Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Adult Skills and Lifelong Learning — [Christina Rees in the Chair]

15 April 2021 · 6 other contributors · 12,748 words

Opened by Robert Halfon Con Harlow

Responding minister: Gillian Keegan

Education

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Robert Halfon raised concerns about adult skills and lifelong learning — [christina rees in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • The adult skills and lifelong learning sector faces challenges due to the fourth industrial revolution, automation, an aging workforce, and the impact of covid-19.
  • Participation rates in adult education have dropped by almost half since 2004, with those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds being least likely to participate.
  • The Government has responded to all the Education Committee's recommendations regarding adult skills and lifelong learning.

Key requests to Government

The Government should fund an adult community learning centre in every town, introduce individual learning accounts through the national skills fund, boost part-time higher education by offering fee grants to disadvantaged learners, and implement tax credits for employers investing in workforce training. The report sets out four pillars needed for a successful strategy: community learning centres, individual learning accounts, revitalising part-time higher education, and employer-led training.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Robert Halfon Con Harlow

The adult skills and lifelong learning sector faces significant challenges due to the fourth industrial revolution, automation, an aging workforce, and the impact of covid-19. Participation rates in adult education have dropped by almost half since 2004, with those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds being least likely to participate. Only 38% of adults have participated in any learning since leaving full-time education, while 49% of adults from the lowest socioeconomic group have received no training after school. Additionally, 9 million working-age adults lack basic literacy or numeracy skills, and 6 million do not even have a level-two qualification.

Other contributors (6)
  • Fleur Anderson Lab Putney

    Discussed the importance of adult skills in ensuring social mobility. Highlighted that part-time higher education has collapsed by 53% between 2008-09 and 2017-18, resulting in over a million lost learners. Emphasised the need for flexible learning options tailored to adults with busy lives. Called for revolutionary action in adult skills and lifelong learning, citing the decline in funding for adult skills by 45% over the last decade. Emphasised the importance of community learning centres to address barriers to education, such as fragmented funding and lack of childcare.

  • Jonathan Gullis Lab Stoke-on-Trent North

    Spoke about the decline of adult community learning participation and the importance of reversing it. Mentioned that employer-led training has dropped by half since the end of the 1990s, highlighting the need for a robust approach to workplace training. Education is crucial for social mobility in Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke. The constituency ranks seventh worst out of 535 for higher education access and has low levels of qualifications among young people by age 19. Gullis calls for more employer investment in workers' training to address productivity issues. He supports the FE reform White Paper but suggests expanding the lifetime skills guarantee beyond those who lack a full level 3 qualification, including offering free retraining courses at higher levels. Local enterprise partnerships should have authority over qualifications that meet regional labour demands and a scheme where employers loan staff to colleges could improve teaching in technical subjects.

  • Mick Whitley Con Cannock Chase

    Mr Whitley discussed the importance of adult skills and lifelong learning, highlighting the need for upskilling and reskilling to adapt to an evolving job market. He emphasised the role of local authorities in providing accessible training programmes. Mr Whitley expressed concerns about the lack of proper training opportunities and apprenticeships for young people. He highlighted that adult education and training face a crisis with participation at its lowest level in 24 years, and nearly half of the poorest people have had no additional training since leaving compulsory education. He also criticised the Government's recent White Paper on further education as falling short of promises made.

  • Peter Aldous Con Waveney

    Emphasised the need for a skills revolution in East Anglia, highlighting challenges such as improving productivity and social mobility. Called for long-term funding settlement at the spending review and urged ESFA to revisit adult skills funding clawback policy.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Ms Maskell expressed concern about the significant cuts to adult skills funding and the negative impact on productivity, social mobility, and wellbeing. She highlighted that 49% of adults from the lowest socioeconomic groups have had no training since leaving school and called for a right to learn enshrined in law. She also advocated for measures like free childcare for those learning and reinstituting individual learning accounts.

  • Toby Perkins Lab Crewe and Nantwich

    I am concerned about the disparity in adult skills funding between different regions, with the East Midlands receiving a significantly lower amount compared to London. I urge the government to provide more transparency on how these funds are allocated. The sector has welcomed the government's rhetoric on further education and skills but criticises the lack of funding and support, especially for adult education. The White Paper is seen as a missed opportunity with no ambition or scale. Concerns are raised about the exclusion of towns and rural communities from employer-focused programmes. There is scepticism over the Government's approach to local enterprise partnerships and devolution. Toby Perkins also calls for justification on clawing back adult education funds, which has led to financial difficulties for providers.

Government Response

Gillian Keegan

It is truly a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Rees. I congratulate my right hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon) on securing this important debate. The Government welcome the Education Committee's report on adult skills and lifelong learning and have responded to all the Committee's recommendations. We know from the 2008 economic downturn that for some people, especially young people and those in low-skilled and low-paid jobs, economic scarring can have a lifelong detrimental effect on future prospects. The Government have taken some quick action to support those affected by covid-19, but we are always looking to see what we can do to rebuild, to build back better, to recover our economy. At the beginning of the pandemic, in April 2020, the Department for Education introduced the skills toolkit which offered more than 70 courses and had an estimated 176,800 course registrations by February this year. The Chancellor's plan for jobs is also protecting, supporting and creating jobs across the country. We have increased our investment in the National Careers Service and doubled the number of work coaches for those who are going into the jobcentre. For those aged 16 to 24 and facing barriers to entering work or an apprenticeship, we are increasing the number of traineeships to give more personalised training, including in English and maths, and work experience to help people progress with an additional £126 million invested in traineeships in the 2021-22 academic year. We have sector-based work academies also helping to make sure that we have a sector-based offer for employability training, work experience, and community learning. Through the national skills fund, we have the potential to deliver opportunities to generations of adults who previously have been left behind with £3 billion invested including Barnett funding for the devolved Administrations. The lifetime skills guarantee offers free courses for jobs funded by £95 million from the national skills fund in year one removing barriers to training and giving millions of adults the chance to get valuable training. This is an important part of our offer. Bootcamps started in various regions providing significant opportunities, with a School of Code bootcamp changing lives with success stories like that of a print production manager who became a junior software engineer after being made redundant. Apprenticeships are so important and we have 130 level 6 and 7 standards now. The White Paper is a huge opportunity to deliver on the technical revolution—the biggest in 60 years—and ensure we have a skills system that will offer individuals all they need to be successful in life, and enable our economy to build back better as a nation.

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