Evaluation of the Adult Learning Grant cohort 2 (wave 1)

"The Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) are evaluating ALG on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills and the National Office of the Learning and Skills Council... The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) aims to support adults who have not yet obtained their first Level 2 or first Level 3 qualification. The ALG is intended to help adults with the additional costs of learning (for example, books, travel) through the provision of a means-tested monetary grant." - pp. i-ii

Evaluation of the Adult Learning Grant cohort 1 (waves 1 and 2)

"The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) was announced as part of the Government’s Skills Strategy in 2003. The ALG pilot began in September 2003 in ten areas across England. The ALG aims to support adults in learning through the offer of a meanstested monetary allowance... Throughout the report (except for ALG experiences), [this] analysis focuses on comparisons between ALG applicants (or sub-groups: awardees or recipients) and qualification-eligible non-applicants." -- pp. i & iii

The Happy Planet Index 2.0: Why good lives don’t have to cost the Earth

The report presents the results of the second global compilation of the Happy Planet Index, based on improved data for 143 countries around the world – representing 99 per cent of the world’s population. The results shows that globally we are still far from achieving good lives within the Earth’s finite resource limits. But although the evidence shows that we are heading in the wrong direction, the achievements of some countries around the world provide reasons to believe that we can achieve true sustainable well-being

National Accounts of Well-being: bringing real wealth onto the balance sheet

The report sets out the details of nef's case for governments to systematically measure and report on the well-being of their populations. Using the latest findings from the field of well-being research, it demonstrates how the case for national well-being measures is closely linked to the history of economic national accounting. It describes how a framework for National Accounts of Well-being was developed from European Social Survey data and presents the resulting findings, to show how National Accounts of Well-being can provide a new, more meaningful measure of national success and help governments take decisions to improve the lives of their citizens

'Moments of Change' as opportunities for influencing behaviour

This document is the final report from Project EV0506 – “Moments of change” as opportunities for influencing behaviour. It was commissioned by the Centre of Expertise on Influencing Behaviours at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The goal of the project was to explore whether “moments of change” – times in a person‟s life where existing habits and behavioural patterns are disrupted – provide a significant opportunity to encourage the take-up of pro-environmental behaviours. In particular, the project focused on life events (such as having a baby) and macroeconomic events (such as the 2008/9 “credit crunch”)

Evaluation of the Adult Learning Grant Cohort 1 (Waves 1 and 2)

There has been a significant change in the locus of job growth within the UK over the past two decades, with managerial, professional and technical occupations experiencing the highest growth rates. Expansion in these sectors has been accompanied by demands for higher levels of skills and qualifications from the workforce, a trend which is predicted to continue. The Skills Strategy White Paper1 has been central in setting out the Government’s aims to ensure that employers have a workforce with the right skills to support their businesses and that individuals have the skills they need to be both employable and personally fulfilled. The Adult Learning Grant (ALG) was announced as part of the Government’s Skills Strategy in 2003. The ALG pilot began in September 2003 in ten areas across England. The ALG aims to support adults in learning through the offer of a meanstested monetary allowance. The allowance is subject to strict eligibility criteria and award relies on learners demonstrating that they meet criteria relating to UK residency, age, proposed course of study, level of prior qualifications, and that they intend to study at a designated learning provider. The grant is targeted at full-time adult learners studying for their first full Level 2 qualification and full-time learners aged 19-30 years studying for their first full Level 3 qualification. The grant is administered by one provider, Manchester City Council (MCC)