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NSC Home Page > EUAS Contents > Main players in education
EDUCATION
Main players in education
The fact files contain bald statistics reflecting the scale of both the industry and the (formal) educational world. In reality 'we are all learners', whether at schools, colleges, university, involved in lifelong learning or vocational training courses, or as part of everyday experience in the community - a potential audience of 52 million people. The spectrum of potential 'educational' uses is vast and cannot readily be defined - there are many grey areas. The formal learning, lifelong learning, less structured study alone or through interest groups, all have educational outcomes, but some are more difficult to determine than others - students at a local college, a local history group or a civic society may all benefit from the 'same' visit to an archaeological dig at a gravel working. The personal or team development of a group of trainee managers, a local running club or a family walking along a circuit on a former quarry site, may be a real gain for all, in terms of physical education and training.
At its simplest, existing and potential uses may be grouped into one of the following categories:
Schools
Colleges and Universities
Other professional/vocational learning
Lifelong learning
Special interest Groups
General interest groups
Wider communityEach have their own agendas in terms of need, potential relationships, often even attitudes towards the industry.
In addition to those delivering and those receiving education in each of those fields, there are numerous organisations which co-ordinate, represent, campaign for, the interests of these sectors in whole or in part. They might include national bodies such as the teacher unions, teaching associations e.g. Association for Science Education and the Earth Science Teachers' Association, subject related bodies such as the Geographical Association, groups which offer activities for children e.g. Watch/Rockwatch or local associations, from gardening clubs to industrial railway enthusiasts.
In order to contain this report within reasonable bounds, 'community relations' is not covered specifically as this is a specialist field, and is covered elsewhere (e.g. in guidance to operations through trade associations, EPIC training courses, the Environment Council's Good Practice Guide and by the many local liaison committees set up for individual quarries). Similarly planning guidance and good practice is described in detail by others, notably the ODPM (including both official guidelines and sponsored research). Furthermore, some of these other sectors can stand in many (but not all) cases as a proxy for the wider community.
Brief profiles and contact details of those bodies most closely connected with teaching in this subject area are given in Appendix 19 - Summary profiles of other educational organisations.