Sector experts have long said that cuts to FE have specifically hit adult education. But what evidence is there of this? Here are six things we learned from the figures published by the Department for Education today:
- Participation in government-funded adult further education fell to 2,179,100 in 2017-18 from 2,236,800 in 2016-17.
- 286,100 learners participated in full level 2 courses - down from 426,700 the previous year
- The number of participants in full level 3 courses also declined - from 454,300 in 2016-17 to 373,500 in 2017-18.
- 664,200 adult learners participated on English and maths courses in 2017-18 - 12.1 per cent fewer than in 2016-17
- Participation in community learning also dropped - from 535,800 adult learners on community learning courses in 2016-17 to 504,500 in 2017-18.
- Overall, 1,131,700 learners participated in education and training an increase of 4.8 per cent compared to 2016-17.