Government Minister Calls Survey Result a “Step Forward” in Drive for Excellence

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The survey findings from the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) contained in their National Learner Satisfaction Survey (NLSS) have been hailed as a “step forward” by Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education, Bill Rammell MP.

The NLSS has determined, from a response from more than 43,000 learners across the FE sector in LSC accredited training, that satisfaction with teaching quality is at an all time high. 90% state that they were satisfied, of whom 27% deem themselves to be “extremely” satisfied. Further, the respondents” ratings for their teachers in 10 criteria rose by between 3% and 4% from the previous NLSS in 2003 / 2004.

Stepping Forward?

Is the learner experience really as positive as the NLSS indicates? According to one student, Suganjah Gunasegaram, it is. Suganjah is an A Level student at the College of North West London and said: “I”m planning to go to university in September to study Biomedical Science, and the support and encouragement that I”ve received from my teachers at college have given me a lot of confidence to continue studying. I”ve really benefited from the variety of teaching methods used here and the time the teachers take to explain new subjects. All in all, I feel very excited about the future.”

The National Director of Learning at the LSC, Melanie Hunt, was delighted with the NLSS findings. She said: “The findings of the National Learner Satisfaction Survey are a tremendous achievement for the FE sector. The LSC is delighted that learners” experiences are improving year on year: these improvements suggest that agenda for change and initiatives like “Success for All” are delivering significant benefits for learners.”

Ministerial Approval

Mr. Rammell commented: “This increase in learner satisfaction marks another step forward in the Governments drive towards excellence. Everyone in the sector who has been involved should be justifiably proud. It is important that we ask learners what they think about their teaching and learning and the majority have told us that we are responding to their needs and aspirations.

“Through the sweeping reforms announced in our recent FE White Paper on Further Education,” he concluded, “we will eradicate poor provision and ensure that a high quality, personalised learning experience is provided for every student. The new Improvement Strategy announced as part of the reforms will be published in the next few days, which will also ensure skills needs are met and colleges work ever more closely with employers.”

Jethro Marsh

What does the monkey think? Find out in From the FE Trenches!

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