Phil Chamberlain, Executive Director External Engagement at City Lit, shares his thoughts on the Skills for Jobs White Paper – outlining the important role that adult education has on skill development; economic recovery; and mental wellbeing. This article was first published on the Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL) website.
At last a White Paper – but is it the right paper for adult education?
Throughout the last couple of years, it is fair to say that the quantity of Commissions, papers and research on the issues of skills, Further Education and Lifelong Learning has gone through the roof. To name just some of them, fundamental reviews have been undertaken by Dame Mary Hey; Philip Augar; the Education Select Committee; The Policy Connect Skills Commission; alongside regular analysis from the Learning & Work Institute; the establishment of the Centenary Commission; and the College of the Future work. This has been alongside the great campaigning effort of the #LoveOurColleges movement.
Arguably, this has all culminated in the long awaited White Paper – Skills for Jobs: Lifetime Learning for opportunity and growth. It has broadly been welcomed by the sector, as it has been viewed in the light of all these policy examinations. However, for those seeking an acknowledgement of the real impact and place of lifelong learning, might there be a slight sense of being underwhelmed by it…
Don’t get me wrong, it sets out some robust recommendations and provides a good framework for future consultation and development. But, looking at it through the lens of the Institutes for Adult Learning (“IALs”) – a network of institutions committed to ensuring high quality learning is available to any individual whatever their age or stage in life – it misses some vital issues and leaves some other questions hanging and unanswered. Its title “Skills for Jobs” in a simple way says what’s in the packet, but what about all the other important issues that Lifelong Learning addresses? Are they not important and left by the wayside or are we waiting for a later date to be addressed?
For the IALs, we have to assume that the Paper is meant for us every bit as much as for a general FE college. If you read the title alone, without examining the detail, the inclusion of ‘Lifelong Learning for opportunity and growth’ should speak volumes. But, is there an immediate issue with the understanding and definition of ‘Lifelong Learning’ – as within this white paper, successful Lifelong Learning is shown to result in employment alone.
As many commentators have already observed, there are some really positive policy interventions within the white paper. If delivered on, they should enable society to not only benefit from learning throughout life, but be a fundamental pillar in our recovery from the Covid19 Pandemic. Throughout the white paper – and the policy thinking and interventions already announced by the government, including the National Skills Fund, the Lifetime Skills Guarantee and the Lifetime Learning Entitlement – the focus is rightly on the role that lifelong learning will have on our economic recovery, specifically on vocational training and links to employment. However, it would be wrong if the Government lose sight of the important role that education also plays in supporting those who require broader skill development – confidence, communication, critical thinking. All of these are hugely important in enhancing people’s ability to get a job and to progress once they are in one.
