Yesterday was a rare day in the sun: adult skills topped the news agenda, the education select committee pressed the skills minister on lifelong learning, the Lords economic affairs committee focused on the impact of Covid on post-16 training opportunities, and the learning journeys of adults with poor literacy featured on prime-time TV. Those of us working in adult learning and skills have become all too accustomed to knowing that what we do is incredibly important, but easily overlooked.
But perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised about the growing profile of adult learning and skills. More than 3.4 million people are out of work but want a job, and with the furlough scheme coming to an end, unemployment is set to rise even further. The significant impact of social distancing on some sectors of the economy means that some jobs simply won’t return.
As a result, many workers will need to retrain and change careers, while those fortunate enough to stay in work or secure similar roles may also need to develop new skills and adjust to new ways of working. Like many others, the Learning and Work Institute has argued that a lack of focus on training and development for furloughed workers was a missed opportunity: one that should not be repeated as the Job Support Scheme comes into play.
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It was in this context that yesterday’s announcement of a lifetime skills guarantee and support for more flexible learning opportunities was widely welcomed across the sector and beyond.
We know from our annual Adult Participation in Learning Survey that cost and time can be significant barriers, and therefore any efforts to reduce costs and improve flexibility are likely to make upskilling and retraining far more accessible, affordable and attractive for those who might benefit.
But there were questions and concerns, too. After all, we know that the devil is in the detail – and we haven’t seen that yet. Three immediate issues are on my mind:
1. A renewed focus on adult skills
This must be the start – and not the end – of a renewed focus on adult learning and skills. While the new entitlement has an important role to play, it can only be the first part of the jigsaw – an initial down payment on the £1.9 billion per year of extra investment needed to revitalise economic growth, widen opportunity and level up.
Public investment in adult learning has halved in the last decade, as has the number of adults achieving level 3 qualifications. Adult participation in learning is at its lowest on record. The return to fully funding adults to study level 3 qualifications is a welcome step, but this will not make up for the many years of underinvestment in adult learning and skills.
2. The push for a lifelong learning strategy
A day of news headlines should not distract us from continuing to push hard for a lifelong learning strategy and long-term investment to create a pipeline of opportunities from basic skills to higher education.
Level 3 qualifications are important in improving adults’ earning and employment prospects, but they are not the whole story. Now is also the time to address the basic skills needs of the 9 million adults in England with poor literacy or numeracy, to provide learning pathways up to level 3 and progression opportunities beyond this.
And while it is critical that FE plays its part in delivering the skills that employers need, we should not forget the many different reasons why adults learn and the broad and powerful range of benefits outside of the workplace.
3. Supporting the growing number of unemployed adults
We must act quickly to support those adults who are already unemployed or who face losing their jobs in the coming months: a level 3 entitlement from next April will surely come too late for many.
We’ve made proposals for the rapid introduction of a comprehensive package of support for unemployed and at-risk workers that includes a universal support offer – online and one-to-one careers advice, a flexible learning offer and free provision up to level 3 – alongside a more targeted programme for career changers of enhanced careers advice, a £5k learning account for accredited training and sector-based Ambition programmes tailored to specific career pathways and jobs. We’ve also proposed a Career Changer Grant or Universal Credit premium to help adults with living costs while they train.
Yesterday may have been a day in the sun – and a good one it was, too. But now our challenge is to work together to make this a reality.
Dr Fiona Aldridge is the director of policy and research at the Learning and Work Institute
