Summary
Standards of leadership and management are good in 44% of the partnerships we have inspected. Providers often work well together to bid for short-term grants to run projects. However, providers don’t plan well enough to cover costs after these short-term grants have run out.
There is no national strategy for adult community learning (ACL), and there are no national benchmarks for achievement. This means that planning is made difficult, and providers can’t compare learner achievement to a national standard. However, providers don’t share their data with one another to compare themselves with other providers in the same area.
Recommendations
The Welsh Assembly Government should:
- develop a clear national policy framework for the provision of adult community-based learning; and
- develop a funding strategy for adult community-based learning which enables providers to share budgets and achieve value for money.
Providers should:
- work formally with other providers in partnership groups that involve all providers operating in the area including voluntary sector providers and higher education Institutions.
Partnerships should:
- produce strategic and operational plans which reduce competition and duplication and make best use of all available resources to secure good value for money; and
- share performance data between providers to compare how well learners in each organisation are achieving.
For a full list of recommendations, please download the report.
Best practice
Case studies within the report include best practice from YMCA Community College, Neath Port Talbot local authority, Conwy local authority, Vale of Glamorgan Learning Network, RISE, the Workers Educational Association South Wales, Rhondda Cynon Taff local authority, and the Bridgend Learning Brokers project.
