ColegauCymru is marking Adult Learners’ Week (21-27 September) and the life-changing impact of adult learning, whilst warning that sustained underfunding across FE is placing increasing pressure on opportunities for adult learners across Wales.
Adult learning provides opportunities for people at every stage of life, whether they want to gain essential skills, learn Welsh, improve their digital confidence, gain new qualifications, retrain for a new career or simply try something new.
Adult Learners’ Week offers people across Wales the opportunity to access a wide range of free courses, events and taster sessions, as well as celebrating the achievements of learners and showcasing the opportunities available through colleges and other providers.
Challenges of underfunding and record demand
Adult Learners’ Week is also an opportunity to reflect on the growing pressures facing the sector.
Record demand for full-time college courses has not been matched by funding. Current figures indicate that nearly 5,000 learners are studying without associated funding, while several hundred applicants have been unable to secure a college place.
As colleges work to meet this unprecedented demand, there is a growing risk that financial pressures in full-time provision will continue to erode budgets for part-time and adult learning. While colleges have been given flexibility to move resources between different delivery modes, this is not a long-term solution to the wider funding challenge facing the sector.
A decade of decline
These pressures come at a time when adult learning participation has already fallen significantly. The number of part-time learners in further education has declined by 45% over the last decade, while participation in local authority community learning has fallen by 49%.
For many adults, part-time and flexible learning provides the most accessible route into education, particularly for those balancing work, family responsibilities or health challenges. Wales cannot afford to see these opportunities diminish further.
A call for action
ColegauCymru believes adult learning must be at the heart of a fairer, more skilled and more prosperous Wales. Protecting opportunities for adult learners will require renewed investment in flexible learning, reskilling and upskilling, alongside action to address the wider funding pressures facing further education.
ColegauCymru Chief Executive, David Hagendyk, said,
"Adult learning changes lives. It helps people develop new skills, gain confidence, and access new opportunities at every stage of life."
"But we cannot celebrate adult learning without recognising the challenges it faces. Colleges are experiencing record demand for full-time education without receiving the funding needed to support that growth. Colleges should not be forced to choose between supporting the next generation of full-time learners and maintaining opportunities for adults to retrain, upskill and improve their lives."
"The decline in part-time learning over the past decade should concern anyone who believes in opportunity and social mobility. Wales needs more flexible learning opportunities, not fewer. Adult learners must not become the unintended victims of wider funding pressures within the education system."
"If we want a Wales where everyone can continue learning throughout their lives, we need a renewed commitment to adult learning and the investment needed to make it a reality."
Further Information
Find out more about Adult Learners’ Week, including free courses, events and taster sessions taking place across Wales.
Adult Learners Week
#NeverStopLearning #AdultLearnersWeek
