Brock backs Association of College’s Adult Learning Pays campaign to get more adults studying

Brockenhurst College has announced its support for a new campaign by the Association of Colleges (AoC) aimed at increasing the number of adults studying in England.

Known as Adult Learning Pays, the initiative seeks to raise awareness and make the case to government for greater investment.

A particular focus is communicating the many benefits of adult education for individuals, businesses and society.

It comes as AoC figures showed the number of adults studying or training in English colleges has declined by more than a third since 2017/18.

Meanwhile, public funding for adult education and training has declined by two thirds since the early 2000s – falling from £5.1bn to £1.7bn in 2023/24 (not accounting for inflation).

In addition, over a third of working adults feel they don’t receive enough training to progress in their career.

And over a quarter feel they do not receive enough training to succeed in their current role, according to AoC statistics.

David Hughes from the AoC said: “We want to generate the debate we need in this country to move us to a stronger culture of lifelong learning.

“Ultimately, we want to see more investment in every adult, to ensure that we can face the future together, with strong communities, greater cohesion and tolerance and a stronger economy.” Brock’s Director of Higher Education, Adults and Apprenticeships, Lisa Bell, said:

“We have a huge role to play in supporting adult learners, and that is why we are giving the Adult Learning Pays campaign our full support.

“As a college we understand the importance of adult learning and how it improves people’s life chances, while also benefitting the economy and reducing social isolation.

“Adult learning could be related to role progression, returning to work, a career change, or just the desire to learn something new.

“Our passion for lifelong learning informs our mission at every stage, and I am pleased to say we share the AoC’s values and ambitions.”

Brockenhurst College provides a wide range of adult learning opportunities.

These include a diverse programme of adult leisure and learning courses in areas such as languages, photography and arts & crafts.

The College also provides professionally recognised courses for career advancement, such as AAT qualifications in accountancy and bookkeeping.

In addition, Brock provides Higher Education courses for Early Years practitioners, which are validated by University of Chichester.

Meanwhile, job seekers can receive support through Brock’s quickstart initiative, which provides short sessions that lead to practical qualifications employers want to see.

This includes the universally recognised CSCS Card for construction work and the SIA accreditation for roles in security.