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Progress to date...

Initially the priority was to establish and consolidate the CLP at county and area levels. A County Steering Group comprising representatives of the fee paying members of the NYCLP was established to provide direction for the work of six area groups for Craven, Hambleton / Richmondshire, Harrogate, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.

The core members of the area groups were the fee paying members of the CLP which offered learning opportunities in the given area but associate membership was extended (at no charge) to include other providers of community learning and representatives from other agencies with an interest and / or who could provide information about needs in the area.

The early work of the CLP then included:

Work to map and analyse existing provision to identify gaps and duplication

Surveying voluntary organisations across the county in order to try to develop further capacity in the sector

Developing links with Children’s Centres and Libraries

Undertaking surveys in the areas of the county where participation was low in order to identify learning and progression opportunities and learners’ needs.

The NYCLP then began to use a more detailed check-list of priorities to ensure that the planning of provision at an area level (and therefore aggregated across the county) was not only collaborative but also inclusive, coherent and consistent with SFA priorities. This also helped to begin to describe the North Yorkshire Community Learning Partnership Offer and the contributions that individual organisations and institutions were making.

In 2013/14 the CLP adopted a Strategic Framework for the Development of Community Learning which included a statement (adapted from documents prepared by the Cheshire West and Chester Employment, Skills and Learning Service) to confirm its commitment to collaborative planning and a universal offer of community learning opportunities but also committed to increase the percentage of provision specifically targeted towards learners under-represented in learning.

The groups were defined and a Planning Provision Template based on these Priority Groups was prepared and used to develop elements of new provision and to plan all provision for 2014/15.  

The change in the balance of provision has been the key task for the NYCLP since its inception but the County Steering Group has also provided a template for development s at an area level which has included:

Continuing to consolidate and develop the area partnership groups including regular consideration of involving representatives from other providers in the area.

Continuing to develop third sector infrastructure and work with voluntary groups

Demonstrating how Pound Plus work is contributing to the universal offer and leading to better targeting of provision.

Developing some joint marketing of provision.

Increasing the involvement of the community and individual learners (including potential learners).

Assisting organisations that do not receive SFA funds to promote their community learning offer.

North Yorkshire County Council took a lead in planning Community Learning in a different, more collaborative, way for 2014/15 and this resulted in:

A greater proportion of provision that is targeted towards the targeted groups of the CLP;

Some very clear examples of how Pound Plus is being implemented;

Clear identification of opportunities for learners to progress;

Opportunities for other providers (whether funded by SFA or not) to identify and fill any gaps in provision (particularly in relation to priority groups).

The NYCLP has also run two very successful conferences at Askham Bryan College (in 2014 and 2015 for its members and other invited guests.

In 2014/15 the Steering Group of the CLP responded to the elements of the BIS Consultation Document “A Dual Mandate for Adult Vocational Education” that related to Community Learning and anticipated that the future of the SFA’s funding stream for Community Learning would become clearer during 2015/16. On that basis, it undertook to review the operation of the CLP towards the end of 2015/16. (Click here for plans for 2016/17).

In 2015 / 16, the commitment to collaborative planning and a universal offer of community learning opportunities continued but the over-riding priority was to increase still further the percentage of provision specifically targeted towards learners under-represented in learning. Work also built upon an “Evidence of Impact” survey conducted with members and continued to:

Review the membership of the area groups in order to further consolidate and develop their work;

Contribute to the development of third sector infrastructure and work with voluntary groups (but not duplicate the work of other organisations).

Promote community learning not least through the establishment of Facebook and Twitter accounts and through the CLP’s website.

Encourage Area Groups to promote learning opportunities collaboratively and to target their efforts towards particular communities and potential students.

Identify good practice in relation to Pound Plus (but not prioritise this area of activity)

Share information (perhaps in formats already prepared by institutions and organisations for their own internal use) about learner and community needs at area meetings;

Allow some discretion at an area level to respond to particular needs or circumstances by asking each area to identify a small number of achievable objectives;

Shared information in relation to the opportunities presented by the European Structural Fund.