Today the (English) Department for Innovation, Universities, and Skills has launched consultation Informal Adult Learning - Shaping the Way Ahead. Here is a link to the full consultation document [1700 kB PDF]. The tone of the consultation document, which has a strong focus on the role of technology in supporting informal learning, also seems to signal a policy-shift, back to the more inclusive and less wholly employment-focused approach of the 1997 Labour Government under the then Secretary of State David Blunkett (does anyone remember the 1998 Green Paper The Learning Age: a renaissance for a new Britain? [100 kB PDF]):
"The mass movement described in this paper has come about through the independent actions of millions of people - and few, if any, of them would even recognise that they are part of such a movement. They are all following a common human impulse to satisfy their curiosity and thirst for knowledge. What implications does this have for the type of public policy we should be developing for informal adult learning for the period 2009 - 2020? Does the laissez-faire nature of these recent developments mean Government should leave well alone? Or, as we believe, does Government have a key role in helping to maximise and sustain the benefits of the arrangements as they are working today? The launch of this consultation marks the start of a wide-ranging debate that will lead to a policy paper later this year on informal adult learning for the 21st century. The consultation needs to provide the information and evidence that will help develop a sound strategic vision that can support and inform the public, private, voluntary and self-directed learning sectors."
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