'Learning the lessons' looks at the history of learning and skills policy, going back to the late 19th century. It is the third report produced as part of our Ambition Skills programme of work, supported by City & Guilds and NOCN, which considers the economic and social case for a higher ambition for learning and skills, and how we can achieve…

This report, commissioned by Youth Futures Foundation and delivered by Learning and Work Institute, sets out the challenges and opportunities in young people's interactions with the benefits system. The research forms part of our wider programme of work informing a Youth Guarantee for England. Around 837,000 young people in England are not in…

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) plays a key role in the provision of skills programmes for Londoners. Since the delegation of the AEB to the Mayor of London in August 2019, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has been granted some flexibility to align AEB policy and commissioning with local priorities. Some of these changes have been designed to…

Essential skills, including literacy and numeracy, are increasingly crucial for life and work, for business success, and for economic growth. However, the number of adults improving these skills in England has reduced by more than 60% over the past decade as Government investment in skills is set to be £1 billion less in 2025 compared to 2010. As…

Learning through life, for any reason and none, improves work, health, wellbeing and active citizenship. We've known the benefits of adult education for a long time -- at L&W we've been promoting them and making the case for widening access to learning for the past 100 years. Social prescribing to adult education could be a key tool to address…

One in seven people of working age in England live in social housing. Partly because of how the limited supply of social housing is allocated, tenants are more diverse than the population as a whole and more likely to live in relative poverty. Strategies to tackle the big workforce, growth, cost of living and inequality challenges the country…

For more than 25 years, the Adult Participation in Learning Survey has provided a unique insight into adult learning across the UK. It adopts a deliberately broad definition of learning, reflecting the fact that learning is about so much more than formal courses and qualifications. The good news is that, after a decade of declines during the…

This review, commissioned by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), explored the extent to which investment in ESOL provision is meeting need in the region and how learner outcomes can be improved and accelerated. The research found that: (1) Demand for ESOL provision is outstripping supply, and demand is increasing each year; (2) Refugees,…

People invest £7.3 billion a year and £55 billion worth of time in learning. This is more than the Government and employers invest in learning and skills, but there are stark inequalities between groups. This report provides the most detailed snapshot seen of which groups of adults are investing in learning, and how much, and lays bare stark…

Participation in adult essential skills learning has fallen significantly over the past decade across the UK. In our previous report with the Skills for Life Alliance "Getting the Basics Right: The Case for Action on Adult Basic Skills" (ED618568), we explored the social, economic and health benefits of having a solid foundation in…

Since Autumn 2021, the United Kingdom has experienced high rates of inflation and stagnant wages. Londoners that have been most affected by this include those not in work, those without qualifications and those in insecure or low-income work. This research, commissioned by the Greater London Authority (GLA), explored the views of Londoners most…