AoC responds to the Lifelong Learning Bill

Responding to the passing of the Lifelong Learning Bill, David Hughes, Association of Colleges, said:

“I am pleased to see the Lifelong Learning Bill gain Royal Assent, having given written and oral evidence as it made its way through parliament. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement has the potential to be a game-changer, and I hope that this is the beginning of a significant cultural shift in the way post-18 education and training is delivered and taken up in England.

“The need for a new lifelong learning culture and the system of funding and opportunities behind it is clear – with an ageing population, the skills needed by employers rapidly changing with technological change and the move to a net zero economy, we need every adult to have the capacity, motivation, and opportunities to carry on learning throughout their lives. The long held belief that achieving a Bachelor’s degree is the gold standard and everything else is inherently inferior needs to change to a wider appreciation of the value of learning at all levels, for all people at all stages in life.

“However, the Bill alone cannot achieve that culture shift. We now need to see more thinking and development of how LLE fits into the whole tertiary education offer, including FE and apprenticeships, and the funding needed to support this.”