The Guardian view on adult education: learning should be for all ages

Teenagers and young adults are not the only people in need of new skills and a sense of purpose

The neglect of adults was, David Blunkett said in a recent interview, his biggest regret about education policy under New Labour. Spending on classroom-based adult learning in England has fallen steadily, from a high point of more than £5bn in 2003-04, to less than £2bn last year. We should not expect two decades of decline to be reversed quickly. But the upcoming report from Alan Milburn on young people who are not in education, employment or training is widely expected to result in a boost for colleges, as well as apprenticeship changes so that more are offered to new recruits rather than existing staff.

A timely report from MPs aims to ensure that older learners are included in these reforms. The all-party group for further education recognises the need to tackle the low level of labour market participation among young adults, which is particularly pronounced in smaller towns and cities. But the MPs take a longer view of the current system’s failings. Their report makes a persuasive case that an overall vision for adult education has been missing for a long time.

Economic and employment outcomes are important. If people are being trained in construction or IT or social care, their ability to find work afterwards matters. But adult education has a broader purpose that is harder to measure. Acquiring new skills, the MPs point out, can be a first step on a longer journey – a way to “begin to imagine different futures”. Learning can contribute to health and wellbeing, as well as income and productivity. One of the consistent themes from research was the importance of relationships – highlighting the role of education as a social glue, and of classrooms as a potential source of the people skills that employers want.

It is right for ministers to prioritise help for young adults who have yet to find their feet. But mid-career adults facing redundancy, or aiming to come off benefits, or to transition out of manual roles due to declining health, also need support. And while the promised modular alternative to maths and English GCSEs should be useful to future cohorts, the low literacy level of up to 8 million older people must also be addressed. In some areas, English language lesson providers urgently need more resources to meet demand. So does prison education, which has faced damaging cuts.

Adult education is not helped by the complicated administrative and funding arrangements that sit behind it. Overall responsibility for skills, including the £3.3bn apprenticeship budget, was transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions last year. But the Department of Education retains a role in further education, while the division of powers between Whitehall and the mayor-led regions is expected to be clarified in the budget.

This report proposes an England-wide minimum standard, which could then be developed by local partnerships. The lack of incentives for employers to invest in training is among the most serious problems at the moment. Uncompetitive pay is another, which makes recruitment of qualified instructors difficult. Careers advice is yet another gap.

Given these interlinked shortcomings, the proposed “renaissance” in adult education sounds optimistic. But at a time when the benefits of social and economic participation are being vigorously advocated, MPs are right to resist overly narrow prescriptions, and to champion the freedom to learn at any age.