Boris Johnson has announced that there will be radical changes to adult education

During a recent speech the prime minister has announced sweeping changes to adult education including funding to end the distinction between academic and vocational programs.  The Covid-19 pandemic was cited as the primary motivation for introducing these changes as it has significantly changed the way people work and has highlighted training gaps due to the nature of everything becoming increasingly digital.

A “lifetime skills guarantee” was also announced which will provide free training for any adults lacking qualifications.  The government is hoping that these initiatives will help the country bounce back and recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.

The measures will be funded through the introduction of the National Skills Fund which is set to be introduced next April.  The aim of this project is to upskill workers who lost their jobs during lockdown.  The programs will have a strong focus on developing digital skills as the pandemic has exacerbated the digital skills divide.  Alongside this, a further 62 courses have been added to the government’s Skills Toolkit which offers courses in a variety of areas, such as maths, digital literacy, business and finance.

“ And over the last few centuries there is no other country that has shown the same adaptability, the same ingenuity in matching the demands of new technology…The British economy is in the process of huge and rapid change, driven by the internet and the possibilities of remote communication… We are expanding the digital boot camps – where you can learn IT, whatever your age, replicating our highly successful training camps in Manchester and Birmingham in four more locations…” Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Also announced was a plan to make student loans more flexible thus allowing students to complete courses over a longer period of time.