Dear Chancellor,
There is no question that the economy faces considerable challenges and you will have tough choices to make in the weeks ahead.
It is essential that reductions in spending do not become quickly counterproductive by storing up bigger financial pain in the near future. And not only financial pain but a human cost too.
The proposed cuts to adult learning are a case in point. They are not efficiency savings as the sector is already running in the most streamlined manner possible.
The Adult Skills Fund faces a 2%/3% cut across all the Combined Authorities coupled with a 6% cut for non-devolved ASF across the rest of the country. This will impact courses due to begin in September – courses which would support some of those in our most disadvantaged communities.
At the WEA alone this will reduce learner numbers by at least 2,000 (out of a current 30,000 each year). This would scale up to tens of thousands of lost learners across the sector.
This at a time when other Government policies are trying to encourage people towards adult learning. The announcement of the 6% ESFA cut came on the same day as the announcements on benefits reform. Those reforms seek to support and motivate people with disabilities and long term medical conditions into work. That requires having the tailored courses available to them in the neighbourhoods in which they live – something which the community adult learning sector currently specialises in but would not be able to do if budgets are cut.
The benefits of adult learning are well understood. In the last iteration of the WEA’s Impact report we found that 42% of learners on our skills courses went on to get a job or go into further education. More broadly, 83% of learners reported increased wellbeing and 91% visited their GP less often than the national average. All of these impacts save the Treasury money and are further scaled up across the community learning sector.
Community adult learning provision remains high quality and cost effective – despite historic underfunding which leaves it 40% below the level of investment in 2010. Over 95% of adult community learning providers achieve Good or Excellent in their OFSTED inspections. Recent DfE estimates show that the entry level qualifications which adult learning providers offer have a return on investment of £35 to every £1 from the DfE.
Every one of the Government’s Plan For Change missions are supported through adult education. Learners acquire skills at all levels which support economic growth through progression into work and better pay. The broader outcomes of learning - such as improving health & wellbeing and building communities - contribute to reducing the burden on the NHS, diverting from crime and strengthening ties within families and neighbourhoods.
Adults achieve most when they are motivated and supported by the learning environment that works best for them. For many adults, especially those who need most support with essential skills and confidence building, this means learning in community venues. There they learn alongside their peers and neighbours and with skilled tutors who are able to tailor their approach to meet specific needs. It is vital that community settings are supported alongside the more formal offers of colleges and independent skills providers. Taking community venues out of the learning ecosystem risks leaving behind thousands of adult learners who need additional and tailored support to improve their literacy, numeracy and digital skills and to reach the levels of confidence required to progress into work or further training.
We ask you in the upcoming Spending Review to look again at the proposed cuts at regional and national level and to reinstate funding.
This could be through the Adult Skills Fund but it could also be through cross-departmental budgets, supporting social prescribing (Health), supporting progression into work (DWP) or digital skills (DSIT).
The crucial element is the emphasis on communities at the neighbourhood level and a focus on those most in need. The adult community learning sector is already there and already supporting these groups – it would be hugely inefficient and costly to cut it further.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Parkinson
Chief Executive and General Secretary
