The government could learn from past policy with its current skills strategy, a panel of education experts has said at a conference marking 20 years since publication of the Labour Party’s flagship Learning Age proposals.  

Speaking at the “the Learning Age ‘20 years on’” conference, Professor Lorna Unwin from the Institute of Education said she was struck by the Learning Age’s “kitchen sink” approach. She said: “It was a new government trying to make its mark.” Professor Urwin explained she could see similar issues with the government’s apprenticeship plans today and said there was a need to understand the effects of a policy on other parts on the sector. 

She added: “It would be better to look at what works in the sector and invest in that.”

‘Confetti’ policy approach

In his keynote speech Professor John Field, who chairs the advisory board for the ESRC Research Centre on Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies (LLAKES), said he thought there might have been too many “bright ideas” in the Learning Age report two decades ago to make a meaningful difference, leading to a “confetti” approach to policy.

And visiting professor of further and higher education at the University of Wolverhampton Andy Westwood said the Learning Age felt like an empty box, “but it made a great soundbite.” He added that the same label could possibly applied to Jeremy Corbyn’s plans for a National Education Service.

The conference was organised by Sir Alan Tuckett, professor of education at Wolverhampton University. Writing with former education secretary Lord Blunkett in Tes last week, he said there was now a need for a fresh commitment to lifelong learning in Britain.

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