It’s worrying to see that the number of adults in Further Education has dropped considerably due to this demographic now having to self-fund their education and training through borrowing and loans.
The number of over-19s in FE fell by over 10% between 2012-13 and 2013-14, according to recent figures published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
What’s more, the statistics suggest an overall fall of around 28% in the number of people aged 25 and over in education with advanced apprenticeships being particularly affected.
It’s integral that we continue offering opportunities to older learners to build their skills through lifelong learning, retrain where necessary, get on in their careers and fill industry skills gaps. This cohort of people often has the life and work experience which makes them extremely employable. However, this experience needs to be matched with the relevant skills that employers are looking for.
NCFE offers a number of fundable qualifications which are ideal for adult learners looking to boost their skills. For example, the NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Information, Advice or Guidance (QCF) has recently been listed as eligible for SFA Adult Skills Funding and can support progression to further sector specific training and qualifications for careers such as careers advisor, customer service advisor, employment advisor, mentor, support worker and other varied roles. There are many more vocational qualifications and units in our portfolio that attract funding and a number of these are supported by great resources from our partners.
These qualifications are also incredibly flexible in terms of how they can be delivered which is vital for adult learners – they need to consume their learning at a time and place that suits their needs. They often have to fit in their education and training around family commitments and a full time job!
At a time when the average person goes through several career changes within their lifetime, we need to make sure we’re ready to support individuals through this process no matter what age they are. This is about joining up the worlds of training and work and taking urgent action to address the decline in numbers for adult learners in education, delivering relevant qualifications that will help individuals to progress in their lives.
