Successful Futures? Community views on adult education and training

Citation

(2001), "Successful Futures? Community views on adult education and training", Education + Training, Vol. 43 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2001.00443bad.002

Successful Futures? Community views on adult education and training

Books

Successful Futures? Community views on adult education and training

Helen Bowman, Tom Burden and John KonradISBN 1 902633 89 X; Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Keywords: Adult education, Training needs, Interviews

This report should be required reading for the myriad of people and agencies who trot out simplistic formulas about the role education and training can play in tackling social exclusion or within policy on employment. It deals a blow to New Labour's social policy because, as the authors conclude:

… the system breaks down in our study because it makes assumptions about how and why individuals incorporate education and training in their lives and about how employers appoint people that are not consistent with our interviewees' experiences.

Based on a study conducted in an area of social disadvantage in the north of England the research report attempts to explain participation and non-participation in education and training through an exploration of people's notions of "successful futures". The report is based upon qualitative methodology. As a result they use the voices of their respondents to illustrate the complex, and often contradictory, characteristics of their perceptions surrounding the role of education, training and work in the context of their lives. The data discussed suggest that classification of people into categories such as "participants" and "non-participants", "learners" and "non-learners" is an over-simplification and that these dualisms do not reflect the reality of actual life in such a community.

Although young people were not a specific focus of the study the stories relayed from some of the youngsters interviewed illustrate powerfully some of the contradictory influences at play in people's beliefs about, and experiences of, the relationship between education, training and work. Many held strongly to a belief that education was important for work and in particular in relation to the quality of working life. However, a combination of a confusing qualifications system and experiences which questioned its legitimacy provide a contradictory influence. As one young person recounted:

When I passed my NVQ2 in IT – I went to an employer with my certificate and he said "do you know the real meaning of NVQ?". I said "no – what's that?" He says "Not Very Qualified – now bugger off".

The experience of youngsters "doing schemes" certainly lends support to other qualitative studies (e.g. Hyland and Musson, E&T, Vol. 43 No. 1) that suggest, importantly, that the experience of New Deal for socially disadvantaged youngsters may contrast sharply with the proclamations of success elsewhere.

Despite a short section on policy implications the report raises more questions than it answers. However, there can be no doubting that a key message is that policy, in such a context, needs to be situated in the reality of social life and experience; localised and specific, even if this does mean abandoning some "sacred cows" on the way.

Successful Futures is based on research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. This particular publication is part of the Work and Opportunity series which brings together the latest research findings and policy recommendations related to the future of employment in the UK.