CONTENTS APRIL 2010


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23 The Union Learning Fund: a genuine success story


Criticisms of the Union Learning Fund are ludicrously ill-informed. The fund has been a genuine success story, helping hundreds of thousands of workers access training and education, and contributing significantly to the country’s economic competitiveness, writes Tom Wilson


24 ‘I throw myself into


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everything – we all do’ Ed Melia visits Tansley House Care Home in Derbyshire to see firsthand the remarkable impact learning can have on the lives of people living in care settings and on the staff who work with them


26 Think before you cut With the main political parties set on


reducing public spending, you might be forgiven for supposing that ‘savage’ cuts are the only way forward. But there are alternatives, writes economist Ann Pettifor, and that is why public education about the financial system is so important


29 This act of cultural vandalism


The decision to prioritise higher education spending on so-called ‘STEM’ subjects is having a deplorable impact not only on arts and humanities but also on social sciences. Both are vital to our social and economic future, argues Mike Cushman


30 Making a connection Whether you are teaching adults or


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children, the best way of engaging learners is to respond to their interests and experiences. Greater emphasis on accreditation shouldn’t be allowed to get in the way, says Peter Leyland


APRIL 2010 ADULTS LEARNING 3


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