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Learning Community Profile Swansea UK 2010 Information Partner name and country + team contact name Swansea University (SU), Dept of Adult Continuing Education (DACE)Wales Judith James & Jean Preece City & County of Swansea (CCS),Lifelong Learning Service UK – Judith Porch Please name and define the community you wish to approach in Xploit (the defined community will be referred to all along the questions below) Together with our partners in the Swansea Learning Partnership, our role is to provide Adult Learning opportunities for the Swansea area, targeting groups from the most disadvantaged areas. We represent the Higher Education (HE) or University provision & the provision made by the Local Authority. Background: Swansea grew to importance in the Industrial revolution of the late 18th century & throughout the 19th, with iron, copper, zinc, tinplate & coal mining industries and a busy port to facilitate movement of coal & metals. Migration to Wales from Ireland & the United Kingdom swelled the population. In the 20th century the traditional heavy industries declined sharply, bringing mass unemployment in the 20s & 30’s, and after the second world war coal, iron and steel continued to decline and more and more collieries were closed. Although light industry was encouraged there remains a legacy of high unemployment in the welsh valleys, where coal once created wealth The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) started up the Communities First initiative to work in the 100 most disadvantaged communities in Wales in 2002. The programme is designed to increase participation and develop the capacity of Welsh communities to make decisions and run projects. The programme was established by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for Social Justice and Regeneration The Swansea Learning Partnership focuses its work in Communities First areas. . The current challenges on economic inactivity & unemployment, facing Swansea & the surrounding area are summarised in the table below: Pockets of high unemployment (e.g. 7.8% in Townhill & Penderry) are found in Communities First areas in Swansea & .in the ex coalfield areas– Employment Employment Economically Economic (aged 16 & Rate Inactivity inactive over)
(working age)
(working age)
Rate
Swansea: Total Men Women
97,600 51,600 46,000
64.9% 68.7% 61.1%
41,600 15,900 25,700
28.4% 21.8%
Wales
1,293,100
66.5%
517,000
27.3%
United Kingdom
28,715,600
70.2%
9,446,100
23.7%
34.9%
Also Wales, as a whole, has more people (nearly a quarter) working in the public sector than the UK in general, & so will suffer more from current Governmentplanned cuts in expenditure. Our target community are residents who are 16+, the economically inactive,
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unemployed & under-employed particularly from these deprived communities. This includes sub groups eg NEETs, young people Not in Employment, Education or Training The elderly, who are often not digitally literate Refugees & asylum seekers who have been dispersed to Swansea since 2002 Single parents Those with poor previous experience of education, often without qualifications People with disabilities Links to statistics: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=14868 http://www.communities-first.org/eng/resources/ http://www.swansea.gov.uk/media/pdf/5/q/Swansea_Economic_Profile_Nov10.pdf http://www.learningobservatory.com/wales-employment-skills-boardwesb/#ascdocs Please describe your reasons for this choice These groups all have the potential to develop themselves & be able to contribute more fully, both economically and in a more general way to enrich their community. As well as issues of social justice, we need to develop the talents & skills of all citizens to increase our chances of emerging from the economic upheaval of globalisation. No longer able to compete with countries like China, India & Brazil who will far surpass our capacity to cheaply produce & sell goods, we need to constantly innovate & come up with new solutions to new problems. Please describe what you expect from deciding on this community By Xploiting the Swansea Learning Partnership(SLP), we will be enhancing a network that already exists and works well at a number of levels: • Strategic planning & curriculum development • Shared good practice (evaluation forms, mapping student path) • Shared resources (training , disability aids) • Shared publicity • We expect to raise awareness of lifelong learning in the city and to bring a European dimension to the field of lifelong learning. We expect to use the best European resources and to adapt them to our own need Please describe the Xploit team in your community Judith James, SU,Deputy Head of DACE Jean Preece, SU,DACE ICT Coordinator Judith Porch, City & County of Swansea Lifelong Learning Service Please describe the Xploit Network in your community The Adult & Community Learning Network (ACLN) operates as an effective group under the umbrella of the Swansea Learning Partnership. The ACLN works collaboratively to identify the education & training needs of individuals & the wider collective social, health & wellbeing needs of local communities. Provision is designed to enable citizens to access learning appropriate to their current level of ability and also offer progression to higher levels of education & training. The ACLN is represented on the Swansea Economic Regeneration Partnership (SERP) which oversees regeneration & economic development. The ACLN Partnership Plan also complements the priorities & objectives of the CCS Community Strategy http://www.swansea.gov.uk/media/pdfwithtranslation/1/1/2441310_Community_Strategy_E.pdf Please describe the Xploit contacts in your community City & County of Swansea – Judith Porch DACE, Swansea University – Judith James & Jean Preece 2
