Learning not certificates

01-August-2005

Instead of providing funding for people to learn, the money is being provided so that people - even if they have already got basic skills - can have a formal qualification as proof.

A quick rant on a story from the BBC. "Every adult in Scotland is being offered up to £100 to develop and improve their computer skills", they say.

The funding forms part of a Scottish Executive drive to extend learning.

The Individual Learning Account (ILA) Scotland scheme offers low income learners up to £200 a year for courses to help them get back into work.

This has now been extended to provide funding of up to £100 a year for basic information technology training to everyone in Scotland over 18."

So far so good - but then things get really silly.

Deputy Minister for Lifelong Learning Allan Wilson said: "We have chosen information and communications technology (ICT) training for the universal offer because learner research showed us that even where people might consider themselves to have basic ICT skills, relatively few have any formal qualifications as proof of their expertise."

So instead of providing funding for people to learn, the money is being provided so that people - even if they have already got basic skills - can have a formal qualification as proof.

We need learning not qualifications, knowledge not certificates, wisdom not Deputy Ministers of Lifelong Learning.

Here endeth todays rant.

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Graham Attwell; 01-August-2005 15:56:57;