Why Adult Education Matters More Than Ever

Every year Adult Learners’ Week shines a light on the transformative power of learning. It’s a chance to celebrate people who have taken the leap back into education and to reflect on what more we can do to ensure that opportunities are open to everyone in Wales.

Initial findings from this year’s survey of adult participation in learning offer a timely reminder of both the promise and the challenge. The data shows that just over one in five adults in Wales are currently engaged in learning (22%) and nearly half (47%) have taken part within the last three years.

These figures matter. They tell us that learning isn’t the preserve of schools, colleges or universities – it’s something that carries on through life, fuelling confidence, careers and communities.

When people learn, the benefits are striking. Improved self-confidence is the single most common outcome reported by adult learners. Others talk about achieving personal development goals, discovering the joy of learning, meeting new people and gaining valuable skills for their jobs. In other words, adult education isn’t just about qualifications – it’s about unlocking human potential.

Yet the same data highlights how easily that potential can be left untapped. More than one in five adults in Wales says they haven’t learned at all since leaving full-time education. For those who have been out of learning for three years or more, the barriers can feel insurmountable: cost, time pressures and – most commonly – the belief that they are simply “too old” to return.

But here’s the hopeful part. Adults who have taken part in learning recently are almost four times more likely to say they expect to learn again in the future (73%) compared to those who haven’t (21%). Once people get a taste of learning, their appetite grows. That means the challenge for all of us – policymakers, providers, employers and communities – is not about convincing people that learning is worthwhile. The demand is there. The challenge is removing the barriers that hold people back.

So, what does that mean in practice? It means having clear outreach programmes, making opportunities flexible, affordable and visible. It means recognising that learning happens in many spaces – in workplaces, in communities, through volunteering, as well as in formal education settings. It means ensuring that older learners feel welcomed and that people who left school early see a pathway back.

Above all, it means designing policy and provision around the lives people are living now – busy, complex often pressured – rather than expecting them to fit into rigid models of the past.

The evidence is clear: learning pays dividends not just for individuals but for society. A more skilled and confident workforce supports economic growth. Stronger communities emerge when people come together to learn and individuals gain the sense of possibility that comes with mastering something new.

We need to work together to unlock the appetite for learning that exists across Wales. For policymakers, that means investing in inclusive provision and tackling barriers like cost and accessibility head on. For education providers, it means shaping opportunities that welcome adults at every stage of life and for all of us, it means spreading the word that learning is for everyone.