This week the organisation behind the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) international rankings published a damning report on the UK’s adult education system.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says the sector is in need of adequate and sustainable financing (well, duh) and argues that the UK and many other developed nations “need to urgently scale-up and upgrade their adult learning systems to help people adapt to the future world of work”.
The report, Getting Skills Right: future-ready adult learning systems, says that adult education should “give adults more and better access to upskilling and reskilling opportunities to increase their resilience in light of structural changes and skill issues”.
As with most things, it comes down to money. The report says that while there’s no benchmark for a sufficient level of financing, what is certain is that adult learning currently receives less funding compared with other education areas.
“In the context of the economic crisis and constrained government budgets, many countries report declining public investments in adult learning,” the OECD says.
The report recommends six ways to boost the UK’s adult education:
- Improve the coverage of adult learning by raising awareness among adults and employers about the benefits of training, and helping them make informed training choices.
- Reduce barriers to training participation by making opportunities flexible and adapting to the needs of adult learners.
- Put in place targeted training incentives and support services to engage adults with weak labour market attachment in training.
- Assist employers, and especially small and medium-sized enterprises, in thoroughly assessing their skill needs and developing effective skills development plans that address these needs.
- Assist the transition of adults who are employed in jobs undergoing structural changes by providing targeted support measures and training incentives.
- Put in place adequate and sustainable financing, including through public funding and incentives for employers and individuals to contribute.
