Lifelong Learning Labs Launched to Reset the National Approach to Adult Education

National education charity the WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) today launched its Lifelong Learning Labs to address the “chronic neglect” of adults in post16 education policy. The year-long initiative will bring the sector together to coordinate insights and build a united case on the social, economic and democratic value of lifelong learning. The gathered evidence will provide clear strategic direction currently missing from government thinking. Priority recommendations will be published in late 2026. 

Lifelong Learning Labs: Pioneering a new future for adult learning will bring together learners, educators, experts, employers and communities to reimagine the future for adult learners. Running from March to November across England and Scotland, the fact-finding Labs will test ideas and challenge assumptions through expert roundtable events, research and canvasing lived experience insights.  

Work will focus on six key themes: 

• Improving health and wellbeing  
• Strengthening community connections 
• Bridging language and cultural divides 
• Closing the essential skills gap 
• Tackling hate and disinformation 
• Creating pathways to good work and employment 

Speaking on the launch, WEA Chief Executive and General Secretary Simon Parkinson said: 

“The Government is failing adult learners. If it won’t lead with a comprehensive lifelong learning strategy, then the WEA will. Because adult learners deserve better. Decades of chronic neglect and underfunding has left adults on the sidelines when they should be at the heart of national policy. Lifelong learning transforms health, work, community and democracy itself. That’s why our Lifelong Learning Labs will unite the sector and bring together leading experts from across the issues shaping people’s everyday lives. Raising the voice of learners and building new partnerships to shape a bold vision for the future. By the end of 2026, we’ll deliver a roadmap for renewal that Government cannot ignore.” 

Caroline McDonald, HOLEX CEO, said:

“Effective partnership is fundamental to achieving meaningful progress, especially on such a fundamental thing as lifelong learning. Through the collaborative ethos embodied in the WEA’s Lifelong Learning Labs, we can demonstrate that collective expertise and shared purpose can drive a more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable future for adult learning.” 

Graeme Atherton, Vice Principal, Ruskin College told us: 

“The Government will not be able to achieve its goal of a more prosperous and equal society without a step change in its approach to lifelong learning. There are tens of thousands of adults, many of whom in the parts of the country facing the biggest social and economic challenges, who could be learning if the right opportunities were available to them. These opportun