The Cabinet reshuffle led to the move of John Denham from the Department of Innovation Universities & Skills to the Department of Communities & Local Government. In a less publicised development, DIUS itself has been merged with BERR (The Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform). This places Lord Mandelson, a pivotal figure in the current cabinet, in charge of post 19 education in England (see 'Guardian' article).
DIUS was short lived and a number of people had anticipated that it might change or be closer linked with industry after the next election. This move indicates the government's view that skills and training and the role of universities are important to the recovery of the economy.
One question arising is around the implementation of 'The Learning Revolution' white paper recently published by DIUS. As Secretary of State, John Denham had taken a close personal interest in the development of this policy and the debates and definitions around 'Informal Adult Learning'. This policy has moved the argument around the purposes of education for adults and the role of all government departments in its promotion. It may be that his move to DCLG will allow him to continue his interest in this area. Either way, it will be important that the progress made over the year in articulating a wider vision than the Leitch report and one which sees education as key to developing individuals, communities and resilience in the face of change. The future as seen by Leitch preceded the financial crisis, the government is currently saying how important FE will be in getting people through the recession. The cross government agenda set out in the Learning Revolution needs to continue after John Denham's move.
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