So now we know. Skills England is a post-16 skills body.
Published by the Department for Education (DfE) on the day the Prime Minister gave his speech to Labour Party conference, Skills England: Driving growth and widening opportunities sets out the new government’s initial plans for skills.
But skills are only one aspect of education and training and are only one facet of a lifelong learning strategy.
Although the inaugural report is strong on skills for growth, it is weak, partial and confused on lifelong learning.
The report says that “the government recognises that lifelong learning is a core part of a sustainable higher education system”. But there is no recognition that lifelong learning should be part of a sustainable adult education system.
Indeed, the report places lifelong learning outside of higher education as explicitly part of adult skills policy. And the development of a wider cross-government approach to lifelong learning is linked to enabling people to gain the skills they need to support their careers.
Yet, acquiring specific skills - be they technical, vocational, or even soft skills like communication - is undeniably important but lifelong learning is all embracing and builds resilience and independence.
Establishing a lifelong learning culture ensures individuals actively and successfully participate in society and the workforce.
By fostering a continuous learning habit throughout life, individuals are less reliant on the state but empowered to take control of their own professional development and or training and retraining.
Lifelong learning is not just an educational tool; it’s a crucial element for personal and economic development. It’s not a passing trend, but an essential mindset we must embrace to succeed in an ever-changing world, both personally and socially.
It should be embedded in our DNA as citizens in a dynamic society.
Consider for a moment one in three young people today may live to be 100 years old. They can't simply train for a job in their teens and expect that education to last 60 years.
Lifelong learning is about maintaining relevance, flexibility, and growth at all ages and stages. It’s not just about what qualifications someone holds at 18 but about having the ability to re-enter education or training later in life, to adapt to changing economic and societal demands.
If this government is relegating lifelong learning to Level 4-6 higher education, we are doomed.
A lifelong learning mission
Lifelong learning from Level 1 to Level 8 should be central to Skills England's mission.
And to deliver a lifelong learning mission, Skills England needs to hear the voice of individuals as well as employers and unions. It also needs to be able to recommend ideas to government to incentivise participation in lifelong learning.
Skills England should not only instill lifelong learning deep within the Department for Education and across post-16 further and higher education. It should be able to work across all government departments to ensure that lifelong learning becomes a cornerstone of national policy, not just an isolated initiative.
Infrastructure in place but gaps remain
The state’s role is to provide the infrastructure, flexible to enough to meet the needs of lifelong learning learners at every stage of their skills journey, be it learning basic skills as an adult or completing post graduate professional development.
Some elements of the infrastructure needed for lifelong learning are already in place. The expansion of nursery and early years education provides children with the essential foundation skills for future learning, and the right to education and training at Level 3 and below until the age of 18, helps to establish a baseline.
However, the curriculum still lacks a strong emphasis on developing lifelong learning skills. While the post-18 landscape has its strengths, much remains to be done to make lifelong learning a viable option for adults.
Despite the strong pathway into full-time Level 6 degrees, the opportunities for two-year full-time vocational sub-degrees or part-time vocational study while working are limited. The system does not adequately support those who seek flexible or practical education options.
All-age apprenticeships should play a vital role in upskilling and reskilling throughout life, yet they have become an unreliable option for young people. Whilst welcoming foundation apprenticeships, more radical reforms will be needed to ensure apprenticeships become, once again, a viable alternative to traditional education for young people.
Our adult education system often caters primarily to those who succeeded at school or college by age 18, leaving behind those who didn’t thrive in traditional academic environments. It is also hampered by short-term, poorly structured initiatives that fail to deliver meaningful results.
Furthermore, the approach to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is fragmented and confusing, with eligibility depending on the type of entry scheme and funding dispersed across different departments.
The silence on ESOL is deafening bearing in mind the fact that Skills England is tasked to work with the Migration Advisory Committee, and the need for DfE and the Home Office to work closely on achieving social integration and community cohesion.
Finally, we must mention the provision for students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This area is similarly underfunded and underdeveloped, requiring urgent attention and reform.
Ending competing claims
To move forward, Skills England needs to end the absurd situation where different parts of the post-18 education system claim ownership of the very term lifelong learning.
The HE world thinks lifelong learning is their domain, restricting the definition to upskilling and reskilling at Level 4-6.
And the adult education world believes lifelong learning is theirs, restricting the definition to opportunities from basic skills to Level 3.
Indeed, I am increasingly concerned that this new government is losing direction over lifelong learning. And it is following in the footsteps of the last administration which sought to define lifelong learning as Level 4-6 higher education through the implementation of the Lifelong Loan Entitlement (renamed the Lifelong Learning Entitlement). It is unclear whether the Level 4-6 Lifelong Learning Entitlement will be in the policy mix under the new government but let me be clear: lifelong learning is far more than a loan scheme and encompasses learning at Level 3 and below.
It speaks to the core of what it means to be human. It enables us to grow, adapt, and thrive.
Enabler and champion of lifelong learning
In contrast, many competitor nations have embraced lifelong learning as both a system and a lifestyle. They’ve cultivated a culture that places responsibility on individuals, employers and the state to ensure that learning continues throughout life, with the state playing the role of enabler, creating the conditions for individuals to access learning opportunities at all ages.
If Skills England only focuses on short-term interventions or narrow skills-based initiatives, it risks missing the bigger picture. A true transformation requires a broader lifelong learning strategy, one that encompasses all ages, all levels, and all settings.
The role of Skills England must not be restricted to producing reports on labour market and skills trends, skills linked to the future industrial strategy or net migration.
It should be a champion of lifelong learning, embedding lifelong learning into the DNA of every Whitehall department, those with a growth remit, those with a health and care remit, and those with a social integration and cultural remit.
Such a shift would require coordination between the Department for Education and other government bodies to ensure that learning opportunities are integrated into social and health policy, employment strategy, and economic development.
It would require collaboration with employers to promote workplace learning, and it would need to provide second chances for adults seeking retraining or career changes later in life.
Ultimately, Skills England has the potential to be more than just a skills planner and regulator: it could be the enabler that the UK needs to embrace lifelong learning as a cornerstone of our society.
This means not just preparing individuals for their first jobs but equipping them for a lifetime of learning, growth, and adaptability.
The future of work and citizenship will be defined not just by what we know today, but by our ability to keep learning.
Skills are a part of that journey, but they are just one part. The real task is to build a system that supports learning for life, ensuring that everyone - regardless of age or stage - can thrive.
Susan Pember is Policy Director of HOLEX
Our regular guest policy views are written by senior leaders and thinkers. They aim to stimulate discussion, identify issues and contribute to debate on post-16 education, skills and employment policy. The opinions expressed are the authors' own and do not necessarily express the views of the Campaign for Learning