Summary 5

Trends 5

Legislation and policy 5

Opportunities and challenges 6

Benefits for individuals and society 6

Acknowledgements 6

Background 7

1 What are the trends in lifelong learning and skills? 10

1.1 Skills and labour market trends 11

Skills shortages 111

Higher-level qualifications: Supply and demand 12

1.2 Participation trends by qualification 13

Low-level qualifications 13

Apprenticeships 14

Undergraduate and postgraduate degrees 14

1.3 Demographic trends in participation in lifelong learning 14

Age 14

Socioeconomic status 15

Region 15

Previous educational attainment 15

Ethnicity 15

Gender 16

2 Legislation, policy and guidance 17

3 Opportunities 20

3.1 Mature students filling skills gaps in priority areas 20

3.2 Sector partnerships and regional economic growth 21

3.3 Remote and modular learning 22

4 Challenges 23

4.1 Barriers to accessing learning and upskilling for adult learners 23

Cost of learning 23

Debt aversion and at-risk groups 23

Caring responsibilities 23

4.2 Low appetite for lifelong learning 24

4.3 Additional support needs of adult learners 24

4.4 Declining employer investment in upskilling 24

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) 25

Unequal access to employer-funded training 25

5 Wider impacts 26

6 Policy considerations 27

6.1 Financial incentives for employers to invest in training 27

6.2 Public understanding and awareness 27

6.3 Holistic approach to lifelong learning 28

References 29