Committee response on "Promoting Social Inclusion - Consultation on Future Priorities"

Structure of the response

We have been asked to consider the priority areas, which the Northern Ireland Executive's Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) strategy should focus on in the future under the following three headings:

• What are the factors which contribute to social exclusion and which should be tackled as part of Promoting Social Inclusion - and why?
• Which groups do you think are the most deprived and marginalised - and why?
• Your views on the general terms of reference referred to on pages 8 and 9.

1. Introduction

The Committee for Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment fully support the Executive's stated objective to combat the problems of poverty and social exclusion.

New Targeting Social Need (TSN) and PSI have a particular resonance for the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment because of its focus on combating the problems associated with unemployment and preparing people for employment. Measures to tackle these problems are recognised as having a high priority within the Executive's Programme for Government. The Committee believes that the recommendations in this response support the Executive's priorities as identified in the Programme for Government and the Department's strategic plan in support of regional economic development and to provide the skill base required for the knowledge based economy.

2. Adult Literacy and Numeracy and Basic Skills

During the course of it's current Inquiry into Education and Training for Industry the Committee has become very aware of the scale of the literacy and numeracy problem in Northern Ireland. The International Adult Literacy Survey, which benchmarked NI against a wide range of countries within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), indicates that 24% of the adult population in NI performs at the lowest levels of literacy.

It is acknowledged that the main route out of poverty and social exclusion is by gainful employment. The experience of those who have literacy and numeracy problems is that they are more likely to be in low paid work and less likely to be able to upgrade skill levels. Furthermore, there is a clear correlation between low skills and unemployment.

There was considerable evidence that basic skill shortages may be a deterrent to the development of companies within Northern Ireland. Moy Park, for example, was forced to recruit from other countries, due to skill shortages locally. They also had to take action to combat the literacy and numeracy problems of many within their existing workforce, by setting up classes at suitable times for their staff to attend.

2.1 Recommendations to Improve Adult Literacy and Numeracy.

1. A clear and dynamic strategy is required. Members welcome the Department's proposal for a long overdue consultation exercise in the autumn 2001 to address the weaknesses in adult literacy and numeracy. We welcome the Department's verbal commitment to ensure that all people will benefit from the Lifelong Learning Strategy and to change the current perception that training in basic skill needs is considered of little consequence.
2. Adequate funding and resources. The Committee expressed concern that the Department secured less than 30% of the initial bid for Executive Programme Funds to improve Adult Basic Education, Literacy and Numeracy. Members strongly recommend that future funding should come from within mainstream funding and not by way of an application for additional funds.
3. Clear targets must be set in association with industry to address the needs of those with numeracy and literacy problems. The example set by Moy Park could be taken as a model in developing best practice into effective workplace promotion of basic skills.
4. Action now. Very specific action and on a wider scale is required to develop and support community based initiatives to address basic skill needs. The expertise already exists on the ground in the form of the Educational Guidance Service for Adults (EGSA) who specialise in reaching out to those who have benefited least from formal education.
5. Further Education Colleges (FECs) have a major role to play in any future strategy and already have key links with deprived communities. They need to further consider how they can improve provision for students with special needs and need ring-fenced financial assistance to take appropriate action. Members wish to see FECs fully involved in the Basic Skills Strategy.
6. Rural disadvantage needs to be addressed. Rural areas face specific and often different problems to urban areas and there needs to be new research into how these problems can be tackled. Courses need to be provided to meet obvious demand within communities. Geographical location should not be a barrier.
7. The need for more Pre-School Education. The problems of literacy and numeracy need to be tackled at an early stage in a child's development, particularly in areas of social disadvantage. This is obviously an issue with cross- cutting implications with the Department of Education in the lead.

3. The Removal of Barriers to Learning - Positively Promoting Access

Having established that the main route out of poverty and social exclusion is employment, it follows that assisting people to re-enter the workforce is of paramount importance. The provision of education and training is central to this goal. The Committee has identified a number of key factors in relation to the barriers to learning which exist for certain groups in our society, and which, unless tackled, will continue to seriously undermine the ability of certain groups to make a contribution to the economy and society in general.

Social Exclusion of Young People in Northern Ireland: Unemployment figures for the quarter December 2000- February 2001 show that some 9,000 of 18-24 year olds are unemployed, (8.3% of the economically active population) and that 32.2% of them can be categorised as long term unemployed.

The Report (Young People and Social Exclusion in NI: Status O Four Years On (NIERC, 2000) emphasises that young people marginalised at this stage are more likely to continue to be excluded in later years.

3.1 Recommendations

· The transition from school to work can be very difficult and there is a clear requirement for refocusing and upgrading the careers service on offer.

