See the questions and answers following the Ivan Lewis MP live event on 26 November 2002. Ivan is Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Adult Learning and Skills.

Ivan answered questions on many issues but primarily those relating to 'Success for All -Our Vision for the Future'.

The discussion will be left up until 31 December.

Ivan Lewis says: Thank you to everyone who took the time to send me a question. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to respond to such a wide range of important issues. I hope you found it useful too. Although I've not had the time to answer all the questions today, I intend replying to everyone. I will post answers on this website within the next fortnight. Many thanks once again for taking the time to 'Ask Ivan'.

Bryony Kingsland: Why are the WBL providers/FE having to carry out basic skills work and train 16 to 24 year olds how to read, write and do arithmetic? This should be happening in schools and pupils should be leaving school with all these skills already in place ready to go into the workplace. Please explain why this is not happening and what is being done about it. Thank you.
->Ivan Lewis replies: We recognise that it is the role of the compulsory sector to provide young people with the skills to enable them to fully participate in society, that is why we have the literacy and numeracy strategies and why it has been extended in the secondary school sector. However, we cannot be complacent about the skill levels of those who have not had the opportunity to benefit from this Government's strategy. It is for this reason that the key skills of communication, application of number and ICT and the basic skills of literacy and numeracy have been given such high profile. The workplace is of particular concern as nearly half of the 7 million adults with literacy/ numeracy problems are currently in work. Another key statistic is that 60% of the current workforce will still be in employment by 2010. It would be inappropriate and negligent of the Government to fail to give adult workers access to learning simply because they are no longer of school age.

Mandi Davies:Why is the LSC not funding GCSE English and Maths under Basic Skills?We have been able to offer these subjects in the past and the government is including these outcomes in their targets.
->Ivan Lewis replies: We want to identify and recognise literacy, numeracy and language achievements which may be demonstrated through a variety of qualifications, including key skills and GCSE Maths and English. The LSC continues to fund GCSE English and Maths in the same way as they have in the past and, where relevant, providers can claim additional learning support funding for those who need it. The Basic Skills weighting does not apply to these qualifications. There should be no reason why providers cannot continue to offer GCSE Maths and English in the same way as before.

Elizabeth Pallister: 1) Mr Lewis, I am writing an essay as part of my PGCE (Further) at Newcastle College. The problem I am trying to explore is that there seems to be a contradiction between the aim of the government to widen participation and the decline of non-vocational courses. The latter development seems to exclude a lot of people who would like to take a course simply for pleasure. The prospect of having to take four exams at the end of a one year course discourages a lot of people from enrolling on courses such as Spanish GCSE and yet, colleges must offer courses that are formally assessed in order to qualify for funding. The majority of students who enrol on a Spanish laanguage course are over 50 and are not interested in obtaining a certificate in order to improve their job prospects.Mr Lewis, could you please explain to me how these two aims can be reconciled, i.e. the decline in non-vocational courses and the aim of the government to widen participation?
->Ivan Lewis replies: I wouldn't now accept the premise of your question that non vocational courses are in decline. Certainly this was true in the 1990s when the adult education offered through Local Education Authorities did decline but it is not so now. Expenditure on adult and community learning has increased from £145min in 2000-1 to £167m in 2002-3. Over 1.5m learners take mainly part time and non vocational courses every year. In addition a further £14m has been made available this year to increase the number of learners from deprived communities. Good luck with your PGCE.

Deborah Lyndon-Butterworth: We define basic skills as "the ability to read, write and speak in English and to use mathematics at a level necessary to function at work and in society in general." We have recognised that during the next few years the vast majority of jobs and many social activities will require knowledge of and the ability to use information technology and computerised systems. When will it be recognised that IT is a basic skill and that many UK adults have an IT skills deficit? We need to access the funds allocated for the improvement of basic skills to support IT.
->Ivan Lewis replies: The E-learning Task Force report has asked Government to ensure that ICT is seen as a basic skill at the earliest possible opportunity.
We have gone a long way to providing access and support for adults seeking to improve their ICT skills. By the end of this month we should have over 6,000 local Directgov centres. And we have a flourishing network of UfI/Learndirect centres that are making an influential impact on e-learning and ICT skills.
The funds currently allocated to the Skills for Life strategy are specifically to address literacy, numeracy and ESOL. Whilst I recognise that ICT is important, the developments in ICT must not be at the expense of our work on literacy and numeracy
The Employers Skill Survey 2002 asked 4,000 employers about the skills of their employees and job applicants and about their vacancies. It found that basic computer literacy was only a significant shortage among applicants for administrative and associate professional jobs and only five per cent overall. (p37)
The Skills in England 2001 Research Report found that advanced IT skills were part of the main skills shortages, but not basic IT skills (p214). Although not differentiating between basic and advanced IT skills, the Work Skills in Britain, 1986 to 2001 study found that there is evidence of a need for increased investment in the training of computer skills (p66).
All three studies can be downloaded from www.skillsbase.dfes.gov.uk
We know that 60% of current jobs and 90% of new jobs require some ICT capability so we recognise the need to address skills gaps in this area.

