Tuesday 26 February 2008

Older People and Informal Learning: how is adult learning for older people to be supported?

NIACE Conference
Wednesday 9 April 2008

10:00-15:20
Abbey Community Centre
34 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BU
Delegate fee: £50 per person (includes lunch, NIACE does not charge VAT)


This conference will give participants the opportunity to discuss issues which the government's recent consultative paper on informal learning raises for older people, and to shape their organisation's response.


John Gibson from DIUS will outline the paper and the process of consultation and NIACE's Associate Director for Older Learners, Stephen McNair will comment on the potential implications for older learners.

Audience
The event will be of interest to practitioners, policy makers, providers of learning opportunities, agencies supporting older people and advocates for older people.

Full conference programme from NIACE Conferences


Reserve your place at the website above, tel: 0116 204 2833 or email gurjit.kaur@niace.org.uk


Background
In January 2008 the government issued a consultative paper on informal learning. It suggests that government needs to focus its funding for adult learning strategically, to ensure the maximum value for limited resources. It is a major and radical attempt to review how Government supports adult learning, including learning for older people.
The paper suggests that we may be trapped in an outdated model of adult learning, based too much on formal classrooms and publicly funded programmes, and that a more, effective strategy might involve making the service more learner led, with a stronger infrastructure of to organise services, rather than directly subsidising courses themselves.
Individuals and organisations are invited to make their own responses to DIUS, and ministers are holding a number of invitation events to discuss particular issues.

Aims
To support the consultation, NIACE is organising this conference specifically to discuss the implications and issues for older learners (broadly people from ages 50-100+). Participants will be given the chance to discuss the opportunities and risks which the paper raises, to identify models of good practice and to help shape their own, and their organisation's response to the consultation.


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