Is it too late for adults to get into education?

The Association of Colleges (AoC) has recently expressed concerns that 190,000 placements for adult education will be lost next year due to severe funding cuts, reducing the budget by 24%.

They believe that if these  cuts continue and nothing is done to address this situation, there is a good chance that adult education in England may not exist by 2020.

Courses for adults to gain a career in the health, public services and care sectors, as well as ICT courses, are likely to be the most severely affected. Although the current Conservative government has recognised this cut, it has stated that instead it will be prioritising other adult education channels, such as apprenticeships.

Government Cuts Reduce Training Options

According to the AoC, between 2013 and 2014 the amount of adults on level 3 courses, such as BTECs and NVQs, fell by 18%, and that if funding continues to be reduced, there will be no adult education system in 5 years. This would mean that the courses currently available to people aged over 19, which gives them the training they need to become skilled and valuable workers, will be a thing of the past.

This would have a huge effect on the high numbers of unemployed people who need to retrain in a different discipline in order to rejoin the UK workforce. It would also seriously affect older people who need to work beyond retirement age, or who need to take on a different type of work later in life to be able to work until the required state pension age.

Prioritising Apprenticeships

A representative from The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has stated that despite these cuts, the government has protected the most important areas of adult education, including a commitment to invest £3.9bn into adult learning and further education in 2015-16 and a further £770m for apprenticeships.

Although this isn’t an ideal scenario, as it means that many people aged over 19 will find it difficult to find fully funded training courses, it also means that younger people will have more of a chance to become skilled through apprenticeships and traineeships, that will set them up with the skills and experience they need to forge a successful career.

Health and Safety Training Ltd

However, here at Health and Safety Training Ltd (HST), we still have many funded courses available to unemployed people who fit the required criteria. If you have any concerns about how these government cuts may affect your learning or career path, or would like to find out if you are eligible to train with us, simply give us a call. We will be happy to discuss your options with you and help you get back into work.