First published in TES:
Our nation faces major skills and employment challenges. The fourth industrial revolution is upon us, we have an ageing population, and now we must deal with the added impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is clearly more important than ever that people can adapt to the ever-changing world of work and learn new skills throughout their lives.
The benefits of lifelong learning go beyond simply the boost to productivity and the economy. Adult education is also vital for health and wellbeing, and for social justice and communities. Those who gain a level 3 qualification benefit from a 10 per cent increase in earnings, while research on mental health found that 52 per cent of learners no longer had clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression by the end of their course.
Despite the irrefutable benefits, the current model of education funding is narrowly focused on education before the age of 25. Poor access to lifelong learning is one of the great social injustices of our time and we must now foster a new system and culture that encourages education at any age.
On Friday, we published the government’s response to our education committee report, which before Christmas set out a four-pillar approach to establishing a long-term strategy to revolutionise the adult education system.
The government has already taken a huge step forward with the Lifetime Skills Guarantee set out in the recent White Paper. It is now up to ministers to build on the work already being done and to be bolder and more imaginative in their approach.
We want to see a community learning centre in every town. They really can be the jewel in the crown of the nation’s adult education landscape and help to reverse the drop in participation of nearly a third over the past decade.
These do not need to be new buildings. We already have excellent organisations at the centre of our towns, including colleges, church halls and libraries, which could all be utilised. The Department for Education must set out a plan to ensure that community learning has a place in the heart of our communities.
Secondly, it is time to give adult learners control over their education and their futures with the introduction of Individual Learning Accounts. People would be given a choice as to how and when to spend money through a virtual account or a voucher for accredited courses.
Initially, they should be for those on low incomes but eventually we should move to a more universal system where people receive two to three top-up investments throughout their working lives. Better technology and digital security mean we should not encounter the problems we faced when they were tried 20 years ago.
The third pillar of our approach is to nurse part-time higher education back to health. Despite the clear need for the higher-level skills that are key to productivity, part-time higher education has fallen into disrepair. Part-time student numbers collapsed by 53 per cent between 2008-09 and 2017-18, and the fall over this decade has resulted in more than 1 million lost learners.
On top of doing everything possible to rocket-boost degree apprenticeships, the DfE must bring in fee grants for part-time learners from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who study courses that meet the skills needs of the nation. The department must also extend maintenance support to part-time distance learners.
Finally, we must recognise the key role that employers can play in revitalising skills. Employer investment in training is bleak, falling by a half since the end of the 1990s. Enabling workers to gain new skills is a necessity, not a nice-to-have. Employers and the economy would gain as much as the individual. A skills tax credit would kickstart training for workers.
By 2024, there will be a shortfall of 4 million highly skilled workers, while 9 million working-age adults in England currently have low literacy or numeracy skills, or both, and 6 million adults are not qualified to level 2 (equivalent to GCSE level).
Participation in adult education is at its lowest level in 23 years and funding fell by 45 per cent between 2008-09 and 2018-19. Some 49 per cent of adults from the lowest socioeconomic group have received no training since leaving school.
We must reverse the decline. Our report and four pillars set out a comprehensive and holistic vision for lifelong learning that works for every adult in every community.
It is time to act, to ensure an ambitious, long-term strategy for adult skills and education, to tackle social injustice and give everyone the chance to climb the educational ladder of opportunity, whatever their age.
