The 'Conveyor Belt Effect': A Re-Assessment of the Impact of National Targets for Lifelong Learning.

Although the National Targets for Education and Training in England and Wales include indicators for lifelong learning, and the progress towards the targets set for these indicators has been lauded by politicians and other observers, much of this apparent progress is actually accounted for by changes in these same indicators. However, once the "conveyor belt effect" of passing increasingly qualified 16-18 year-olds into the working-age population instead of less-qualified 60 and 65 year-olds is taken into account, then progress in qualifying those of working-age is much less. In fact, there is then very limited evidence that lifelong learning targets have had any impact at all. Certainly work-based training has not increased and may even have declined over the last decade. Some socioeconomic inequalities in adult participation in education and training have worsened. The study concluded that a more carefully designed "average" target could allow all residents to be included in progress toward meeting the target and be more useful in measuring the actual progression of the population toward more educational qualifications. (Contains 52 references.) (Author/KC)