| |
Lack of childcare hampers lone parents' education chances
|
|
| |
01/02/2005 A lack of good, affordable childcare is delaying single parents from taking up education and training chances in East London, according to new research published today.
A study by national charity One Parent Families – for the Learning and Skills Council London East - found that although local lone parents are enthusiastic about taking up education and training as a first step towards returning to work, the lack of childcare places and the cost of those which are available act as a brake on their ambitions. The study shows that only the largest colleges in the area have any on-site childcare.
While local employers provide basic in-house training, they have low awareness of external training courses and few links with colleges in the community.
Lone parents who had managed to move into studying had struggled to find basic information about course provision and about the Government’s adult learning initiatives. In addition to more childcare, lone parents in the study said they needed community-based, one-stop advice on local courses and application procedures. IT courses were the most popular option but many lone parents found it difficult to afford their own computers and not all colleges could offer sufficiently flexible access to PCs.
The charity is urging closer links between employers and education and training providers to ensure that lone parents can access the training they need in order to enter secure jobs and to improve longer-term job prospects. Lone parents should be actively targeted in the promotion of learning opportunities, with schools, community health facilities and Sure Start centres carrying publicity materials.
Chief Executive of One Parent Families Nicola Simpson says: 'Our study shows that although lone parents want vocational training and education chances it is extremely hard for them to get off the starting block. Many embrace the idea of adult learning as a way of getting better job prospects and long-term earning potential but the shortfall in good, affordable, local childcare and a lack of information can keep them trapped on income support. Single parents planning to go into education or training need more childcare in their area as well as easily accessible information and practical support.'
Accessing Training and Education in East London: the Case of Lone Parents is by Tina Haux and Maria Kimina. The study was completed with funding from the Learning and Skills Council London East and the European Social Fund.
Further press information from Jane Ahrends on 020 7428 5416/ 0788 195 1138
Notes To Editors:
In Britain today one in four families is headed by a lone parent parent. The large majority have been through marriage or relationship breakdown. Despite the fact that more than half (53.4 per cent) of single parents are working, their families are still among the poorest in the country: one third live on gross weekly incomes of less than £150 (compared with 5 per cent of couple-families). Three-quarters of lone parents appear in the bottom two-fifths of national income distribution after housing costs.
The Government has set a target to increase the lone parent employment rate to 70 per cent and to halve child poverty by 2010. Ninety per cent of single parents want to work. Qualifications are important in determining whether lone parents are in work, how quickly they return to work after having a child and how much they are able to earn. Lone parents with at least A level qualifications are almost twice as likely to be in work than lone parents with fewer qualifications (Marsh et al 2001; 61, own calculations).
Single parents are less likely to have qualifications than mothers in couples (78 per cent compared with 88 per cent). One survey of lone parents on income support found that over half (51 per cent) had neither technical nor academic qualifications.
Research for childcare charity The Daycare Trust shows that nationally more than one-third of further education colleges have no on-site childcare services and over one fifth are not able to offer their students support for childcare. On average, where subsidised childcare places exist for students, 32 per cent of the fee must be met by the student.
Research for the study was carried out in Spring 2004. Lone parents in Hackney and Havering took part in discussions in four focus groups and in-depth interviews and a small number of employers and education providers were also interviewed.
Hackney is the second most deprived borough in Britain according to the Government index of deprivation. Furthermore, it has the tenth highest proportion of lone parent households in England and Wales according to the 2001 census.
One Parent Families is the leading national charity for lone parents and their children, providing them with direct services and lobbying on their behalf. It runs a freephone helpline on 0800 018 5026 and publishes information on a range of topics - including returning to education, training and employment.
The Learning and Skills Council – London East
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding and planning education and training for over 16-year olds in England, other than in Universities. Its mission is to raise participation and attainment through high-quality education and training that puts learners first. It operates through 47 local offices and a national office in Coventry. London East is one of the largest of the local offices.
The LSC London East area covers the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Bexley, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and the City of London.
|
...Back to previous page
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
