Islington: building equality and prosperity though learning

“I needed a career change and had no confidence as I hadn’t applied for a job or done any learning since I was 16. They’ve really supported me and the courses are really practical. I start my new job next month”.

These are the words of one of over 1700 adult learners at Islington Council’s Adult Community Learning service. They shine a light on one of the many inspirational journeys our learners embark upon when they sign up for a course.

The transformative power of adult education was highlighted in the recent London Learner Survey, commissioned by the GLA. The survey aimed to determine the economic and social impact of adult education and how provision enriches the lives of those who take part in the varied adult learning offer provided by a wide range of institutions in London. The results are impressive, with nearly half the numbers surveyed experiencing positive economic change following their learning and 94% experiencing positive social change.

“ACL [is] a key enabler of our approach”

The broad categories of social and economic impact neatly capture two of the roles that adult education has to offer local people. At Islington Council, the Adult Community Learning (ACL) service is embedded within the Community Wealth Building Directorate, under Inclusive Economy and Jobs and over the last 12 months, senior leaders within the Council have positioned ACL as a key enabler of our approach.

Having no dedicated learning space or building, ACL delivers information, advice and guidance as well as learning opportunities within local community spaces, making it accessible for adult learners who lack confidence and are unlikely to go to a large, formal learning institution. This is a set up that works for Islington residents – the service reaches communities and individuals least-served and often overlooked by a global economy, like Islington’s. Our mission is to deliver impactful provision to create a more equal borough. By engaging, upskilling and inspiring these learners, the service is an essential hook to social and economic mobility for those who need it the most.

“Working with partners who share our values facilitates high-trust relationships”

An essential element to this approach is effective partnership working. As with all adult learning services, Islington ACL operates within a complex borough-wide skills offer. In order to make opportunities available to residents, learning has to be underpinned by effective and impartial information advice and guidance to maximise opportunities and facilitate progression to meaningful next steps. Working with partners who share our values facilitates high-trust relationships where the resident is prioritised and equality is at the fore. Prioritising long-term and life-changing opportunities for residents irrespective of where these opportunities are over meeting short-term performance indicators means that residents benefit from wrap-around and holistic support that extends beyond a single service.

“lay the foundations for the delivery of provision that will make it relevant to local people”

Identifying priority sectors and carving out the role adult learning has to play in supporting them is another core community wealth building principle. The green economy has been identified as a growth sector in the borough. With qualifications and jobs available in construction and other industries but without a coherent engagement and skills plan, promotion of the industry may entrench the very inequalities we are working so hard to deconstruct. Working with a number of inner-London boroughs, Islington attracted funding to identify how the service can contribute to the green agenda and lay the foundations for the delivery of provision that will make it relevant to local people – including Family and Community Learning, as well as entry level green qualifications. As a result, we now have a strong working partnership with London Square, delivering entry-level green skills qualifications and are working closer than ever with sibling council services, such as Islington Working and the Green Economy Team. The increased focus on green skills has resulted in embedding sustainability across the curriculum, which has seen ESOL learners develop valuable gardening skills; residents on sewing programmes using recycled materials to create eye-catching, trendy clothing; and digital skills learners being empowered to make a difference through technology.

In a world where inequalities are rising and the issues that deprived communities and individuals face increasingly complex, the need for ambitious, innovative and tailored solutions is more urgent than ever. A commitment to co-construct solutions with relevant services and work flexibly is essential to the Islington response. When the recent influx of refugees to the borough began, adult community learning supported the No Recourse to Public Funds team with additional provision in the form of ESOL and English and Maths classes. While this was sufficient as an initial measure, the new residents’ needs were diverse. To address this, managers from each team sat to problem-solve a solution that would give the best outcomes to residents. The resulting provision has been a peripatetic English Language Refugee and Migrant Co-ordinator who works borough-wide. This initiative, funded by the Home Office, was recognised as an example of good practice by the GLA and the impact is being captured through a set of performance measures that are shared across services.

“a foundation of shared values that facilitates joint working and prioritises having an impact on local people”

The principles outlined above may appear generic to any process of good practice and, in many ways, they are. The community wealth building approach, however, lays a foundation of shared values that facilitates joint working and prioritises having an impact on local people. By working in this way partners feel a joint ownership of innovative solutions and every “win” is shared.

Islington ACL is proud to be part of a values-driven approach to reducing inequalities. Although we have made some excellent progress over the last few years, there is much work to be done. It is heartening to see other councils and adult learning services embrace a similar approach. If you would like to have a discussion about approaches to adult learning with a community wealth building twist and how you are developing your curriculum, do get in touch.