Expert claims UK economy needs adult learners

The decline in the number of adults returning to education could have a negative impact on the UK economy, the Chairman of Computeach has argued.

Karl Parkinson told Training Zone that 700,000 fewer people entered publicly-funded adult education 2006-7, citing figures from the Learning and Skills Council.

With industries like IT warning of chronic skills shortages and few undergraduates deciding to study these subjects, the economy needs adults with the appropriate training, he said.

Mr Parkinson called on the Government 'to do more to address the imbalance of funding for adult learning to support both the workforce and industry in a meaningful way,' adding that concerns about money can deter people from adult learning.

Labour has already made some steps in this direction, announcing plans last month to enable employees who have been with their company for set period of time to request time off for training.