Eroding Adult Education Stores up Problems for Tomorrow

The Current Landscape

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) is a time of celebration, shining a light on the successes of apprentices and the businesses that support them. This year’s NAW was no different. Last week I was once again able to see first-hand the difference AELP members are making across the country with visits to various providers including Remit Training, the Fashion Retail Academy and York St John University. But behind the gloss and excitement of NAW, an uncomfortable truth lingers: opportunities for adults outside of apprenticeships continue to not only shrink, but appear to have again been earmarked as the area that will take the brunt of cost savings ahead of an impending tough Spending Review settlement.  

Budget Cuts and Their Implications

There have been recent reports that adult education budgets are set to suffer significant cuts with Mayors expecting 2 per cent reductions in their Adult Skills Fund (ASF) and Free Courses For Jobs (FCFJ) allocations for the 2025-26 academic year. With the Department for Education looking to find savings, a similar cut is expected to apply to non-devolved allocations – and alongside this we are seeing a chunky reduction in Skills Bootcamps funding, with one devolved region we are aware of seeing its latest allocation slashed by 50%. 

With new integrated devolved funding settlements, already coming into place, firstly in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands later this year, this poses further potential risks of funds being diverted elsewhere, and the message is clear: in a difficult fiscal position, adult education is being sacrificed. Alarm bells should be ringing because, as history has shown, when the Treasury is looking to make savings, adult learners often bear the brunt of it. Some ten years ago the adult skills budget (ASB) was £3bn, its modern day equivalent the adult skills fund (ASF) in now rather pitifully less than half that value.  

The Path Forward

The world of work has changed – and this trend is accelerating. People who have joined the workforce in recent decades already understand that staying in the same job or even the same industry for their entire careers may be unlikely. With rapid advancements in technology and artificial intelligence, the pace of change is increasing so continuous learning, retraining, reskilling and upskilling has become more essential than ever to keep up with new skills and opportunities. Funding that reskilling cannot be left to the learner and employers alone, government must play a proactive role. That’s why adult education cuts have the potential to be so damaging. 

On top of the cutting of budgets for next year we are now seeing the layering in of the lack of in-year growth for ASF and FCFJ which stifles flexibility and prevents providers from responding to emerging workforce needs. Rather than redistributing under delivery, the likelihood is that funding has been scooped up and returned to Treasury, which is really disappointing, especially for many providers who have demand now they cannot meet. Reduced opportunities for Skills Bootcamps mean fewer short, intensive training courses to help people quickly transition into new careers. Meanwhile, devolved settlements could lead to inconsistent provision across regions, with adult education funding at risk of being absorbed into broader local priorities rather than targeted at skills development. More widely a big question mark remains over the future of Skills Bootcamps, whilst there seems to be recognition of the need for an adult retraining programme the future might well be much more nuanced and targeted than the current iteration we have now.  

Investing in adult education is not just a matter of fairness, it is an economic necessity. The UK faces ongoing skills shortages in key industries, from digital and green jobs to health and social care. Without accessible routes to retraining and upskilling, we will continue to see mismatches between jobseekers’ skills and employer needs.  

Meeting Growth Targets Through Adult Education

The government’s own growth and employment targets – including the ambition for an 80% employment rate – cannot be met without a robust adult education system that supports learners of all ages at all stages of their careers. A thriving adult education system supports workforce mobility, helps businesses find skilled workers, and contributes to economic growth. Retraining and reskilling opportunities are vital – cutting adult education is a move that threatens to shrink, not grow the economy. If the government is going to achieve its ambitious target of reaching its self-imposed target of 80% employment, it needs programmes and provision such as the bedrock of the adult skills fund to help lay the stepping stones of the skills and confidence for thousands of adults to be able to rejoin the labour market.   

If we continue down this path of neglecting adult education, we risk leaving behind a significant portion of the workforce, stifling economic growth, and failing to prepare for the future. Policymakers must wake up to the reality that investing in lifelong learning is not a luxury, it is an absolute necessity for a thriving, resilient economy.  

Ignoring adult education today means paying the price tomorrow: in lost productivity, stalled innovation, and an economy that falls behind. Cutting adult education isn’t just short-sighted; it’s self-defeating. 

By Simon Ashworth, Director of Policy and Deputy Chief Executive at AELP