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ADULT L EARNING
Back to School M O R E A N D M O R E , M A T U R E S T U D E N T S A R E D I S C O V E R I N G J U S T H OW E N R I C H I N G R E T U R N I N G T O L E A R N I N G C A N B E
hen it comes to adult education, our area isn’t so much rich in opportunities as at billionaire levels – several times over. There’s almost nothing you can’t learn, from resurrecting long-dormant skills to acquiring expertise in a new field. You can accumulate professional qualifications, either to boost your promotion prospects in an existing career or to help you move in a new direction altogether. W
Between 2009 and 2018, funding for adult learning fell by 45% – as did the number of adult learners – down from four million to 2.2 million between 2005 and 2016. And it’s not just adult learners who lose out from reduced access to education and training in later life, but society as a whole. Offer adult education that helps people in a world where flexibility and multiple careers are fast becoming the norm, and everyone benefits. Our local providers are doing their bit, with some free or low-cost courses available to boost key skills in numeracy and literacy.
Local learners certainly seem to be convinced, with some of the region’s colleges reporting increases in enrolments for 2019/2020. The figures are particularly impressive, given the difficulties faced by adult education providers over the last few years. While universities are feeling the love in terms of public funding and attention (over £8 billion more in 2017/18), that’s definitely not the case for the 50% of 18- to 30-year-olds who don’t make it to college, or for older non-graduates, says a recent government report.
AUTUMN/WINTER 2019
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