The WEA is a designated Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) in England and in Scotland and receives public funding from various different sources, public, charitable and private. It also benefits from time being given by members.

Further income is sourced from a wide range of grant and contract funding sources, including health organisations, endowment fund and trusts grants. 

Corporates whose missions align with our own may also support the WEA through donations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility actions.

The WEA is distinguished by the extensive roles played by volunteers, from governance through to classroom support. Ofsted said that “a key strength of the organisation has been, and continues to be, the strong historical bond that exists between employees and volunteer members of the organisation”. 

The input of volunteers makes our adult education work distinctive. Research conducted as part of the Government’s ‘Pound Plus’ methodology has estimated the value of volunteering to the WEA to be in the order of £4 million per year.

The world is going through unprecedented changes and this is being felt at community level. We all need the skills, knowledge and confidence to understand what is happening around us to deal with the difficult challenges ahead and to build a better future for ourselves and our communities.  

Because our mission is to bring education to all that need it, fight inequality and promote social justice, we are committed to championing the cause of our learners who need education to succeed and thrive.

We are asking policy and funding decision-makers for just five commitments:

Create a national lifelong learning strategy
This would set out a holistic definition, looking through all three lenses (health, culture and work). It would set the roles and responsibilities and provide a framework for regional priorities.

Prioritise funding for those who left school with no or few qualifications
A lack of role models, aspirations and confidence can be tackled through community education. They provide important building blocks for Job Centres to work on.

Protect the freedom to set a broad curriculum Many adults are reluctant to return to learning and cultural education may be the only way to attract them back to study. Stop de-funding of “leisure learning”. Valuable mental health and wellbeing outcomes will also be lost.

Return adult education funding to 2010 levels by 2029
Public finances are tight but support for adult learning would reap economic benefits in terms of productivity, as well as taking pressure off welfare benefits and also the NHS (through health and wellbeing outcomes).

Deliver a national campaign to drive up participation
Less than 30% of the adult population is currently learning. There is an urgent need to reach the remaining 70%. This includes some of the most disadvantaged groups in society and many who would benefit the most.

Support the post-19 education workforce
The WEA provides critical second-chance education. It should not be doing it with less well-paid staff and struggling to recruit as a result.

Our leadership team are committed to engaging with policy and funding decision-makers in UK and Scotland Governments, and in devolved authorities in England. But the more voices that tell the story of our learners and the impact of our work, the more convincing the case. 

There are many ways that you can get involved:

At the WEA we are proud to offer a great employment package that includes good terms & conditions and pension schemes, flexibility in our approach, family-friendly initiatives, development opportunities, and services to support your health and wellbeing.  

Our diverse job opportunities include a wide range of benefits including: 

• Generous annual leave allowance (30 days, plus bank holidays for full-time staff), including Christmas/New Year closure; 
• Agile working opportunities; 
• Pension scheme membership to provide benefits for you and your family; 
• Life assurance cover;
• Well-being programme with Employee Assistance Programme, counselling and Mental Health First Aiders across the association;
• Learning and development opportunities; 
• Cycle to Work Scheme; 
• Eye care vouchers; 
• Staff recognition schemes; 
• Staff discounts on a range of products and services including travel and high street savings.

Since education is what we do, we care deeply about career and personal development. You’ll benefit from:  

• a structured induction programme for new starters, to make you feel welcome and part of our team. 
• an annual performance and development review, to help identify your career aspirations and structure your individual development plan; 
• mentoring opportunities to support your career development; 
• diverse job opportunities, giving you great flexibility in choosing a career path to suit your changing interests and ambitions.

Should you have family/caring responsibilities, we have a whole package of family-friendly policies that provide for flexible working, additional paid maternity and paternity leave, and leave for family emergencies.  

Colleagues are welcome to ask about flexible working opportunities during the recruitment process. We support a wide range of flexible working opportunities including job shares, part-time working, term time only working and homeworking. 

The WEA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our learners and expects all colleagues to share this commitment. We are committed to safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks, including enhanced DBS checks where required, will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. 

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. An organisation where our staff and learners can work and study in an environment that is supportive and inclusive, and in doing so, recruit the best candidates from all backgrounds and identities. 

We welcome applications irrespective of people’s age, disability, sex, gender identity or gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, neurodivergence or other personal circumstances.  

We will continue to work towards the ‘good work plan reforms,’ ensuring greater transparency and protection for staff working under more flexible working arrangements.  

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is a key part of our strategy and a central part of everything we do. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process. This includes the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neurodivergent. Please contact the Shared Services Team at [email protected] for further information. 

We are a Disability Confident employer and recognises and celebrates good practice in recruiting and supporting disabled applicants. We have also signed up to Investors in Diversity accreditation a national framework for improving FREDIE practices within the workplace. We are also Investors in People, holding a silver accreditation. If needed, you can download our recruitment privacy policy.

Be sure to add the web address https://www.wea.org.uk/hey-dont-forget-me into any posts, and tag our social media channels so we can share your posts:

• Facebook: weaadulted
• Instagram: wea_adulteducation
• LinkedIn: weaadulted
• Twitter/X: weaadulted

Thank you for sharing your story and image with us.

Click the button to go back to our campaign homepage and learn more.