What are they?

The Sussex Learning Network was one of the first Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs) to be approved and funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). It has been given £3 million to develop its activities up to August 2008. It is part of a national initiative that will eventually involve 116 universities and 250 further education colleges across England. There are now 30 LLNs with a combined budget in excess of £100 million. Most have received three years' funding.

What are LLNs doing?

The case for Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs) was first made by Sir Howard Newby, then chief executive of HEFCE, in the March 2004 Colin Bell Memorial Lecture. The challenge he outlined for these networks was to:

• combine the strengths of a number of diverse institutions
• provide support for learners on vocational pathways
• bring greater clarity, coherence and certainty to progression opportunities
• develop the curriculum as appropriate to facilitate progression
• value vocational learning outcomes and provide opportunities for vocational learners to build on earlier learning
• locate the progression strategy within a commitment to lifelong learning, ensuring that learners have access to a range of progression opportunities such that they can move between different kinds of vocational-academic programmes as their interests, needs and abilities develop.

The Sussex Learning Network was one of eight LLNs to take part in an interim evaluation, which was produced for HEFCE by the Open University's Centre for Higher Education Research and Information. An interim report was published on 11 April 2008 by HEFCE and shows that Lifelong Learning Networks (LLNs) will help to gradually improve the progression opportunities for vocational learners.

The April edition of the HEFCE LLN update is now available.

Our work with other LLNs

Whilst LLNs have developed in response to local and regional needs they are funded, supported and monitored by HEFCE nationally. This means they have a common agenda and are working on a range shared of objectives. This has prompted LLNs to organise their own forum that can act as a basis for developing joint working and sharing good practice.

The LLN National Forum publishes a regular newsletter and is providing an opportunity for practitioners to meet. Chris Baker, the SLN Director, is a member of the national steering group.

LLNs in the south east

There are now four LLNs, including the SLN, in the south east with a further six based in and around London. Contacts are being established that will enable the LLNs in the south east to directly collaborate on issues that cross geographical boundaries. They have  also identified the different  sectors in which they are working.

The three other LLNs are:

• Progress2Succeed (covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) led by Southampton Solent University
• Go Higher (covering Kent and Medway) led by the University of Greenwich
• Progress South Central (covering Berks, Bucks, Oxon and Surrey) led by the University of Reading (psc@reading.ac.uk)