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ESSENTIAL SKILLS FOR LIVING
Patricia Cochrane 24 February 2015
Essential Skills Strategy
In 1996 the International Adult Literacy Survey showed that one in four adults in Northern Ireland (NI)had low levels of literacy and numeracy.• In 2002 DEL launched the Essential Skills Strategy
with the aim of improving literacy and numeracy in the adult population in NI
• Essential Skills qualifications were introduced in literacy and numeracy from 2002
• ICT was introduced as a third Essential Skill in 2009
Five Key Strands
• Strong leadership• Common standards, common curriculum and
robust assessment and accreditation procedures• Quality in all aspects of provision• Diverse and flexible pathways• Strong promotional campaign to engage learners
Essential Skills
• Available from Entry Level through to Level 2 qualifications in Literacy and Numeracy
• Level 1 and 2 in ICT
• F E delivers Essential Skills courses free to all learners (over 60% of Essential Skills courses are delivered in FE)
• Essential Skills is embedded into DEL funded programmes such as Training for Success, ApprenticeshipNI
• Tutors must meet the qualification requirements to deliver Essential Skills
Other Achievements
• Well qualified tutor workforce• An effective framework and structure for the
delivery of Essential Skills• Well developed promotional campaign• Improvements in quality
Essential Skills Enrolments and Outcomes in Northern Ireland from 2002/03 up to 2013/14
Some key points• Over the past academic year, the number of enrolments decreased by
11.5% from 51,735 in 2012/13, to 45,792 in 2013/14
• Level 2 has generally been increasing with enrolments rising from 7% in 2002/03 to 41.9% in 2013/14
• The highest proportion of enrolments is in the 16-25 age group at 71.2%
• 27% of enrolments are from the most deprived areas, with only 8.9% of enrolments from the least deprived areas.
Progress to Date
• DEL is on track to achieve the Programme for Government target of 21,000 qualifications at level 2 and above by 2015. Key findings show there are high proportions of enrolments:
• in literacy • at level 2• from 16-18 age group• in deprived areas
International Survey of Adult Skills 2012
• Literacy levels have increased significantly since last measured in 2006
• But they are still below the OECD average• Our youngest cohort has literacy and numeracy
levels well below the OECD average• This is more marked for numeracy
Refresh of Essential Skills Strategy
• External evaluation• Refresh of current standards, curriculum and
assessment arrangements• Examination of international best practice• Joint research with DE on Essential Skills in schools• Joint work with DE on the Review of GCSE English
and maths
External Evaluation
• Impact of the programme on different cohorts of learners
• Effectiveness of Essential Skills in meeting the needs of learners and employers
• Identification of areas for improvement and options for taking the strategy forward based on international best practice
• Final report end of February 2015
Refresh of current standards, curriculum and assessment model
• Steering Group established to take the work forward chaired by DEL Quality Improvement Adviser
• Expert has been appointed to quality assure the work and provide advice based on international best practice
• Work in literacy due for completion by the end of April 2015
Review of GCSE English/maths
• Fundamental review of GCSE English and maths
• One of the recommendations is the need for a skills based qualifications at level 1 and 2 in English and maths to be developed for schools
• How do we ensure a consistent and integrated literacy and numeracy strategy across both departments to enable our young people to continue to develop these important skills and progress in their chosen career pathway?