[cma-l] (Fwd) Inquiry into the future for lifelong learning: call for

[Phil Korbel]

more 'shouting for the sector' folks!

self explanatory - but how does lifelong learning impact on crime and 
social exclusion?  NIACE needs our evidence - and my oh my, don't we 
have a lot of it...

see below and go to it!  [responses to NIACE]

bests

Phil
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Send reply to:  	lifelonglearninginquiry at niace.org.uk
From:           	Lifelong at radioregen.org.uk, 
Learning at radioregen.org.uk,
	Inquiry at radioregen.org.uk
Subject:        	Inquiry into the future for lifelong learning: call 
for evidence on lifelong learning, crime & social exclusion
Date sent:      	30 Apr 2008 17:52:23 +0100
To:             	undisclosed-recipients:;

Call for evidence on lifelong learning, crime & social exclusion

Crime costs us all, financially and emotionally.  The victims and
their families suffer, and the public costs of maintaining a swelling
prison population are huge.  Those who offend are often in effect
excluded from normal economic and social activity, after they have
served their sentences.   We know that many people who engage in
criminal activity have low levels of educational achievement.  A very
high proportion of prisoners have basic literacy and numeracy
problems, which make it very difficult for them to reintegrate. 

The connections between educational failure on the one hand, and
criminal and anti-social behaviour, with its risk of social 
exclusion,
on the other, are strong but also complex.   Lifelong learning - the
provision of learning opportunities for adults at all levels - has a
significant role to play in addressing this major theme:  in helping
to prevent criminal behaviour, to enable people to take up productive
lives and to enable an informed public debate on dealing with crime
issues.   

This is why the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning 
(IFLL), sponsored by NIACE, is putting out a public call for 
evidence on lifelong learning, crime and social exclusion.  

With a Board of Commissioners chaired by Sir David Watson, the 
IFLL was launched in September 2007 and will report in June 2009.
Experts from government, business, academia, trade unions, public
service, providers and the voluntary and community sector, as well as
learners, are brought together to identify a broad consensus for the
future direction of adult learning policy in the UK.  (For detail see
www.lifelonglearninginquiry.org.uk).

The Inquiry looks at the critical issues that face our society in
coming decades, and identifies how adult learning can equip us to 
meet
these challenges. A number of specific themes provide a focus for the
work, around which we are issuing calls for evidence.   Interested
individuals and organisations are invited to submit written evidence
on lifelong learning, crime and social exclusion by 12th June 2008.

Tom Schuller, Director of the Inquiry, comments:  "Crime is an 
area where we can reasonably expect adult learning to make a big
difference, but we need to understand the issues better.   
Imprisoning
people is a huge cost to society, and crime wrecks many people's
lives. We are calling both for empirical evidence on what works, and
for rigorous thinking on possible ways forward."

The Inquiry invites submissions that address the following 
questions:

·	What does the evidence tell us about the relationship between 
lifelong learning and crime and social exclusion? 
·	Where are the gaps in evidence in relation to this theme?
·	What key messages for the Inquiry we should extract?

In particular,

·	What modes of education have been proven effective in reducing
recidivism and/or producing long-term effects on criminal activity?
·	What categories of criminal behaviour are most open to educational
treatment, and how might this be developed? ·	What kinds of
infrastructural development are needed to strengthen the part 
lifelong
learning plays in combating social exclusion?

Further information about the Commission of Inquiry is available from
www.lifelonglearninginquiry.org.uk 

At this stage we take a broad view of what constitutes evidence. It
might include research evidence; information about your
organisation/learning provision; or personal or organisational
experience or views about the issues connected with this theme etc. 
It
would be helpful, however, if you could indicate what sort of 
evidence
you are submitting.

Evidence should be submitted to 
lifelonglearninginquiry at niace.org.uk 

This is a public call for evidence. Recipients of this notice are
encouraged to draw it to the attention of others who may wish to
submit evidence to the Inquiry.

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