Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 68
68
Accepted
Ensure adult education policy reflects diverse motivations and safeguards lifelong learning opportunities
Recommendation
As adult education policy and funding transitions to the Department for Work and Pensions, the Government must ensure that learning and training opportunities remain accessible to anyone seeking to enhance their skills, broaden their knowledge, or take incremental steps toward personal development. Adult learning must not be narrowly framed as a pathway to employment alone—it also serves as a vital tool for social inclusion, personal fulfilment, and lifelong learning. Adult education 103 and skills policy should reflect the diverse motivations of adult learners and safeguard opportunities for education at every stage of life. (Recommendation, Paragraph 245) 104
Government Response Summary
The government states 'PLANS ALREADY IN PLACE' through the Adult Skills Fund, which includes £1.4 billion annual spending, covers 'wider outcomes of learning' beyond employment, and provides fully funded entitlements for essential skills and first Level 2 or 3 qualifications.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
PLANS ALREADY IN PLACE The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) is targeted at adults aged 19 and over. It is designed to support provision which will provide opportunities that enable learners to: • Catch up on their learning (via the legal entitlements). • Attain good jobs. • Progress within their careers. • Achieve wider outcomes of learning such as improved health. Government recognises the transformative impact that adult education and skills development have on individual’s lives and what it means for driving economic growth. Each year, we spend approximately £1.4 billion through the ASF. Of this budget, 68% is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority to meet local needs, and the devolve portion is expected to increase to 75% in Academic Year (AY) 2026/27 and to reach its steady state of a projected circa 85% devolved by AY2027/28. The ASF fully funds or co-funds courses for eligible adults aged 19 and over from pre-entry to level 3, and in AY 2023/24 helped over 1 million learners gain the skills they need to thrive in work and life. It also supports four statutory entitlements enabling eligible learners to be fully funded for essential, maths, and digital skills, or their first level 2 or 3 qualification and they apply across England in devolved and non-devolved areas. These entitlements are set out in the Apprenticeships, Skills and Children Learning Act 2009, and enable learners to be fully funded for the following qualifications: • English and maths up to and including level 2 for individuals aged 19 and over who have not previously achieved a GCSE A* to C or grade 4 or higher, or have been assessed as having an existing skill level lower than grade 4 (even if they have previously achieved a GCSE or equivalent qualification in English and maths). • First full qualification at level 2 for individuals aged 19 to 23. • First full qualification at level 3 for individuals aged 19 to 23. • Essential Digital Skills (ESDQ), or Digital Functional Qualifications (FSQs), up to and including level 1, for individuals aged 19 and over, who have digital skills assessed below level 1.