Catalogue description Department for Education and Employment: Lifelong Learning Directorate, Learning Partnerships Team: Learning Partnerships Dataset

Hardware: Originally held on Dell Optiplex Gx110.

Operating System: Microsoft Windows, version unknown

Application Software: Developed in Lotus Approach 97

User Interface: On-screen forms. Examples of the forms have been reproduced and can be seen via the Dataset Documentation Catalogue.

Logical structure and schema: The dataset derived from the Learning Partnerships database comprises a single table containing one record for each of the 101 Learning Partnerships.

How data was originally captured and validated: Data was supplied to the Learning Partnerships Team on a Management Information (MI) form. After inputting, data from 10% of the forms were checked for accuracy by another member of staff.

The Learning Partnerships dataset contains information collected by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) on the network of 101 Learning Partnerships established in England in 1999. Learning Partnerships were established by order of the Secretary of State for Education in 1999. The dataset is derived from a database maintained by DfES which was used to record management information about each of the Learning Partnerships. This included contact information and details of the membership, activities, structure and funding of each Learning Partnership.

Learning Partnerships were established in order to provide a single strategic body in each local education authority area that would bring together all the existing local arrangements covering post 16 education and lifelong learning. The intention to introduce local strategic partnerships to develop new approaches for the education and training of young people and adults was an aim of the incoming Labour government in 1997. Moves to widen participation in education by those over the age of 16, increase attainment and raise standards were goals set out in the Labour Party's"Road to the Manifesto" document, Lifelong Learning and the Government's Learning Age Green Paper. The Learning Partnerships' remit was described formally in the Lifelong Learning Partnerships Remit issued in January 1999. The aim of the partnerships was to develop a coherent learning provision to meet the needs of young people and adults and the skill requirements of employers. They supported action to widen participation in post 16 education and training, increase attainment and raise standards. Their work included providing guidance on careers advice and development and initiating work on basic skills.

DfES guidelines for Learning Partnerships indicate that they have three key roles:

• Delivering greater provider collaboration on the range of provision, its delivery and its standards so that learning becomes more coherent, relevant and accessible to local people and employers.
• Enabling providers to work collectively, with users, to identify local learner, community and employer needs and to respond to them through their own actions and by influencing local Learning and Skills Councils (LSC).
• Ensuring that effective mechanisms are in place to provide feedback on the quality and accessibility of learning to providers and the LSC from both young people and adults, especially through learner forums.