OFSTED inspectors rated Worcestershire County Coun-cil's adult learning service as good during a recent visit.

Inspectors gave the quality of provision and achievement for the service the second highest rating. They praised the county council for adopting highly effective strategies to recruit and re-tain adult learners who had many disadvantages.

The report said: "Learners make good progress, learn new skills and develop confidence and increase self-esteem. Some long-term un-employed learners have gain-ed employment using their new skills.

"Others have progressed on to further training and some vulnerable adults have ach-ieved qualifications for the first time."

The adult learning prog-ramme works in partnership with schools, colleges and the voluntary sector and more than 2,000 people are currently enrolled in it.

It offers four areas of provision, including first steps courses in computers, community development and family learning.

There are also courses for people with learning difficulties and disabilities.

Inspectors judged there to be strong leadership and good management in the service, clear and effective strategies to improve the quality of learners' experience, good use of performance data, good project management, good capacity building activities and highly effective strategies to engage and sustain learners' involvement.

Kathy Kirk, lifelong learning officer, said: "We're del-ighted with this rating, it shows significant progress since the last inspection and provides a solid platform on which to build.

"Adult learning is something that has a solid base in Worcestershire and shows that many adults are keen to return to learning long after they've left statutory education, either to improve their job prospects or to boost their confidence.

"It's particularly pleasing inspectors identified so many areas of strength, while those areas where they felt we needed to do better were ones we'd already decided we wanted to further improve and were making plans to do just that."