Adult education could “disappear by 2020”, according to a report from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Adult Education.
The report follows figures published last month that showed the number of adult learners had dropped by more than 300,000 between the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 sessions.
At a time of continued cuts to the education sector, and in particular Further Education, the report warns that if adult education and lifelong learning continue to be ignored, they could be obsolete in as little as 4 years. Funding for adult learning, through what was once the Adult Skills Budget (ASB), has suffered a number of cuts in the past few years, with an overall reduction of 35% since 2009. The ASB has now given way to the Adult Education Budget (AEB) and an expansion of learner loans that sees anyone aged 19 or above required to take out a loan to fund their studies.
“Many adults… have made up for lost time by discovering their potential and skills, achieving things they did not know they were capable of [through lifelong learning]. Many have developed self-belief and resilience enabling them to be more active citizens,” the report states.
Labour MP and co-founder of the APPG for Adult Education, Chi Onwurah, states: “We need more opportunities and support for adults to learn throughout their lives, whatever their circumstances. Our world is constantly changing and learning helps many people to make the positive changes they need – whether it’s finding a better job or broadening cultural horizons.”
The report offered 5 key recommendations in order to ensure the continuing success of adult education:
- Establish a national and regional strategy for adult education, health, employability and wellbeing.
These different departmental interests should be brought together due to their overlapping nature, and led by a senior minister “to provide an accountability and a quality assured framework”. It should be easy for providers to “capture, collate and disseminate” the additional benefits adult education brings to learners, including participation as an active citizen and wellbeing and health improvements.
- The new commissioning system needs to have an adult education framework that seeks to rebuild and rebalance resources fairly for adults across the different life stages.
Many adults have limited choices when it comes to education; local and national provision “needs to reflect a coherent view of our changing social, economic and cultural context.” Education has been proven to help adults address feelings of isolation and loneliness, and mental and physical challenges.
- Provide careers information and guidance in local communities and build capacity in the adult education workforce to make greater use of labour market intelligence and mid-life reviews.
Careers advice is typically associated with school and college leavers. However, quality advice should be provided to adult learners locally to “broaden and strengthen the capacity of the adult education workforce” and raise the profile of lifelong learning.
- Ensure a systematic approach to identifying and gathering evidence on the full impact of adult education.
Achievement rates and the outcomes of adult education should be openly available to promote the value of lifelong learning, and to “enable informed choices.”
- More employers need to step up and offer opportunities to adults, particularly older adults keen to remain active in employment.
According to the report, “employers could offer so much more by offering adult education experiences on their premises through local partnerships.”
In a society with an aging population, frequent career changes are becoming a necessity rather than a choice, and adults are constantly required to upskill or learn a new vocation to continue working. Because of this, “there is an urgent requirement for more adults to be economically active for much longer than in previous generations”. Free and easy access to education at any age is vital to fill skills gaps and to support a high performing workforce. Yet, lifelong learning often finds itself near the bottom of the government’s agenda and is often one of the first budgets to be cut in times of austerity.
The report looks at the projected job growth in the UK, with an estimate of 1.8 million new job creations by 2024. The growth is expected to be strongest for highly qualified managers and professionals. Only 2% of the workforce is expected to have no formal qualifications by 2024, so it’s more important than ever that education is accessible to everyone.
Adult education does more than upskill learners for a workforce with constantly changing demands. Many adult learner testimonials credit their learning for helping them to tackle personal issues, or to catch up on learning they might have missed out on due to life circumstances. It opens up doors and ensures everyone has the chance to reach their potential. It also gives learners confidence to perform everyday tasks; testimonials from adult learners highlight how courses that they’ve undertaken have enabled them to make phone calls and communicate confidently. Furthermore, there’s a strong link between taking an adult education course and mental wellbeing.
In a time of cuts to adult education, it’s encouraging to see this report highlighting how important it is to learners and to a successful society. We hope the government takes notice of the potential consequences of overlooking adult education. The benefits of adult education are not only socio-economic, but contribute to the wellbeing and mental health of learners.
The report summarises our thoughts succinctly: “The core principle of adult education is the conviction that learning should not be restricted to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
