In the spring of 2004, the Selby Coalfield, the largest of the remaining coal mines in the United Kingdom (UK) will close and 2071 employees will lose their jobs. The impact of the closure will be severe in the surrounding area, and will present a challenge to local employment services and training agencies. It will also test the UK government's rhetoric on the importance of lifelong learning. The primary objective of this article is to investigate the issues emerging from the retraining programme implemented to ease the transition from mining to alternative forms of employment. It questions the veracity of the New Labour government's commitment to lifelong learning in practice. Our research suggests that the retraining programme to assist the Selby miners does not meet the expectations engendered by the UK government's rhetoric on lifelong learning and calls into question the New Labour government's commitment to lifelong learning in practice. (Contains 2 tables and 2 notes.)