The UK faces a critical shortage of skills. Not enough people have the skills they need to succeed and prosper in our changing economy.

A significant number of adults in the UK hold no formal qualifications. Equally, an estimated 9 million working-age adults in England have low basic skills in literacy or numeracy, of which 5 million have low skills in both.

We know there are persistent inequalities in participation in learning, with those closer to the labour market, with more positive experiences of formal education, younger people, and from higher socio-economic groups more likely to take part in learning as adults.

Far too many UK businesses are struggling to get the skilled people they need. There are over 1 million job vacancies and 80% of small businesses say they have struggled to recruit skilled staff in the last 12 months.

The UK is not currently developing the skilled workforce it needs for our changing economy.

Increasing the rate of adult learning across the UK is essential if we are to develop the skills the UK needs to thrive and ensure everybody can benefit from our transitioning economy. 

Together, Ufi and L&W are committed to addressing this challenge by getting more adults learning, particularly those furthest from existing provision, so they have the skills they need for an economy in transition.

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