Lifelong Learning Strategy

John Slinger Excerpts

Wednesday 4th November 2026 Westminster Hall

[Josh MacAlister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention and for highlighting the need for both the youth guarantee—which is a separate but related policy area to the LLE—and the LLE to ensure greater flexibility over not just what can be studied but where people can access those opportunities. If someone is in a rural or more remote part of the country and physically further from a higher education institution, that should in no way be a barrier to being able to access those units of study that the LLE is designed to give people the right to access.

Alongside full qualifications and degrees, learners will, for the first time—this is the crucial thing about the LLE—be able to access student finance for individual modules of higher education. People need that kind of flexibility to fit around their work, family life and other commitments, while others may want to return full-time to upskill or retrain. Ultimately, the LLE is about creating an education system that keeps pace with people’s lives and our changing economy. It will help people build the knowledge and skills they need throughout their careers and support the workforce and economy into the future.

The Government’s response to lifelong learning, however, is broader than that single programme. We are building a system of post-18 education, skills, adult learning, career advice and higher education. Adult education helps people access new opportunities, enables employers to find the skills they need, helps the economy and builds stronger, healthier and more resilient communities. A number of Members have referenced the impact on isolation.

[John Slinger (Rugby) (Lab)]

On the Minister’s point about building stronger communities, does he agree that lifelong learning should also include civics education? Having a detailed knowledge of our political system is not and never should be the criterion for having the vote. None the less, gaining a better understanding of the political system, the different roles within it, and people’s rights and responsibilities would enhance our democracy. Perhaps further education colleges or schools could offer opportunities across the country for adults to dip into that civics education throughout their lives, and we could have a healthier democracy as a result.

[Josh MacAlister]

As a former secondary school citizenship teacher, that is music to my ears. Understandably, the current focus of the LLE and the adult skills agenda is, rightly, very much on ensuring that people can get that route into the dignity, pride and security that comes from work. Given some of the threats and challenges that our democracy faces, there are wider debates about how we ensure that not only our institutions, but our society is more resilient and deeply democratic. Education is crucial to that.

As a Government, we are investing in education and skills training through the adult skills fund, which has been referenced by a number of Members. It is worth £1.4 billion a year and supports adults to access skills training up to and including level 3, so it sits just below the LLE. That covers a broad range of provision. By fostering adult learning through the ASF, we are not only supporting learners to gain the literacy, numeracy, digital and other vocational skills that they need for meaningful employment, but driving sustained economic growth and innovation.

I welcome news highlighted in this debate by my hon. Friend the Member for Easington (Grahame Morris) of the restoration of the union learning fund by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in September. It aims to generate 180,000 learning opportunities through the restoration of that fund and speaks to not only the values of the Labour party, but the demonstrable evidence of collaboration between industry and workers when it comes to the pipeline of future talent and skills that are needed in the economy. As the Member of Parliament for Whitehaven and Workington, I am very proud to represent those people who work at Sellafield, which has a very strong history of union engagement in learning opportunities.

Good careers advice is an essential part of lifelong learning. It gives people the confidence to make informed choices, whether they are leaving school, moving into work or retraining later in life. For young people, we are strengthening careers guidance and expanding meaningful work experience opportunities. Strong careers provision is associated with an 8% lower likelihood of becoming not in education, employment or training, with twice the impact in the most disadvantaged schools. That is why we the Government are turning that evidence into practical action.

We want every young person to benefit from two weeks’ worth of meaningful work experience built up over time during secondary school, rather than through a single placement. That will obviously have an impact later in those young people’s early adult lives. Careers hubs have already been testing that approach with more than 2,500 young people, 66 schools and 114 employers. For adults, the developing jobs and careers service will bring careers and employment support together. It will help people find work, progress or retrain as jobs and skills change in the economy.

There is a whole range of other matters that we have not had time to cover in this debate. Those include the role of devolution in adult skills funding, changes that were made by this Government to the funding formula for adult skills in 2024, and changes to the apprenticeship levy. All of those will help in the effort that my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley has highlighted by securing this important debate. I also put on record my thanks to the u3a organisation highlighted by my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Michael Payne).

To wrap up, I once again thank my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley for securing this debate and thank all of those who have contributed to today’s discussion. Although we have not had time to cover every base, it has been an important debate and one that needs to continue in the months and years ahead. I welcome further discussions and engagement on the issues considered today.

Question put and agreed to.