Final Taith funding round closes in March as demand rises by over 80%
Organisations across Wales have just over one week left to apply for the final round of international exchange funding through the Taith programme, enabling learners and staff…
Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning, a form of self-initiated education centred on personal development, is the voluntary commitment to continuous learning throughout one’s life.
But why are adult apprenticeships more crucial than ever in the context of lifelong learning? This week serves as a reminder that education is not exclusive to the young. From October 17th to 23rd, Adult Learners’ Week encourages individuals to explore their passions and sustain their learning journeys.
This time of the year is synonymous with education, as students in the UK recently returned to school, college, or university, possibly venturing into new courses and subjects.
Read more here.
How can we make lifelong learning effective for different regions? As part of the Queen’s Speech, the Government announced plans for a Higher Education Bill, intending to introduce the lifelong loan entitlement (LLE). This LLE offers individuals a loan equivalent to four years of post-18 education for flexible study at both further and higher education providers.
While pitched as a tool to enhance the skills system, little is known about how the LLE will practically function. A consultation seeking opinions on the scope and scale of the LLE concluded on Friday, May 6th.
Read more here.
So, how do we build an education system with lifelong learning at its core? Lifelong learning and adult education are more crucial than ever, playing a pivotal role in the economic recovery post-pandemic. This recovery, shaped by recent challenges and the evolving labour market due to disrupters like AI and the race to Net Zero, necessitates a continuous update of skills.
Given that individuals entering the workforce today are likely to work for fifty years, we must ensure mechanisms are in place for people of all ages and regions to learn, train, and stay employable throughout their lives.
Read more here.
The Secret to Mature Student Success: What Providers Must Get Right
Mature learners have long been treated as a single, uniform category within further and higher education. In reality, they are one of the most varied…
CITB’s National Construction College achieves a positive outcome in Ofsted inspection
The inspection finds apprentices are thriving in their training at NCC, they progress quickly and feel confident in applying their skills in training and at work. The Construction…
FE/HE Collaboration: It Takes Two To Tango
The Lifelong Education Institute’s second report in partnership with the Mixed Economy Group of colleges is called Partners in Progress: Colleges at the Forefront of…
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…
New Lifelong Education Institute and MEG Report Calls for ‘Tertiary Ecosystem’ and FE-HE Collaboration to Solve UK Skills Crisis
The Lifelong Education Institute (LEI), in partnership with the Mixed Economy Group of Colleges (MEG), has today published a landmark policy paper titled ‘Partners in…
Why the UK’s Skills Agenda now Rests on Employer-Provider Collaboration
2025 marked a turning point for UK skills policy. With the publication of the Industrial Strategy and Skills England’s report, a bolder national vision came…
Adult Skills Summit highlights urgent need to protect adult learning in London
Leaders from across the adult education and skills sector came together for a landmark London Adult Skills Summit, sending a clear message about the value…
London’s Build Academy welcomes Minister for Industry
The initiative, funded by CITB in partnership with FMB and London’s Shooters Hill Sixth Form College, gives the next generation the practical skills and experience they need for a career in construction Today, the Construction Industry…
What Can Adult Education Learn from MENA’s 24% Youth Unemployment Rate? FE Soundbite Edition 832
Welcome to FE Soundbite Edition 832: 31st January 2026. This is the 16th anniversary edition of FE Soundbite! The Quiet Collapse: What Can Adult Education…
