Adult learning strategy: equality impact assessment

2. Background

In 2019, the Scottish Government's Programme for Government^[1] made a commitment to working with the newly-formed Adult Learning Strategic Forum for Scotland to develop an Adult Learning Strategy. The Adult Learning Strategic Forum for Scotland's membership consists of a number of national public sector and third sector organisations through which a wide range of adult learners, organisations, practitioners and academics could be consulted and evidence could be gathered as part of the EQIA process.

• Association of Directors of Education in Scotland
• City of Glasgow College
• CLD Managers Scotland – Adult Learning
• CLD Standards Council
• College Development Network
• Colleges Scotland
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
• Education Scotland
• Inverness College
• LEAD Scotland
• Learning Link Scotland
• Newbattle Abbey College
• NHS Education for Scotland
• Open University
• Robertson Trust
• Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
• Scottish Community Development Centre
• Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework
• Scottish Funding Council
• Scottish Government
• Scottish Libraries
• Scottish Prison Service
• Scottish Union Learning
• Skills Development Scotland
• Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Scotland)
• Universities Scotland
• Volunteer Scotland
• Workers Education Association

To gather additional evidence, a strategic writing group was formed to help recognise potential barriers to adults taking part in and progressing in learning and to provide knowledge and experience in working with adult learners from protected characteristic groups. Members of the strategic writing group were:

• CLD Managers Scotland
• Education Scotland
• ESOL Practitioners Network
• Adult Literacies Network
• LEAD Scotland
• Learning Link Scotland
• Newbattle Abbey College
• Scottish Government
• Scottish Prison Service
• Workers Educational Association

The writing group engaged with and gathered feedback from adult learners across Scotland to ask about their personal circumstances, barriers to learning, experiences of learning, purposes of learning and aspirations for future development. To ensure that a diverse range of views were captured, questions to gather feedback were translated into thirteen different languages. This engagement and feedback has helped to shape and inform the Adult Learning Strategy's ambition to create new and increased positive pathways for community-based adult learners as well as the development of a dynamic strategic action plan which sets out twenty three actions that will be refreshed as we work towards removing barriers to learning.