Agenda item

This item follows on from the last committee meeting. Members requested that representatives from Save Southwark Adult Learning and officers met to discuss the issues raised. Officers were asked to report back on the issues raised at the last meeting.

6.1  The chair invited the Strategic director for the environment, Gill Davies, to  open the discussion. She began by noting that at the last meeting the committee asked the officers and the cabinet member to go away and consider the issues. As a result of this we have reflected and we do think we can involve adult learners  more in the decision making process all the way along.

6.2  The Strategic director reported that officers had met with adult learning services users and there remain some different views. In particular the discussions have not changed the council’s views on fees.

6.3  The Strategic director reported that there is now a new focus on policy; the lead member has asked us to do some visioning. This will ensure our service reflects our purpose more clearly.  Officers reported that they had talked to Morley College and other providers. The council has started to think about our role in consultation with other colleges and officers reported that they would welcome the opportunity to come back at a later stage to report on this.

6.4  Officers reported that the figures for the cuts have come back and they are not as bad as had been feared, however they are in the order of 10%.

6.5  Members asked what the timescale for the visioning would be. Officers reported that they would be ready to report in September.

6.6  The Chair invited Vince Brown from Save Southwark Adult learning (SSAL) to comment. He raised concerns that many adult learners on Personal Community Development Learning course are leaving and classes are closing. He requested data on this as a matter of urgency. He said he would particularly like to know the amount of adult learners on benefits leaving and to know how many learners are going to other adult education providers.

6.7  The Strategic director reported that she understood that numbers of learners for English for Speakers of Other languages (ESOL) and literacy are going up. She commented that this brings us back to service priorities. Officers reported that they are analysing the figures, although comparisons will be easier to understand at the end of the academic year, and undertook to provide this information to SSAL.

ACTION

A report on the vision for Adult Education will come to the scrutiny committee in September. This will identify service priorities and polices. Service users and other adult education providers will be consulted.

Officers undertook to provide figures on services users of Personal Community Development Learning (PCDL), at the request of Southwark Save Adult learning. In particular information was requested on:

a)  Number of participants on benefit?

b)  Who has left?

c)  Where have they gone?