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Gower College, Swansea – Nick Brazil Her Majesty’s Prison Service – Mary Perrott Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) –Amanda Carr Swansea Metropolitan University – David Warner Workers Education Association – Elaine Topping
Resources involved Please describe the resources in the community involved now or in the future in developing the profile Members of the SLP steering group, strategy group & ACLN Network NIACE Learner Forums Please describe how these resources will plan and carry out the task Our plan is to involve all the Swansea network in organising, publicising & taking part in an activity “to digitally portray their learning community”, during the annual Swansea Learning Festival in May 2011. We will ask learners to capture their learning community, whether it’s a formal learning, as in classes, at work etc, or informal learning – from a friend, family or colleague. The resulting photos/videos could be part of a competition. The activity is intended to raise consciousness of the variety & unending nature of learning in its many forms & the huge variety of learning opportunities in adult community learning. Consent forms will need to be completed for every photo/video. An exhibition of photos could be mounted – (although it won’t be possible to have the photo/video activity & the exhibition in the same week).Check if there are any funds available from NIACE – would Xploit team want to run some workshops/get publicity during the Festival/are there funds for printing & exhibiting photos ? Learning activities where photography could be encouraged: Practical elements of classes from all providers- /Egyptology/digital camera class/family history visit to a church yard /drama/creative writing/botany class at botanic gardens/U3A/ cookery Environmental activities- gardening/ beach cleaning/plant or insect survey Health & well being:- dance class/exercise class/Nordic walking/swimming class
Please describe how these resources will collaborate with the project, locally or transnational, during the project duration
The Swansea Learning Festival activities , (including an online gallery), would be recorded on City & County of Swansea website – the Swansea Arrivals website & the Xploit website
Please identify special resource persons that might be important to the Xploit project and might be willing to participate at different levels Head of City & County of Swansea Lifelong Learning Service European Officer City & County of Swansea Regional Learning observatory team NIACE Dysgu Cymru Swansea Learning Festival co-ordinator
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Methodology Please describe how the Xploit team approached the challenges
The Swansea Xploit team has linked with organisations within the SLP and utilised key reports, written in response to the current economic crisis, from the Welsh Assembly Government, (WAG) to bring its Adult Community Learning provision in line with new ideas to make its work sustainable. The team has accessed funding for work based learning in the areas of bioscience, innovation & management. The City & County of Swansea has experimented with developing existing classes into selfdirected learning groups & is exploring time banking as a way of making classes accessible to those of limited income. The SLP recognises that working jointly on provision of ACL saves on resources & prevents duplication of provision. Please describe what resources you involved in working with the profile The Swansea Learning Partnership Adult Community learning Partnership Strategic Plan 2010/2011
Please describe special resources that provided significant knowledge to the development of the profile, and how these resources could be involved in Xploit Labour Market Information http://www.learningobservatory.com/walesemployment-skills-board-wesb/#ascdocs Welsh Assembly Gov information www.swansea.gov.uk/convergence
Cooperation Please describe the quality and potential of the cooperation leading to the needed profile knowledge The SLP has a proven record in Partnership working. The Swansea Learning Festival. Led by NIACE has worked successfully across all providers for several years Economic pressures are driving greater cooperation & mergers between previously distinct sectors of Adult Education, Higher Education (HE) ie Universities & Further Education (FE) the 16+ colleges. Also regional providers are joining together to re-organise & make economies of scale (eg SWWHEP) These arrangements are changing as we write. Please describe the cooperation between the political and educational partners, and please identify challenges to this cooperation Both the political and the educational partners have a good working relationship based on previous project work. The biggest challenges relate to budgetary pressures & employment insecurity among the partnership. Please describe positive and negative cooperation experiences when producing the profile Positive: sharing experiences with other Xploit partners always sparks ideas & having some thinking time away from day to management – Negative: timing of Xploit meetings too near the beginning of term. Time management problems as we all have the same work & less staff..Local political changes divert us from creating the profile.
