Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 4
4
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The Department must set out an ambitious, long-term strategy for adult skills and lifelong learning.
Recommendation
The Department must set out an ambitious, long-term strategy for adult skills and lifelong learning. This must be a comprehensive and holistic vision for ASALL in its entirety—piecemeal adjustments and one-off initiatives will not deliver the reform needed. These reforms must be underpinned by a shift to more flexible, modular learning so that adults can ‘hop on and hop off’ learning pathways. And we will need much better careers advice to help adults find the best learning opportunities for them. We identify four key pillars to this strategy: i. First, the Department must ensure there is a community learning centre in every town to ensure the first rung of the ladder is there for adults furthest from qualifications and employment. ii. Second, the Department must kickstart participation by introducing Individual Learning Accounts, so that every adult has choice and agency over their learning. iii. Third, the Government must restore part-time higher education by instating fee grants for part-time learners from the most disadvantaged backgrounds who study courses that meet the skills needs of the nation, and extend maintenance support to disadvantaged learners. 48 A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution iv. Fourth, the Government must tackle the decline in employer-led training through the introduction of a skills tax credit for employers who invest in training for their workforce.
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Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
17. In July 2020, the Secretary of State for Education said there needed to be a major shift in how we treat FE as it is vital if we want our country to grow economically and our productivity to improve. As we address the challenges presented by covid-19 and prepare to seize the opportunities offered up by leaving the European Union, the Government agrees that adults should be given support at this time so that they can both achieve their full potential and support wider economic recovery. 18. In response to covid-19, priority has been placed on initiatives to support the impacts 19. Longer term, the Skills for Jobs White Paper sets out how we will reform adult learning, addressing skills gaps, apprenticeship improvements, and strengthening links between employers and FE providers. Provision will be flexible, making sure that people can access training and learning throughout their lives and that they are well-informed about what is on offer through great careers support. 20. Our reforms will deliver the Prime Minister’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, investing in top-quality provision funding upgrades to FE colleges across the country and improving our already successful apprenticeships. We will provide a Lifelong Loan Entitlement, the equivalent of four years of post-18 education from 2025. This will be a radical change and we will transform the funding system, so it is just as easy to get a loan for a higher technical course as it is for a full-length university degree. To enable greater flexibility, we will take action to incentivise easier and more frequent credit transfer between institutions. On top of creating more modular provision, we also want to build on the online learning delivered by the FE sector during the covid-19 pandemic. 21. We will ensure that everyone has access to education and training, and the £2.5 billion National Skills Fund, through which we will deliver key elements of the Prime Minister’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, represents an ambitious and significant investment in FE. We have already announced the level 3 adult offer for any adult looking to achieve their first full advanced qualification, and the 12–16-week Bootcamps, which are a flexible way to gain high-quality skills that are relevant to employers.