Welcome to the new
Basic Skills Bulletin

Welcome to the new Basic Skills Bulletin website which will bring you an expanded information service with new electronic elements, including web-based resources, publications and ideas plus news alerts and updates sent by email and Parliamentary and government monitoring on-line and in print.

Basic Skills Bulletin is changing because the world is changing. Basic learning and skills are no longer limited to remediation or compensation for those the system has failed – if ever they were. They are about much more than the need to tackle the lack of functional literacy and numeracy among seven million adults identified in the Moser review over a decade ago.

A computer revolution and world financial crisis conspire to dictate that we all upskill, reskill, become much more flexible in our jobs or seek new work. Even the most draconian of cuts will leave 80% to 85% of public employees in post, but chances are they will be doing different work demanding new sets of skills.

When Basic Skills Bulletin was created around the time of Moser, a straightforward focus on adult literacy, numeracy and ICT sufficed. While those changes remain paramount, they are part of a much broader agenda needed for a more flexible learning and skills workforce of practitioners at all levels managing and coordinating literacy, numeracy, ESOL and ICT across a diverse range of disciplines.

We will continue to focus on key areas including:

We would also like to hear from you, to have feedback and remain in constant dialogue over the changes taking place and the best ways in which we can help communicate them.

Most of all, Basic Skills Bulletin aims to help you keep a focus on the key issues affecting your work.

Ian Nash
Editor, Basic Skills Bulletin