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5 Please provide recommendations for the Xploit project, on which similar activities could be based We recommend finding a common theme & having well publicised, city-wide activities Please describe what steps the Xploit team will take to deal with the identified cooperation challenges We can’t control major political policy decisions, but while we are still employed, we can re-affirm the values of ACL through the project & celebrate what we do.
Lifelong learning experiences What kind of significant lifelong learning activities have been designed and implemented in the community since 2000 – what challenges did they address and who were the target groups? The Swansea Learning Festival which takes place in Adult Learners’ Week , 2011 will be held from 14 – 20 May, co-ordinated by NIACE Cymru, a national organisation set up to promote Adult Learning see the website for their activities http://www.alw.org.uk/the-campaign •
Access to Learning Funding (SU) Open Tasters
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LLS contract with DCELLS to provide non accredited adult learning
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SU courses for refugees & asylum seekers since dispersal policy in 2002.
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LLS family learning provision
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SU involved in work-based learning & Foundation degrees
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Online Learning- Lliw project/Swansea-arrivals downloadable English practice
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Free & impartial guidance
•
On-line gallery
Please describe lifelong learning activities of special importance to the Xploit project, and what kind of resources these activities produced in your community Parenting – Grundtvig Project mapping information & activities for new parents in the Swansea Area www.parenting.eu & www.swansea-arrival.net a well used website providing information & activities for new arrivals to Swansea, including innovative use of technology ie downloadable sound files for learning English.
Please describe to what extent lifelong learning activities have related to European scenarios Parenting project – European activities across 11 European cities. SLP partners involved in other European partnerships ESF has funded numerous projects throughout Swansea, targeted on hard to reach communities & residents. The funding was used to introduce citizens to New technology (SU- 19 years of Foundation in IT) (LLS- shorter introductory courses) Please describe ongoing or planned major lifelong learning initiatives in the community (aims, target groups, resources involved, European level) 5
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The Regional Learning Partnership working on the” transformation agenda” English as a Second or Other Language(ESOL): the ACL partnership has developed a joint approach to the identification & provision of Essential skills & ESOL Education for Sustainable Development & Global Citizenship (ESDGC) introduced across adult learning Widening Participation: the ACL is committed to sharing info, signposting & developing coherent learning opportunities Welsh medium & Bi-lingual Learning: supported by ACL partnership
How would the Xploit team summarize the lifelong learning experience in your community? Strong & well developed but currently financially challenged. There are a lot of meetings & discussion, which have created good links, but also there still exists a territorial wariness amongst some partners.
Lifelong learning stakeholders What kind of organisations or resources are responsible for / engaged in innovative learning initiatives in the community?
SLP partners/Niace/unions/ WAG – for apprenticeships & work based learning Please describe potential or emerging power centres for innovative lifelong learning in the community SLP
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Regional Learning Partnership – charged to develop a regional strategy, including the regional skills observatory
What organisations have a strong interest in lifelong learning innovation in your community?
SLP, Regional Learning Partnership, NIACE Please describe resources for lifelong learning of special interest to the Xploit project (organisations, activities, projects) Education for Sustainable Development & Global Citizenship across the partnership http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/research/sustainableplaces/vision/
In summary: which are the most important lifelong learning stakeholders in your community, and how do the Xploit team intend to collaborate with them? SLP, RLP.
