On Wednesday 6th May Kim Howells MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Lifelong Learning at the Department of Education and Employment) visited the Open University. He was welcomed by the Vice Chancellor Sir John Daniel, and visited a number of OU units to see, first hand, how the University makes Lifelong Learning a reality through supported open learning.
Dr Howells entered parliament in 1989 and is MP for Pontypridd. In opposition, he has spoken for Development and Cooperation, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Home Affairs and Trade and Industry. His current government position in Lifelong Learning at the DfEE has seen the publication of a Green Paper on the Learning Age and the planning prospectus for the University for Industry.
At the OU, Dr Howells discussed the emerging Lifelong Learning policy landscape, and was shown given a range of views of the OU and its work including discussions with the OU students association, and varieties of technology development such as the T171 course You, Your Computer and the Net. Here in KMi, Dr Peter Scott gave a brief tour of the unit and discussed some our work at the interface of knowledge and media.
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