Universities UK (UUK) recently launched a report on Social Mobility at the request of the government, to advise on the contribution that Universities could and should be making. The report’s most important point is that universities alone cannot right all social wrongs but that working in collaboration with schools and employers will go some way to making a difference.

The catastrophic decline in part-time student numbers in England over the last five years is also well documented and has occurred despite the crucial need to upskill and reskill the current working population to meet the productivity needs of the country. Those who have left their school years behind might already be in employment but face huge challenges in identifying opportunities to develop their career. Indeed, the UUK report recommends specifically raising awareness of the different routes into and through HE and the promotion of the value of lifelong learning and part-time study.

The Open University-managed Social Partnerships Network (SPN) is a great example of really productive collaborative working. Members include: Workers’ Educational Association, National Extension College, unionlearn, UNISON, Learning and Work Institute, Association of Colleges, Leonard Cheshire Disability, National Council for Voluntary Organisations and The Open University (OU). We have been working together for the last three years to explore ways to highlight pathways into learning for adults, whether in work or seeking it, primarily using free online courses provided though the OU’s OpenLearn platform. But early on in our discussions we recognised the need to provide better Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) about the many, varied and often confusing routes to higher level qualifications. 

Using additional HEFCE funding as part of the National Networks for Collaborative Outreach (NNCO) scheme, the SPN, led by the OU, have now produced such a resource. The PEARL website (Part Time Education for Adults Returning to Learn – www.pearl.ac.uk) is intended to be the ‘go-to’ resource for those trying to find their way through the plethora of pathways available to adults and contains a sophisticated diagnostic in the form of an  ‘Advise  Me’ tool which personalises the IAG to the individual  requirements and circumstances of the enquirer.

Additionally, the SPN have also developed some free online courses for those who have an idea of what area they would like to work in but do not really know what steps they need to take, or those looking for career progression within some specific areas of activity (www.open.edu/openlearn/spn-courses). As they progress through the course of their choice (out of the six courses on offer), learners can collect badges, which can be displayed on their CV or LinkedIn profile. 

The resources are great and, we would argue, deliver to the recommendations of the UUK report. But it is absolutely true that they could not have been produced without working in partnership. In the current UK context with an ageing population, predicted decline of 18 year olds entering HE and the need to focus on reskilling and upskilling the current UK workforce, we are confident that PEARL fills an IAG gap at a national level. It provides a one stop shop for adults looking for part-time, flexible and tailored educational opportunities and brings together the worlds of education and work. Our challenge now is to maintain and sustain the resources post-funding so that we can continue to level the playing field a little more for adult and part-time learners.