Lifelong learning policies, interests and visions Please describe major initiatives to create lifelong learning policies in your community The work of the SLP & RLP How would the Xploit team describe the general interest in innovative lifelong learning in your community? 6
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Strong & well developed but financially challenged
Has any lifelong learning strategy been formulated for the community? Yes Please describe major stakeholders in your community with strong interests in learning innovation SU-ACL websites like the parenting website & Swansea arrivals website – developing online resources. Virtual innovation zones (use some websites like maths class & send to Angela Caseley for young mums) DACE in providing high level learning in the community-lectures by video conferencing. •
Communities at One?
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Itunes U lectures on-line-not in community!
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City & county of Swansea – online galleries, teaching online
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Forum theatre-educational role play
Are lifelong learning visions for future initiatives being developed in the community? • Community Centres like the ARC & Glynneath work in disadvantaged communities & have a vision to bring in people & re-skill them, empower them. •
A vision of Social Enterprises - eg Glynneath has developed an allotment, 2nd hand clothing shop, a café & a crèche a gym?
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City & County of Swansea have an interest in time banking for adults with difficulties
How would the Xploit team describe the interest in the community in interacting with European scenes and resources? Which resources and initiatives could the Xploit project relate to? Why? There is a long history of European interaction amongst education providers, although it’s not obvious to an average citizen. Swansea European Team (SET) has a regular meeting run by the Local authority which describes which projects are available or running.
Social and educational needs Please describe the major social challenges in your community Ageing population - The increasing proportion of elderly in the population increases the needs of this population: training, especially in new technology, recreational activities, health care etc. The elderly need learning & stimulation that doesn’t cost too much. The lack of social cohesion, as Swansea is a dispersal area for refugees & asylum seekers in Swansea, in addition to a local established Bangladeshi population the increase in visible newcomers has led to incidents of racism.
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Need to engage with young unemployed NEETS Need to raise skills of the working population
Please describe the major educational challenges in your community The Swansea area includes 10 of the most deprived areas in Wales – with accompanying problems of economic inactivity, low skills etc as described above.
Which social and educational needs would the Xploit team consider the most important to the Xploit project? Young unemployed 16 + Older people who are not digitally literate & so can not fully participate in the culture. Low skills in the workforce Social cohesion of migrants
Which social and educational challenges does the Xploit team find most relevant to the capturing of European lifelong learning resources (the team’s first ideas...)? As above
Please describe social and educational challenges not in any way (or in a very weak way) met by appropriate initiatives in the community
How would the Xploit team summarize the most important social and educational needs in the community? Could they be met by the capturing of European learning resources?
Disadvantaged groups of citizens Please describe the most important groups of disadvantaged citizens in your community -People and families with economic difficulties elderly people, disabled people, immigrant families and single-parent families. -migrants with difficulties for integration Elderly people: - The increase in the population of elderly people, need to join in with digital world -Disabled people, people on long term sickness benefit - face problems in all fields: labor market integration, training, health. Young people, NEETs with difficulties to access qualifications & or jobs Migrants as this group is increasing, they have problems to integrate themselves in the labour market. -Single parent families This group is at risk due to the economic difficulties, the problems to balance family life and a job, and escape from the dependency culture. 8
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Drug addicts – Swansea Drugs Project not enough provision Please identify disadvantaged groups for whom no social or learning initiatives have been taken All these groups have had some iniatives directed towards them.
Please describe the diversity of disadvantaged groups (age, gender, cultural background) As described in previous questions.
Which of these groups would the Xploit team find most relevant to the Xploit project and the exploitation of European learning resources? text
Would it be possible for the local Xploit team and network to approach the most relevant groups? How? Through which organisations?
