Ensuring Outreach, Motivation and Persistence in Basic Skills Programs

An OECD booklet published in 2019 presents practical insights for stakeholders who are directly involved with engaging low-skilled adults in learning, including policy makers, learning providers and the social partners. Although it was not created specifically for basic skills, the insights are very relevant. 

We have chosen four of the seven actions (Action 1, 2, 3, 5) presented by the OECD as tools to increase the participation of the target group in basic skills learning provision. Read the notes focusing on the practical perspectives of the recommended actions and the booklet for more information!

Key insights from existing practice: 

• Actively reach out to adults in the places they frequent, including workplaces, community institutions and public spaces. 
• Identify actors that have established links with adults with low skills. 
• Build the capacity of these actors to inform adults with low skills and encourage them to take up learning opportunities.

Key insights from existing practice: 

• Develop holistic advice and guidance services specifically for low-skilled adults. 
• Set-up one-stop shops and establish partnerships with other organisations serving adults with low skills to ensure that they get holistic advice. 
• Ensure that guidance services are provided by qualified staff, who have the ability to tailor the service to the needs and situation of each adult individually.

Key insights from existing practice: 

• Take into account how adults learn when designing learning opportunities. Opportunities should be practical, problem-oriented and closely linked to the (work) context of the learner. 
• Offer blended learning opportunities, which give learners the option to choose a way of learning that works best for them. 
• Ensure that the learning mode is appropriate for the target group, make learning enjoyable (e.g. through gamification), and provide additional support where needed (e.g. for online learning).

Key insights from existing practice: 

• Structure each adult learning programme to consist of a number of self-contained learning modules. 
• Provide adults with micro-credentials for successfully completing individual modules and allow them to combine these to achieve a full qualification. 
• Give adults the opportunity to choose modules from different types of provision to create their individual learning path. 

Read about more interesting facts; why these actions are important; and what we can do about them in the document! (Action 1: pp 5-6; Action 2: pp 7-8; Action 3: pp 9-10; Action 5: pp 15-16)