Although 6 million adults in Britain are studying at any one time, survey findings confirm continuing underrepresentation of people in lower socioeconomic levels. This paper suggests that widened participation in education and training is necessary to improve competitiveness and economic success and to enable all to have an equal opportunity of sharing in that success. Much of the skill, knowledge, and experience needed to bring underrepresented groups into learning exists in countless neighborhood and local projects and campaigns and in large-scale initiatives. An alternative to targeting groups is to identify their shared characteristics and to adopt systems that reward and not penalize institutions that make special efforts to recruit and retain such students. The Further Education Funding Council's (FEFC) Funding Methodology is a formula funding system that relates levels of resource to levels of delivery and creates a common currency for the whole range of its further education offer. The FEFC is challenged to make this formula fit the goal of widening participation. Its Widening Participation Committee holds out the promise that changes will be proposed in the FEFC Funding Methodology to extend opportunity for those currently excluded. Suggestions have been made for increasing the number of units available for the four elements of the learning process: entry, on program, achievement, and compensating factors. All providers and funders have roles in the process of widening participation. (Contains 83 references.) (YLB)