Ivan: how many secondary schools are there in the UK?
->Ivan Lewis replies: Figures held on Edubase (the Department's school data holders) show that there are 4476 secondary schools in England of which 553 are middle schools (classed as secondary). We do not hold data for schools in Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

John Coyne: Could you please advise how the CITB, which is the training board for the construction industry, can justify taxing an industry which it does not provide any appropriate training for whilst failing to apply the same tax to many companies who are construction companies.Thank you
->Ivan Lewis replies: Plant and hire companies are only in scope to the CITB if their main activity is the hiring out of contractor's plant or scaffolding. This is because such companies would need to employ skilled plant engineers or mechanics to inspect, maintain and repair such equipment. These employees need skills which are traditionally construction skills. I am always willing to consider proposals from the construction industry to amend the definition in the governing legislation which would also require full consultation with the industry and approval by Parliament.
In 2000 CITB received £1.8m from the plant and hire sector and gave back £2.2m in direct financial support. To be liable to pay levy companies must have their main activity falling within the scope of the Board and have direct employees or use labour only sub-contractors. Very small firms are also excluded."

Linda Shaw: Failure of the ILA scheme has resulted in a severe reduction in numbers of learners this year and we wonder what plans there are to re-introduce a similar scheme and if so what will be the monitoring mechanisms for ensuring programme deliverers are providing a quality service?
->Ivan Lewis replies:We remain committed to the original principles and vision of the ILA scheme. It put power into the hands of learners to decide what and where to learn. Much was achieved in the original scheme which we want to build on and extend. Development on the successor scheme so far has been taken to a point where we are clear about the design of a scheme which would be robust and effective. That has been valuable investment of time to date. We will now bring forward proposals for a successor scheme for ILAs in June 2003 as an integral part of the publication of our groundbreaking National Skills Strategy and delivery plan. Central to this will be the review of the Funding of Adult Learning. Individual Learning Accounts must form a coherent part of the future of adult learning.
The successor scheme will include a robust system of learning provider registration, quality checks and monitoring of provider activity.

Deborah Lyndon-Butterworth: It would appear that many adults with basic skill needs are being excluded from accessing funded training because they have previously attained GSCE level qualifications in English and Mathematics, regardless of how long ago they attained these qualifications. I have students who have HNDs, Degrees and Masters Degrees who are known to have basic skills needs and would like to be supported in addressing their skills gaps. We acknowledge that all new students entering training for teaching qualifications need to have GCSE Maths and English. We also acknowledge that many existing teaching staff have basic skills needs of their own, particularly in mathematics. Trainee teachers will now need to further evidence their abilities and improve, where necessary, their Literacy and Numeracy skills as part of their training. Why are we excluding others who hold GSCE or equivilent qualifications in Maths and English from accessing funded support in Numeracy and Literacy?
->Ivan Lewis replies: Even if people hold GCSEs, or equivalent qualifications, in English and Maths, if there are doubts as to their skills in literacy and/or numeracy they should be given a diagnostic assessment. If this shows that their skills are below Level 2 they are eligible for help with their basic skills, either as a separate learning aim or through the Additional Learning Support mechanism.
In terms of teacher training, we agree that it is vital that all teachers have sufficient literacy and numeracy skills, particularly as learners with literacy, numeracy or language needs will be present in classes of all subject areas. The DFEE stated in November 2000 that all FE teaching qualifications must cover basic skills to a minimum level, and the Adult Basic Skills Strategy Unit is working with the Further Education National Training Organisation (FENTO) in order to implement this.
We are in the process of defining the minimum level of literacy and numeracy for new non-specialist teachers, using level 3 of the Subject Specifications for Teachers of Literacy and Numeracy as a reference point. FENTO are currently developing guidance which will define the minimum level and provide advice on the integration of the minimum level into teacher training programmes.

Eddie Cosstello: There is no mention of IAG in the Success for All document how does IAG fit into the strategy?
->Ivan Lewis replies: It is clear to me that Information, Advice and Guidance is making a difference to developing people's skills and quality of life. This is why adult IAG services are at the heart of the Government wider skills strategy and why we are investing higher levels of funding in IAG than ever before.
We can never underestimate the importance of high quality IAG in helping people gain the skills they need to enter and progress within the workplace. If we are to up-skill the nations workforce it is essential that people make informed choices about learning and work."

Roger Tuckett:Can the Government explain why official EU benchmark statistics show that the UK has the second poorest record of improvement in Europe from June 2001 to June 2002 in Internet access by households, a common measure of digital literacy?
->Ivan Lewis replies: Figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that currently 11.1million households are connected to the internet. That is 45% of all households compared to 38% in 2001 and just 9% in 1998. Figures on overall internet penetration - including access at work and at public access points - show that UK performance over the last three years has been strong, closing the gap with Sweden and extending a lead over other European countries. In total 57% of the UK adult population have accessed the internet at some stage. Figures from the recently published International e-Economy Benchmarking show that overall the UK performs well on measures of e-citizen performance measured across a range of indicators In terms of the ability of UK citizens to participate in the e-economy we are ranked fourth behind the US, Canada and Sweden and ahead of France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Australia.