1. The Department's flagship scheme for the unemployed, New Deal, is not always effective in dealing with marginalised young people, especially the long term unemployed who often face multiple social problems. These include drug and alcohol dependency, poor interpersonal skills, and poor attitudes to expected work practices. Training in personal development should be a pre-requisite for those experiencing these problems. Consideration should be given to extending the time spent on New Deal in line with the needs of the client.
2. Young people need to experience the potential that lies outside their immediate surroundings. Schools should develop better links with industry. Initiatives such as the 'Step-Up' Programme in Londonderry actively assists schools in disadvantaged areas to improve their science base and encourage the entry of people who are currently under represented in industry.
3. The Committee supported the Department's EPF bid for a 'One Stop Shop' to be provided to schools and businesses through the Northern Ireland Business Education Partnership (NIBEP). The project is aimed at primary and post primary levels and FECs to prepare young people for the world of work. Members believe that NIBEPs work makes a fundamental contribution to the local economy and asked for it to be funded within the Department's mainstream budget. Unfortunately this bid has not been funded.

4. Access for all age groups

There needs to be greater ease of access to education and training for people of every age. The current funding mechanisms need to be continuously reviewed to ensure that people can move within education and training opportunities without financial penalty e.g. many Further Education students are outside the scope of discretionary awards and fall into the benefit trap.

4.1 Recommendations

· The Universities raised the issue of the continuing application of the Maximum Aggregate Student Number (MASN) formula as a control mechanism, and the under-supply of HE places in NI as a major barrier to widening access to students from under-represented backgrounds.

• Inadequate childcare facilities are a major barrier to single parent families and especially women to access employment and training. The Committee strongly supported the Department's unsuccessful EPF bid in support of the NI Childcare Strategy.
• Each Institute of Technology in the Republic of Ireland employs an Access Officer to facilitate access to education, particularly for those with little, or poor, experience of the educational system. Similar posts could be considered in Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland.
• The Committee welcomes the efforts being made by the Universities and Further Education Colleges to widen and promote access. The Committee heard evidence from Queens University of very effective initiatives e.g. the appointment of an access promotion officer, the Discover Queen's Initiative, the establishment of two Outreach Centres and the active policy of developing links with FECs.
• There needs to be an acceleration in how vocational qualifications can be "articulated" for entry into HE courses. There is still too much emphasis on entry requirements framed in terms of formal qualifications as an indication of ability.
• There needs to be substantially more collaborative arrangements for offering University provision in FECs.
• There is a need to roll out Foundation Degrees, subject to successful evaluation, on a much wider front whilst ensuring quality is not compromised.
• The Access Programme is a welcome innovation in providing a route to university for people without formal entrance qualifications. Consideration should be given to removing the current age restriction, as the Programme is limited to those over 21. Access students encounter problems not because they are any less able to complete a HE course but because their literacy, numeracy and study skills are not as finely honed as other students are.

5. The Terms of Reference for Promoting Social Inclusion.

1. These refer to the use of existing research and the evidence of experts to analyse the issues and develop an understanding of the problem and its causes. There is no reference to the option of commissioning new research, which is surely crucial in ensuring that the most up to date information is available on the issue in hand and that new ideas are fed into the final analysis.
2. The focus should not be on an internal departmental review of roles and responsibilities in relation to the issue. It is much better for an understanding of the blockages to progress to come from the experts in the communities so that real progress can be made. PSI must be a bottom up initiative if it has any chance of success. Inter-departmental collaboration is vital.
3. There is no mention of short, medium and long-term goals. To ensure long term commitment there needs to be clear evidence of progress in the short term.

6. Conclusion

The needs of a modern knowledge-based economy will increase the demand for a skilled workforce and everyone should have the opportunity to play their part and benefit from its success.

There will be a particular focus on skills needed to support the employment growth areas of Information Communications Technology, electronics, engineering, tourism etc but equally important will be the need to ensure that adults have the opportunity to gain the basic skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT required to enable them to contribute fully. If people are left behind in these skills they are less likely to cope with the changes evident in our society and are more likely to be socially excluded to the detriment of the economy. The more skills and qualifications people acquire the less likely they are to be socially excluded.

Our response has suggested a small number of practical recommendations, which would help to ensure the effectiveness of the "Promoting Social Inclusion" Programme and thus benefit the Northern Ireland economy as a whole. It was noticeable that there was no reference throughout the consultation paper to how any new PSI project would be funded. It is after all essential that aspirations are not raised and then dashed because of a lack of resources.

Dr Esmond Birnie, MLA
Chairman
5 July 2001

Minutes of 28 June 2001, para 5, third action point