Introduction: the policy environment

The Scottish Executive, in line with UK government policy, is committed to the expansion of further education (FE). The sector is regarded as one of the principal policy instruments through which the efficiency and equity aims of both the social inclusion and lifelong learning agendas may be delivered. The key contribution of the FE sector to these agendas is articulated in the Strategic Framework for Further Education (Scottish Office, 1999), which views FE colleges as offering the most popular and accessible route into lifelong learning. Accordingly, FE funding has been increased substantially in real terms. Between 1999 and 2002, the sector received an extra £214 million boosted by a further £26 million in January 2003 (www.sfefc.ac.uk/ abfescot.htm). In its February 2001 letter of guidance to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC), the Scottish Executive placed particular emphasis on the link between colleges and skills and employability, and on “widening access to new learning opportunities for those from disadvantaged and under-represented groups” to promote social inclusion. It further stated that this was “all the more pressing because of the direct links between learning and earnings, both for individuals and for nations”. The December 2002 letter continued this theme: prioritising skills.

The twin policy agendas of social inclusion and lifelong learning emphasise the need for individuals to get qualified and stay qualified by continually updating their skills. Social inclusion policy recognises that one of the main areas of ‘exclusion’ in UK society is the labour market where employment and wage prospects for unskilled and lowerskilled individuals have unequivocally worsened over the last 20 years (Robinson, 1994; Gasteen et al, 2000; Houston et al, 2001). The National Skills Task Force (DfEE, 2000) highlighted the existence of major adult skills gaps with a large proportion of the workforce having either no qualifications or qualifications below Level 2 (see Appendix to this chapter). It concluded that one of the main areas of skills deficiency in the UK lay in low-level basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy. Individuals lacking in these skills are those most at risk of being excluded from the labour market.