Select committee: Education Committee
Conclusion 17
Third report - A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution
Published 19 Dec 2020
Paragraph 51
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)
Qualifications at level 3 have economic and labour market benefits for adults. Level 3 qualifications are also a key stepping-stone to higher level study. We are pleased that the Department has announced an expansion to the level 3 entitlement, so that from April, adults of any age without a level 3 will be fully funded to study certain courses. But, given that unemployment is expected to rise to a peak of 2.6 million people by the second quarter of 2021, we do not believe this commitment goes far enough. Limiting the guarantee to adults who have not yet achieved a level 3 qualification does not fully address the retraining issue.
From: Education Committee, Third report - A plan for an adult skills and lifelong learning revolution (HC 278), paragraph 51, 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.