powerful tool for change seems remote.
Some of those interviewed spoke of the need to link education to community issues and to a community plan for the area that people could buy into. Others spoke of a feeling of frustration and powerlessness which local existed (sic) in the area. Issues that need to be examined included the right to better health care, the environment and road plans. These issues provide potential starting points for a range of non-formal educational programmes. Interviews indicated that many in the community felt the need to challenge the plans of government agencies that were often developed without any real local consultation, but few had the confidence or skills to do so.
The funding of programmes was also seen as a problem. Often learning requires one-to-one provision such as is required in basic education or for small groups. This can be a useful way of developing educational activities to increase demand for informal education and which may lead to involvement in other formal accredited programmes (though not necessarily so).
Managing the process of change
In 2003, in the Government’s White Paper on ‘Skills’ proposed setting up learning communities to try and find new ways of making learning more accessible, especially in the most disadvantaged communities. In England, twenty-eight learning communities were set up, supported by regional government partners and the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). The aim was:
‘To develop sustainable approaches which use learning and skills development to connect adults together and to promote social cohesion, regeneration and economic development through active involvement of all parts of the community.’ (Yarnit 2006:11)
This initiative was a comprehensive integrated attempt to improve educational and employment outcomes and to break down traditional divides between skills and vocational education and to promote learning for neighbourhood renewal. The initiatives also promoted links between all types of providers, including employers and the voluntary and community sector and links between the various providers of regional development. In particular, they have promoted the direct involvement of residents in helping themselves in the most deprived communities.
Initial findings suggest that local partnerships which encourage the development of learning communities can make a real difference. Community-based learning has obvious benefits for communities. It brings learning and employment opportunities within reach, making them enjoyable, responsive and fulfilling. Encouraging the development of learning communities has therefore many benefits and Government initiatives have encouraged the ongoing development of education through the development of local initiatives seeking to promote skills, learning and employment. Such policies can bring social and economic benefits through improvements in service delivery and thus reducing the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged areas.
The need for ongoing partnerships in the development of adult leaning programmes and partnerships which involve all the stakeholders, i.e., policy makers, regional agencies, employers, community managers, voluntary and community organisation managers and local people, is paramount if the educational needs of the local community are to be realised and if local people are to be able to make a real contribution to the social and economic development of their communities as well as fulfilling their own personal educational needs.
Visions for the future: some key issues for the promotion of adult learning in Donegall Pass
Recommendation 1: There is a need to establish a local learning community
Learning communities reflect an emphasis of Government on community engagement. Learning is a voluntary activity and requires active engagement of residents if it is to be meaningful. Ensuring that current investment in local initiatives generates real returns with a lasting impact on mainstream services and deprivation is a major concern of funding bodies, politicians and local people. Experience from ‘Learning Testbeds’ in England would suggest that the best way to do this is to develop two-way relationships between local and regional bodies and partnerships and the emerging learning communities.
In Donegall Pass, there is a need to establish a sustainable learning community which will encourage local engagement in learning and education. Speaking about the value of learning communities, the Government notes ‘a learning community will be an aspiring and ambitious community where people are motivated and want to learn and where people and organisations provide mutual support to help each other learn and raise the local employment skills base’ (DfES, 2003, quoted in Yarnit, 2006).
Recommendation 2: There is a need to provide education which will attract new learners into education.
Magill & Morgan (2001) note that to draw many of the learning poor into education, confidence needs to be boosted. They note three areas which can make a real impact in widening participation - a co-ordinated effort to improve standards of literacy and numeracy, a greater investment in community education and the creation of organic links between community groups and the resources of the statutory sector and open and distance education and appropriate use of ICT. In Donegall Pass, effective ways of changing the aspirations of adults and children in relation to their learning and life chances need to be found.
Recommendation 3: There is a need to provide information, support and guidance to promote wider involvement in adult learning
Learning may have many benefits, but not for everyone. Some people can’t find a way into a complicated and confusing education system. For many returning to education involves a tremendous commitment of time, money and effort. Despite the rhetoric around lifelong learning there are few programmes available to adults who wish to update their skills.
The setting up of a local partnership to identify local need and to plan and co-ordinate services offered by learning providers, like colleges and schools, could be a first step to meeting local educational needs and encouraging real engagement with local residents. Such a partnership could also contribute to other activities, such as the development of local guidance services which might be developed in co-operation with the Northern Ireland Educational Guidance Service for Adults (EGSA).
The need to promote learning opportunities through a visible local learning centre or shop front backed up by a local promotional campaign involving the local press could provide a new and innovative way of involving adults in education & learning.