Please describe groups of citizens not included in the group of disadvantaged citizens, but who nevertheless should be approached with innovative initiatives (referring to possible community innovation policies)
Please describe to what extend the (planned or established) local Xploit Network could give access to the groups identified as the most important/relevant?
Social-economic situation Please briefly summarize the community’s socio-economic situation and major challenges . Background: Swansea grew to importance in the Industrial revolution of the late 18th century & throughout the 19th, with iron, copper, zinc, tinplate & coal mining industries and an busy port to facilitate movement of coal & metals. Migration to Wales from Ireland & the United Kingdom swelled the population. In the 20th century the traditional heavy industries declined sharply, bringing mass unemployment in the 20s & 30’s, and after the second world war coal, iron and steel continued to decline and more and more collieries were closed. Although light industry was encouraged there remains a legacy of high unemployment in the welsh valleys, where coal once created wealth The Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) started up the Communities First initiative to work in the 100 most disadvantaged communities in Wales in 2002. The program is designed to increase participation and develop the capacity of Welsh communities to make decisions and run projects. The program was established by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for Social Justice and Regeneration The Swansea Learning Partnership focuses its work in Communities First areas. The current challenges on economic inactivity & unemployment, facing Swansea & the surrounding area are summarised in the table below: Pockets of high unemployment (e.g. 7.8% in Townhill & Penderry) are found in Communities First areas in Swansea & .in the ex coalfield areas– 9
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Employment (aged 16 & over)
Employment Rate
Swansea: Total Men Women
97,600 51,600 46,000
64.9% 68.7% 61.1%
41,600 15,900 25,700
28.4% 21.8%
Wales
1,293,100
66.5%
517,000
27.3%
United Kingdom
28,715,600
70.2%
9,446,100
23.7%
(working age)
Economically inactive (working age)
Economic Inactivity Rate
34.9%
Can closing sectors and labour markets be identified? How does this produce or affect groups of disadvantaged citizens? Sectors that are significant in south west Wales are: Service industries Distribution, hotels & restaurants Financial & Business services Public education & health Construction jobs are in steep decline http://wales.gov.uk/docs/statistics/2010/101119sb962010en.pdf http://www.statswales.wales.gov.uk/TableViewer/document.aspx?ReportId=10579 http://wales.gov.uk/docs/statistics/2010/100331sb222010en.pdf One in twenty firms with employees in Wales (5 per cent) class themselves as “social enterprises” (Table 2), defined as “a business with primarily social / environmental objectives, whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or community rather than mainly being paid to shareholders and owners”. The majority of these operate in the Services sector Can emerging sectors be identified? What might be the relevance of these sectors for disadvantaged citizens?
Future forecast: which are the most needed skills and competences in the future in your community? Are initiatives being taken to meet these challenges?
Are their specific challenges for children, young people, adults or elderly (natives or migrants, men or women) in the future scenarios of your community? As described in previous questions. How would the Xploit team describe the initiative profile of the authorities in relation to these future challenges?
Please summarize in a few words the socio-economic situation of your community? What will the Xploit team recommend to focus on during the project? As described in previous questions.
Please describe to what extend the (planned or established) local Xploit Network “covers” the identified present and future scenarios
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Summary: Community SWOT Please summarize the community strengths Existing cooperation Experienced stakeholders in lifelong learning Welsh Assembly Government Support
Please summarize the community weaknesses Difficult to reach students – particularly young males Sluggish economy facing additional cuts
Please summarize the community opportunities Period of change- & new co-operation/relationships being driven by WAG
Please summarize the community threats Financial cutbacks in programmes some educational partners could lose their jobs
Summary: potential Xploit cooperation resources Which organisations would the Xploit team recommend as strong partners in your community? SLP FE Colleges Community centres Communities First
Which groups of active citizens should the project collaborate with? Migrants NEETS Elderly Have the Xploit team identified resources having a special interest in the Xploit project and the strategy in which it is embedded?
How will the Xploit team describe the quality of the established or planned local Xploit Network? How will you improve the quality of the Network, if needed?
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