Key Areas of Activity

The South West Lifelong Learning Network had three key areas of activities:  

Curriculum Development and Vocational Practice Development Unit (CVPDU)

This strand worked to produce flexible higher education (within recognised frameworks such as Foundation degrees through to postgraduate qualifications) that met the needs of the learner. The team did this by looking at work-based learning and employability issues, liaising with employers to ensure courses met regional needs and ensuring the programmes were bite-sized, flexible and supported by e-learning. The Unit mapped provision that was available and identified gaps that required ‘bridging’ programmes to enable learners to move between levels of education.

Click here for more information about the work of the CVPDU Strand

Information, Advice, Guidance and Learning Support (IAG&LS)

The IAG&LS team extended and promoted IAG&LS for vocational learning. It did this by enhancing current IAG&LS in Higher Education Institutions, Further Education Colleges and Careers Services within the region so that potential learners could be guided through the progression opportunities available to them regardless of their existing qualifications. 10 hubs, both real and virtual, were developed and hosted by IAG providers. These measures enabled potential learners to engage and re-engage with Higher Education and choose appropriate programmes of study.

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Progression Framework

The SWLLN wanted to open up Higher Education opportunities for part-time learners in the region. To achieve this, the Progression Framework worked with the CVPDU strand to assess what HE courses were available for vocational learners and relevant initially to the Public Services, Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality sectors.

Once these were identified the strand:

• Improved progression: ensuring that learners were able to access a range of courses across the region, from Foundation Degrees right through to postgraduate courses, rather than being limited to what was available locally
• Made credit portable: developed a scheme so that learners received HE credits for any learning they did, and ‘carried’ this credit with them from course to course across the network of learning providers
• Gave credit for all learning: improving admission to university and college courses so that all appropriate certificates and qualifications (academic, vocational, professional and so on) were recognised and accepted, and learners were credited for previous learning

Click here for more information about the work of the Progression Framework Strand