Recommendation 4: There is a need to provide ongoing support for existing learning activities and for new opportunities based on local needs.
In Northern Ireland the lifelong learning strategy emphasises:
‘the development of basic and key skills in the context of skills, knowledge and understanding essential for employability and fulfilment’ (DEL 1999, p1).
There is a need for a co-ordinated learning programme to be developed to include taster or introductory courses and family learning programmes which can bring members of the community together to learn, including parents, grandparents and children. Such programmes should include learning opportunities in basic skills, including literacy, numeracy and computer skills. To meet the needs of the growing ethnic communities there is also a need to provide help in learning English for Speakers of Other Languages ( ESOL). In developing such programmes the needs of special groups, such as the elderly, ethnic minorities, ex-prisoners should be considered and these groups should be consulted to determine the most appropriate way forward.
Such programmes can provide a pathway for developing people’s skills for work, helping them into sustainable employment or helping them to work towards a Level 2 ‘Skills for Life’ qualification to which they have an entitlement.
Recommendation 5: There is a need to develop and strengthen local learning networks
There is a need to bridge the gap between mainstream providers and local people through the developing and strengthening of local networks. Supporting a bottom-up approach, which ensures local residents and local voluntary and community organisations are fully involved in making decisions about learning in the locality, is paramount.
There is a need to look at local providers in the Donegall Pass area to see how they can help with the development of learning opportunities in the area. For example, local schools might look at how they could encourage parental and intergenerational involvement in schools and funding agencies should look at how they can support such activities. The local college and university might also look at how they can more effectively engage with local communities – for example, through providing facilities for learning and through providing training and support for development workers, etc.
Recommendation 6: There is a need to identify appropriate funding mechanisms to enable learning to happen
The rules of financial aid tend not to work well for adult learners and, for many, the financial barriers to participation are too high. Increased investment in the form of direct financial support for learners is needed as well as new flexible, holistic approaches to meeting needs of adult learners. For example, the assessment and recognition of prior learning is also potentially an important tool for encouraging the participation of adult learners, yet this is not widely known or used in Northern Ireland. (Coarradi, Evans & Valk, 2006)
The need to identify and align funding streams to enable learning to take place is paramount to success. Such mechanisms should also demonstrate any scope for making better uses of existing resources. Often modest sums of money can make a real difference to the lives of individuals.
Conclusion
It is well documented that learning systems are complex, difficult to navigate and pose numerous barriers for the less-educated adults who would like to improve their skills. By developing new collaborative partnerships for learning local communities and neighbourhoods can develop new and sustainable futures. Lifelong learning can be a powerful tool in promoting economic development, for personal fulfilment and for social cohesion. Through the development of quality partnerships and through effective planning and collaboration, neighbourhoods can be developed and community cohesion and citizenship engagement promoted. Through establishing what has worked as a permanent feature of mainstream provision and by linking services together, success can be embedded for the good of all in Donegall Pass.
References
Corradi, C, Evans, N & Valk, E. (2006) Recognising Experiential Learning, Tartu: Tartu University Press.
Department for Employment and Learning (1999) Lifelong Learning: a New Learning Culture for All, Belfast: DEL.
Department for Employment and Learning (2002) Essential Skills for Living: Equipped for the Future: Building for Tomorrow. A Framework and Consultation Paper on Adult Literacy. Belfast: DEL.
Department for Education & Skills(DfES) (2003) White Paper: Skills for the 21st Century. London: DfES.
McGill, P., & Morgan, M. (2001) Ireland’s learning Poor: Adult Educational Disadvantage and Cross-Border Co-operation. Queen’s University Belfast: Centre for Cross Border Studies. Available at http://www.crossborder.ie/research/learningpoorhome.php, last accessed on 22/06/808
McGivney, V. (2004) Working with Excluded Groups: guidelines on good practice for providers and policy makers in working with groups underrepresented in adult learning. Leicester: NIACE.
Moser Report (1999) Improving Literacy & Numeracy A Fresh Start. London: DEL
Myres, K & Broucke, P (2006) Too Many Left behind: Canada’s Adult Education and training System. Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc. available at www.http://www.cprn.org, last accessed on 22/06/08
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2005). Northern Ireland Census Analyser: The National Census (2001), available at http://www.nicensus2001.gov.uk/nica/common/home.jsp., last accessed on 22/06/08
Yarnit, M. (2006) Building Local Initiatives for learning, skills and employment: testbed learning communities reviewed. Department for Learning and Skills and National Institute for Adult & Continuing Education Leicester: NIACE .
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