The Unique Learner Number

The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) is the UK’s leading non-governmental organisation for adult learning. NIACE is a voluntary organisation, a charity and company limited by guarantee, owned by its members. The main aim of NIACE is to promote the study and advancement of adult continuing education by securing more and different forms of adult learning for more and different learners, especially those who have benefited least from initial education. We are pleased to respond to the consultation on the Unique Learner Number.

NIACE has considered the issue carefully and its Policy Committee supports the introduction of a unique learner number for the benefits it will bring to adult learning provision in adult, further and higher education. Such benefits will ultimately prove to be in the best interests of adult learners, although there may be some initial reservations to the introduction of such a scheme.

The introduction of a unique learner number has two potential benefits.

1. Making possible the production of more meaningful data from which to analyse patterns of participation and then improve the relevance and range of the learning offer in a given area; and

2. providing a system for tracking and recording learner participation and achievement within a future credit accumulation system.

The potential benefits of the unique learner number stems less from having a unique learner number than from the services and applications that could be based on that identifier. There is value in tracking participation by learners across different providers and over a period of time. As such the identifier will make it possible to collect and record the “untidy” patterns of participation adopted by many adults who get involved in short episodes of (mainly part-time) learning at different levels with different providers and over an extended period of time rather than following the more straightforward route of linear progression prevalent among certain groups of 16 to 19 year olds and 18 to 22 year olds attending higher education straight from school or college where full-time study is more significant. Other potential uses we see include informing collaborative planning and providing information for Strategic Area Review.

NIACE supports the intentions behind Levels 1 and 2 of the approach proposed, although there is anecdotal evidence that the Connexions card may not always work as well in practice as it might. In addition the value of Level 3 has potential to create a record of learning. However Level 4 may be too sophisticated at this time and too expensive to implement.

NIACE is not, however, convinced that the introduction of a unique learner number will necessarily, in itself, reduce the burden of data collection on providers.

As NIACE is not a provider of adult learning, it cannot provide information on the particular issue of implementation costs as requested in the consultation document nor to comment or advise on the relative costs of implementing the different levels of arrangement proposed. However we do believe that an informed and detailed judgement of the costs and benefits of introducing these arrangements is essential. The LSC must be very wary of introducing new data collection systems unless it is absolutely sure any data that is collected will be analysed and used and that there will, in the end, be a net gain to learners and their learning.

On balance NIACE supports the notion of aligning the processes for assigning unique learner numbers with those already in place for the allocation of NHS or national insurance numbers. These agencies already have an appreciation of the complexity of the processes required and the necessary staff skills set, the technology, and the appreciation of the need for secure systems. We see little value in creating an entirely new organisation to undertake these tasks - indeed we can see value at some future point in blending several process together so that one number suffices for a number of these purposes.

We need to be sure to link the development of a unique learner number with the other policy developments cited in Appendix A.

Some of the assumptions in the paper seem to refer primarily to young people in schools or in the 16 to 19 sector, for example the assumption about how long it will be until we can assume all people have ULNs or whether or not a ULN system would need to capture data on ethnicity as this is held elsewhere in for example the UPN.

We have no doubt that the introduction of a unique learner number will only be possible if the case for it is made effectively in public debate. NIACE is happy to contribute to that debate.

Should you have any comments or questions about this response, or require any further information please contact Annie Merton, Senior Development Officer, NIACE, e-mail: annie.merton@niace.org.uk

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