Adult learning strategy: equality impact assessment

Equality Impact Assessment – Results

Title of Policy

Adult Learning Strategy

Summary of aims and desired outcomes of Policy

The purpose of creating the Adult Learning Strategy is to remove barriers to learning for the most marginalised people within society. The strategy's vision is that adult learning in Scotland will develop better skilled, educated, confident and empowered people contributing to connected and inclusive communities. Its ambition is to create new and increased positive pathways in collaboration with community-based adult learners. Its aim is to create the conditions for connected adult learning opportunities that link Scotland's communities, local authorities, third sector organisations, colleges and universities around an offer of learning for adults, particularly those furthest from inclusion and experiencing disadvantage.

The strategy aims to bring about systemic change to how learners can access and progress through learning to reach their goals. Intended impacts and outcomes are that the strategy will:

• deliver better outcomes for learners and make a positive impact to adult learners' lives and their life chances.
• remove the barriers that prevent adults participating in learning or that adversely affect their levels of participation.
• aim specifically to support those who are not engaging in learning and create clear accessible first steps that enable the most marginalised and excluded adults to begin their learning journey.
• clarify and simplify how learners who have taken their first steps into or back into learning can progress.
• ensure that all learning is recognised and is given the due credit and recognition that the learners' efforts deserve.
• ensure that those furthest from formal mainstream education have parity of learning opportunities.

Directorate: Division: team

Advanced Learning and Science: Colleges, Young Workforce and SFC Sponsorship: CLD Policy Unit