Skills: MPs call for a revolution in the adult education culture

News

  • Employment and Skills

14 January 2021

Skills

The Commons Education Committee has published a far-reaching and influential report, A Plan for an Adult Skills and Lifelong Learning Revolution, setting out an ambitious, long-term strategy for helping the UK to meet the major employment challenges arising from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an ageing population, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report points out that the last decade has seen a 45% decline in funding for adult skills and participation has fallen to its lowest rate in 23 years. It highlights that 49% of adults from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have received no training since leaving school and nine million working-age adults in England have low literacy or numeracy skills, or both. The report forecasts that by 2024 there will be a shortfall of four million highly skilled workers unless there is a revolution in adult education.

In the report, MPs call for an end to the model of education funding overwhelmingly focused on learning before the age of 25 and urges a shift towards a national system and culture of lifelong learning that encourages education at any age. This is based on four main pillars:

  • a community learning centre in every town to help address the 32% decline in participation in community learning since 2008-09; centres could be based in existing organisations and buildings, such as colleges, church halls and libraries
  • individual learning accounts: adults would receive top-up investments throughout their working lives to revitalise training and upskilling
  • investment in part-time higher education: part-time student numbers have dropped by 53% since 2008-09; fee grants should be introduced for part-time learners from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who study courses that meet employers’ skills needs, and the maintenance support loan should be extended to part-time distance learners
  • skills tax credits for employers who invest in training for their ‘low-skilled’ workers: this has declined by 50% since 1999 and 39% of employers admit to training none of their staff over the last year.

The Committee concludes that a coherent long-term adult education strategy, which creates consistent opportunities for adults to access learning and reskilling, will not only tackle social injustice, but will also help to fill the skills gaps holding back the UK economy.

The full report can be read here, more on the Education Committee’s work can be found here.

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