The St Martin's Group commissioned Learning and Work Institute to explore the barriers apprenticeship employers face, what employers can do to help apprentices complete their programmes, and ultimately how 'best outcomes' of apprenticeships are defined by different parties across the system. More than 800 apprenticeship employers were surveyed to…

Basic English and maths skills are crucial for Londoners to access further education and good work, and to support them to participate in their communities and improve personal wellbeing. Supporting Londoners to achieve basic skills is a priority for the Greater London Authority (GLA). However, we know that too many Londoners are without these…

People invest £7.3 billion a year and £55 billion worth of time in learning. This is more than the Government and employers invest in learning and skills, but there are stark inequalities between groups. This report provides the most detailed snapshot seen of which groups of adults are investing in learning, and how much, and lays bare stark…

The Adult Education Budget (AEB) plays a key role in the provision of skills programmes for Londoners. Since the delegation of the AEB to the Mayor of London in August 2019, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has been granted some flexibility to align AEB policy and commissioning with local priorities. Some of these changes have been designed to…

Learning through life, for any reason and none, improves work, health, wellbeing and active citizenship. We've known the benefits of adult education for a long time -- at L&W we've been promoting them and making the case for widening access to learning for the past 100 years. Social prescribing to adult education could be a key tool to address…

Inflation is projected to be much higher than expected at the time of the 2021 Spending Review. This could wipe out up to £850 million of the value of skills funding in England over the next three years, leading to either fewer adults accessing learning or risks to the quality of learning. This Briefing Note addresses what the 2021 Spending Review…

In March 2021, young people accounted for around two thirds of the total fall in employment since the start of the pandemic, and youth unemployment was almost four times higher than the rest of the working-age population. However, following an overall labour market recovery, the UK now faces a recruitment crisis, with employers struggling to hire…

Participation in adult essential skills learning has fallen significantly over the past decade across the UK. In our previous report with the Skills for Life Alliance "Getting the Basics Right: The Case for Action on Adult Basic Skills" (ED618568), we explored the social, economic and health benefits of having a solid foundation in…

This resource has been developed for pre-apprenticeship providers who wish to develop and enhance their programme to ensure that young people are equipped with the key skills they need for an apprenticeship and their future career. This resource is divided into the following sections: (1) Transversal and learn to learn skills; (2) Basic skills;…

Along with demographic change and advances in technology, the transition to green skills is one of a number of mega trends set to transform the economy and labour market. These shifts are also interconnected. The need for "green skills" is therefore not just about new green jobs, but also greening existing roles, increasing economic…

Employment and skills contexts, opportunities, challenges and starting points vary across England. Employment rates vary significantly between geographic areas and demographic groups, as do qualification levels, and opportunities for growth. All of this means there has been an increasing focus in debate on how to tailor employment and skills…

One of the most important reforms to the apprenticeship system in recent years has been the transition from apprenticeship frameworks to employer-designed standards. However, the completion rates for these standards are much lower than for frameworks, with large numbers of apprentices withdrawing early from their programmes. It is vital to…

For more than 25 years, the Adult Participation in Learning Survey has provided a unique insight into adult learning across the UK. It adopts a deliberately broad definition of learning, reflecting the fact that learning is about so much more than formal courses and qualifications. The good news is that, after a decade of declines during the…

One in seven people of working age in England live in social housing. Partly because of how the limited supply of social housing is allocated, tenants are more diverse than the population as a whole and more likely to live in relative poverty. Strategies to tackle the big workforce, growth, cost of living and inequality challenges the country…

Basic skills -- including literacy, numeracy, ESOL and digital skills -- are key to support adults' life chances and the need to invest in them is increasing. Investing in higher level and technical skills is important for economic recovery and future prosperity. But a sound base of basic skills are both essential in their own right and provide…