ABSTRACT
This chapter explores learner transitions into and through the Skills for Life strategy that has organised the eld of adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL in England (ALNE) in new ways since 2001. The analysis is framed by concepts from actor network theory and the new literacy studies that emphasise the mediating role of cultural artefacts in organising social relations. The chapter falls into three parts. The rst section traces the origins of the Skills for Life strategy, outlining the elements of the strategy within New Labour’s broader social and educational policy. Because this is a eld of education that is being enclosed for the rst time, it is a particularly striking example of how global forces are reshaping educational and other social policy areas. As a eld that is itself in transition, it is a good site for problematising the notion of ‘transition’ itself. In the second section, using ethnographic and documentary evidence from recent studies, I look at how learner identities are managed within the Skills for Life infrastructure, particularly exploring tutor agency in the pedagogical process. In the nal section the implications for our understanding of the concept of ‘transitions’ are considered in the light of this critical analysis.
