Joint Conference 2016

Resilience and Responsiveness

RaPAL’s joint annual conference with the Learning and Work Institute, UCL IoE Post-14 Centre, UCU and NATECLA

Thursday, 3rd November 2016,

Imperial College Union, Beit Quadrangle, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BB (adjacent to the Royal Albert Hall)

Booking

Booking is now open online here.

Conference Themes

Improving adults’ literacy, numeracy and language skills benefits individuals, society and the wider economy.  Ensuring that this is well understood and well supported by policymakers – both within adult learning and more broadly across the work of Government – has never been more important at this time of wide-reaching policy change.

Within the sector, providers and practitioners will need to be responsive to the challenges and opportunities current developments bring.  These include, for example, the devolution of the Adult Education Budget, increased flexibilities in locally agreed funding deals and the implementation of Functional Skills reform.

Practitioners and researchers in adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL have, collectively, a great deal of know-how about what works in adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL.  It’s important that this knowledge, experience and established good practice is not only maintained, but extended, shared and brought to bear on current opportunities and policy developments – for the benefit of policymakers, providers and new practitioners, and not least, for the benefit of all adults, including those with the greatest disadvantages, who stand to benefit from improved language, literacy and numeracy skills.

This conference is a chance to do just that.

Keynote Speakers

These conference themes will be addressed by keynote speakers:
– Dr Jan Eldred, L&W Senior Research Fellow
– Sue Southwood, Programme Manager, Education and Training Foundation
– Joanne Keatley, Principal, Birmingham Adult Education Service

Outcomes

Participants will benefit from:

• Increased understanding of the policy context in relation to adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL, and the opportunity to engage with policymakers and key national stakeholders;
• Insights from recent research into adult literacy, numeracy and/or ESOL
• Shared practice, resources and ideas from new and innovative projects in adult literacy, numeracy and/or ESOL
• The opportunity to reflect on their own practice in adult literacy, numeracy and/or ESOL, and network with others in the field

Draft Programme

09:30 Registration
10:00 Chair’s Welcome
10:05 Welcome with Stephen Evans, Chief Executive, Learning and Work Institute
10:20 Keynote 1 with Dr Jan Eldred, L&W Senior Research Fellow, ‘Do international basic skills league tables matter?’
10:45 Keynote 2 with Sue Southwood, Programme Manager, Education and Training Foundation ‘Functional Skills Reform Update’
11:10 Tea / Coffee break
11:30 Workshop Sessions 1
12:45 Lunch
13:30 Chair’s Welcome to Afternoon Session
13.35 Keynote 3 with Joanne Keatley, Principal, Birmingham Adult Education Service ‘Implications of the devolved Adult Education Budget for local adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL provision’
14:00 Workshop Sessions 2
15:15 Panel Discussion with Q&A (Tea / Coffee available)
Panellists – with the Department for Education, conference partners and keynote speakers
15:40 Chair’s closing remarks
15.45 RaPAL Publication Launch: Resilience: Stories of Adult Learning
16.15 Close of conference