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LSIS policy seminars - Exploring the new world we're in... 

Introduction

In autumn 2010 LSIS ran five regional policy seminars. The aim of these events was to involve a wide audience from the learning and skills sector in discussions of the changing policy environment and emerging government priorities.

The outcome of these seminars will inform the next version of The world we’re in. The 2009 version of this document is available here and the discussions that led to the seminars may be seen here.

Presentation

The keynote presentation at the seminars was delivered by Caroline Mager, Executive Director, Policy, Research and Communications. The slides used at the events varied as announcements such as the spending review were made public.

The latest version of the slides was presented at the Salford City College seminar on 1 November 2010.

Video

The seminars included a video of clips drawn from the national policy seminars held in summer 2010. The video, produced by students from Westminster Kingsway College, used the following contributions:

The full video is available on the LSIS YouTube channel: LSIS Policy Seminars - Audience viewpoints 

Background material

Delegates were supplied with links to a range of background material in advance of the discussions. This is archived below for future reference, but has not been updated since October 2010.

If you only have ten minutes...

Listen to David Collins, chief executive of LSIS, introduce the first and third national policy seminars where he talks about the some of the wider policy issues that have relevance to the learning and skills sector:

Read the thoughts of Dame Ruth Silver DBE, chair of LSIS, on governance in learning and skills:

Read this piece by Lord Michael Bichard on FE cuts:

Look at the BBC report on the likely affect of the cuts on different areas of the country:

Watch some of your colleagues in the sector talk about their thoughts in the video clips linked under each section below.

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Big Society: Freedom, fairness and responsibility

There are three main themes of the new government that underpin a whole range of policies in different areas – freedom, fairness and responsibility - making up the Big Society. The Big Society is the flagship programme for the coalition and aims to "to create a climate that empowers local people and communities, building a big society that will 'take power away from politicians and give it to people'." Cabinet Office - Building Big Society (PDF)

Against each one of these themes we have drawn together challenges, issues, ideas for reading and video comments from the national policy seminars.

You can listen to some of the keynote presentations from the recent LSIS national policy seminar series to learn more about the current political environment and the context for change:

Lord Michael Bichard, then director of the Institute for Government, talks about the Total Place pilots

Sir Andrew Foster, commission chair, talks about the 2020 Public Services Commission

Rob Whiteman, managing director of the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) (now Local Government Improvement and Development) talks about innovation, empowerment and responsibility

Hilary Cottam, principal partner of Participle, talks about new service design - working with and for the public

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Freedom

Professionals in the public sector, as well as citizens and businesses, are promised more freedom. This will be achieved by cutting back on central rules and regulation, and by encouraging communities to set out what they want from public services, including education and skills training.

Three key issues against this theme are:
  • Performance management will be less about complicated national targets and more about outcomes for consumers
  • Policy makers in central government will be looking for leadership in this area from professionals on the front-line
  • Accountability and legitimacy within local communities will increasingly be an important measure of success

The summer 2010 seminar series was entitled "Changing public services - changing professional practices". Three of the four seminar reports are currently online. This seminar series brought together a range of speakers and sector representatives to discuss the impact of the changing environment on their practice. The second seminar, held in June, discussed how the whole public sector is facing similar challenges and was entitled "creating a new relationship with customers and citizens", and drew in perspectives from the police and NHS.

Changing public services - changing profressional practices

Also, you can watch a number of comments from attendees at the national policy seminars on these themes:

From autumn 2008 to spring 2009 LSIS ran a series of policy seminars entitled "A self-regulating learning and skills sector: shifting the paradigm". A final report and information on the seminars is linked below. The full report includes the key outcomes, background, the ambition, seven areas for action, supporting information and the main report from the seminars' discussions. Whilst the context of these seminars was quite different to the current political environment, the report still makes interesting reading.

Final Report - A self-regulating learning and skills sector: shifting the paradigm

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Fairness

The chancellor described his budget as "fair" and "progressive", thus demonstrating how fairness and equality of opportunity are fundamental to the society the government wants to build. There is a clear commitment to ensuring that the interests of the most vulnerable citizens are safeguarded.

Three key issues against this theme are:

  • How colleges and providers can work more effectively as part of a whole-system approach to developing and delivering public welfare strategy
  • Promoting and enhancing the contribution of learning and skills to social mobility, including widening access to HE
  • Safeguarding fairness and equality in the face of the drive for simplification and reduction in bureaucracy

The book "The Spirit Level" looks at wider issues of equality. There is also a short film looking at the topics covered by the book.

The TUC and Unison have released research called "Where The Money Goes" that argues that spending cuts will hit the poorest 13 times harder than the richest in society. You can read their press release and download the research.

Government ministers have spoken about the role of FE and HE. Key speeches include:
David Willetts to the annual conference of Universities UK 
John Hayes at City and Islington College
John Hayes speaking at a NIACE conference held at the British Library

Also, you can watch a number of comments from attendees at the recent national policy seminars on Changing public services – changing professional practices on these themes:

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Responsibility

In a speech to the people of Liverpool to launch the Big Society, the prime minister set out a bold vision where individuals took responsibility for more of their own lives, and government stepped back from micromanagement. He argued passionately that his aspiration is for this government to be remembered as "they did something really exciting in their society". This means that public services have to engage with citizens directly, as they have are making choices about their own priorities and future.

The three key issues around this theme are:

  • Building and sustaining legitimacy and credibility with local citizens and employers, as well as individual learners, about the contributions the learning and skills sector makes
  • Working more effectively across discrete public sector services at the local level
  • Taking a greater responsibility for organisational mission and strategy and managing the risk associated with enterprise and innovation

In autumn 2009 LSIS ran a policy seminar series on "The importance of being local". This examined the role of learning and skills in meeting the needs of local communities. This included debate, foreshadowing the priorities that emerged with a new government, around central versus local decision-making and distribution of power.

The importance of being local (Policy Seminars, Autumn 2009)

Also, you can watch a number of comments from attendees at the recent national policy seminars on Changing public services – changing professional practices on these themes:

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    Additional background

    Other useful background documents are:

    A range of insights from the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute, including:

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