Building bridges between learners and learning providers: the 'Learning Brokers' project
A final conference took place at Staffordshire University on Thursday 19th May - 2005 called 'BUILDING BRIDGES: diverse pathways to learning success'
Programme (click on
electronic links to see presentations and feedback information)
11.0 Welcome, Professor
Peter Davies, Staffordshire University.
11.10 Opening Speaker:
Brenda Jackson, Brenda Jackson Associates
Ltd
11.20 Dr
Liz Thomas, Higher Education Academy, outlining the parameters and findings
of the research.
11.40 Gill Howland, Staffordshire
Learning and Skills Council, spoke on funding issues (Gill didn't have time
to take questions but will respond to questions posed to her after the event.
Replies will be posted here)
12.00 Workshop One: 'Applying the Framework in Practice' The workshop explored the contributions of a variety of agencies in the brokerage framework.
1.00 Lunch.
General feedback from delegates attending Workshops One and Two.
3.00 Panel discussion - the panel of Peter Davies, Liz Thomas, Jocey Quinn (University of Exeter), Gillian Mitchison (FROG) and Pauline Murphy (TUC) took questions from delegates.
See below for the published reports and also for an outline to the research project.
Reports coming from the research:
Download a copy of the completed report by the Institute for Access Studies called 'Learning Brokerage: building bridges between learners and providers'.
Download a copy of a further report by the Institute for Access Studies called Learning Brokerage: building bridges between learners and providers - report of phases 2 and 3 of the project
Download a copy of the report 'Learning Brokerage in the Workplace - some preliminary reflections by Denise Thursfield, University of Hull and John Hamblett and Rick Holden of Leeds Methropolitan University.
The Institute for Access Studies carried out a research project funded by the Learning and Skills Research Centre (part of the Learning and Skills Development Agency) to investigate the role of learning brokers in building bridges between learners and all types of learning. The term 'learning broker' is used in this context to refer to individuals and organisations that act as intermediaries to motivate and support adults (post-16) to become involved in learning, and help them to succeed. The research, which included examples drawn from outside the education sector, involved brokers working in both formal and informal settings and had a particular focus on hard to reach groups. The aim of the research was to develop understanding of the differing patterns of interaction between (potential) learners, brokers and learning providers in different contexts, identifying effective approaches to brokering in relation to specific groups and communities.
The project examined brokerage in the workplace and within the community. Types of individual and organisations included, for example, trade union learning representatives, voluntary organisations, faith groups and arts, sports and leisure projects. The research was divided into three phases, the first of which was based upon an open invitation to those with learning broker experience or knowledge to contribute to the research via a short questionnaire, and to nominate examples of learning brokerage within the UK. This consultation then informed a further two research phases, the first of which incorporated a number of case studies selected from the nominations received during phase 1 of the research. The selection included examples of brokerage in the workplace, the community, rural and urban areas, and those working with specific hard to reach groups or neighbourhoods. The final phase involved action research partnerships with learning brokers in which strategies for successful brokerages were developed. Each phase also included a participative conference to enable stakeholders to discuss the findings and inform the research process.
