National Learning and Work Institute (L&W)

Who we are?

We are an independent policy and research organisation dedicated to lifelong learning, full employment and inclusion. We bring together over 90 years of combined history and heritage from the ‘National Institute of Adult Continuing Education’ (NIACE) and the ‘Centre for Economic & Social Inclusion’.

What we do?

The work we do is aimed at securing positive change for individuals and communities to secure increased access to learning and skills and improved
employability and career progression. We research what works, influencing policy, develop new ways of thinking, and help implement new approaches. Our ambition is for:

• Active citizens and healthy communities;
• The wider benefits of learning and skills support more vibrant, tolerant, safe and healthy communities;
• Equality and inclusion for social justice and life chances: a society where everyone has the opportunity to learn, build skills and work regardless of their background;
• Full employment and high quality work: ensuring everyone who can work has the opportunity to do so, and to progress at work and build a career.

Our best practices

This Impact Report sets out our campaigning, research and development projects and policy advice for 2016/2017. All have been achieved with the
support from a range of partners and stakeholders.

The Citizens’ Curriculum is an innovative, holistic approach to ensure everyone has the English, maths, digital, civic, health and financial capabilities they need. This approach taps into what motivates adults to learn, through giving learners a voice in co-designing curriculum content and careful contextualization, ensuring that more people are learning skills which are relevant to their lives and their work.

Festival of Learning is the biggest celebration of lifelong learning in England. Festival of Learning celebrates the remarkable achievements of adults who
have used learning to transform their lives, and highlights how lifelong learning benefits society and the economy.

Our series of snappy policy think-pieces, called Policy Solutions, are designed to inform and influence policy makers. Policy Solutions start a dialogue and generate discussions with our members and supporters. But we also want to be provocative and constructive, enabling us to forge new relationships through discussion and debate within the learning, skills and employment sectors and beyond.

As the UK National Coordinator for the European Agenda for Adult Learning L&W has built on the work undertaken in 2012-14 and 2014-15, and continues
to contribute to the European Commission’s strategic priorities:

• Making lifelong learning and mobility a reality;
• Improving the quality and efficiency of education and training;
• Promoting equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship;
• Enhancing creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training;
• Improving the knowledge base on adult learning and monitoring the adult learning sector.