Select committee: Education Committee
Conclusion 9
Third report - A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution
Published 19 Dec 2020
Paragraph 32
Addressed to Department for Education
Education Committee Adult skills and lifelong learning All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Adult skills funding has fallen by 45% in real terms between 2009–10 and 2017–18. The consequence of this decline is that the nation’s adult skills and lifelong learning system is in poor shape to tackle the pressing challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an ageing workforce, skills gaps and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
From: Education Committee, Third report - A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution (HC 278), paragraph 32, 19 December 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 12 March 2021.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it has "considered the findings and recommendations of the report carefully" and responds to each recommendation, largely by pointing to existing and planned measures such as the Skills for Jobs White Paper and the Lifetime Skills Guarantee.
- On a long-term strategy, it points to the Skills for Jobs White Paper and a Lifelong Loan Entitlement equivalent to four years of post-18 education from 2025, and says it will consult on its detail and scope "later this year", with legislation "where necessary".
- On funding, it says funding beyond 2021-22 "will be considered as part of a wider Spending Review later this year which will include full costings".
- On devolving National Careers Service funding, it states "There are no plans to devolve careers budgets".
- On the Union Learning Fund, it says it "chose not to continue to support" it, and will instead use the funding for wider skills and retraining.