Country- and constituency specific sources and issues In order to supplement the use of the LFS and address its previously mentioned limitations for profiling the lifelong learning sector, a detailed ‘data scoping’ exercise of secondary data sources specific to individual LLUK constituencies and/or UK home countries was undertaken at an early stage in the research. Sources were sought, which provided details such as: • workforce numbers • workforce characteristics such as age and gender • workforce qualifications and skills. The data scoping exercise revealed a wide range of country- and constituency- specific data sources. An assessment was made about the ability of each source to add value to the research, whilst also taking into account pragmatic issues such as the availability and accessibility of the data source and the financial and other implications of accessing and using it. Some of the sources identified were deemed to be not useful on close examination or presented pragmatic challenges that on balance rendered them not worth pursuing further in the context of this research. The remaining useful sources identified were classified as either: • core sources – those which covered a large part of a particular constituency, thus providing standardised and comparable data for a large part of the lifelong learning workforce and on which the research could rely heavily • supplementary sources – those which provided more limited data, either for one constituency in one UK home country/region or a few constituencies in one or more UK home countries/regions and on which the research could draw in specific instances. Table B1 in Annex B shows the core and supplementary secondary data sources identified as relevant to each UK home country and constituency within the LLUK ‘footprint’. These data sources provide good coverage of some parts of the lifelong learning sector. In particular, they provide: excellent coverage of HE; good coverage of FE; some coverage of LAIS (libraries, archives and information services) and some coverage of youth work, community development and community based adult learning within CLD; and, to a lesser extent, WBL. The main gaps in constituency- specific data sources were identified for: • LAIS o archives and records management across the UK • CLD o community based adult learning in Wales and Northern Ireland o community development in England and Wales o youth work in Northern Ireland o other strands of CLD (community education, development education, fami...
Country- and constituency specific sources and issues In order to supplement the use of the LFS and address its previously mentioned limitations, a detailed ‘data scoping’ exercise of other potential secondary data sources was undertaken. Other useful sources identified were classified as either: • core sources – those which covered a large part of a particular constituency, thus providing standardised and comparable data for a large part of the lifelong learning workforce and on which the research could rely heavily • supplementary sources – those which provided more limited data, either for one constituency in one UK home country/region or a few constituencies in one or more UK home countries/regions and on which the research could draw in specific instances.
Country- and constituency specific sources and issues In order to supplement the use of the LFS and address its previously mentioned limitations for profiling the lifelong learning sector, a detailed ‘data scoping’ exercise of secondary data sources was undertaken. Other useful sources identified were classified as either: • core sources – those which covered a large part of a particular constituency, thus providing standardised and comparable data for a large part of the lifelong learning workforce and on which the research could rely heavily • supplementary sources – those which provided more limited data, either for one constituency in Northern Ireland or a few constituencies in one or more UK home countries and on which the research could draw in specific instances.
Country- and constituency specific sources and issues In order to supplement the use of the LFS and address its previously mentioned limitations for profiling the lifelong learning sector, a detailed ‘data scoping’ exercise of secondary data sources was undertaken. Other useful sources identified were classified as either: • core sources – those which covered a large part of a particular constituency, thus providing standardised and comparable data for a large part of the lifelong learning workforce and on which the research could rely heavily • supplementary sources – those which provided more limited data, either for one constituency in Scotland or a few constituencies in one or more UK home countries and on which the research could draw in specific instances.
