Parliamentary reception kick starts Adult Learners’ Week Friday, May 17, 2013 - 15:13

Higher Education Minister, David Willetts MP, yesterday acknowledged a “dramatic fall” in part-time student numbers in England and pledged that the Government will “engage the policy levers” to “do better”, at a parliamentary reception ahead of Adult Learners’ Week (18-24 May).

More than 150 supporters of Adult Learners’ Week - including over 20 parliamentarians from both houses and the three main parties, people working in the further education sector and Adult Learners’ Week award winners - had earlier heard NIACE Chief Executive David Hughes make the case for improving the accessibility and flexibility of UK higher education and urge swift action as well as launching NIACE’s submission to the coming Spending Review.

Responding directly to four points made by David Hughes, David Willetts agreed that the Government had failed to communicate its policy on student loans to prospective part-time students with the same success as it had to young full-time students.

David Willetts also confirmed that he and Secretary of State, Vince Cable, were encouraging the Office for Fair Access (OFFA) to hold institutions to account on their recruitment of mature and part-time students and that institutional outreach to part-timers is a legitimate use of access funding.

In addition Mr Willetts also directly addressed the previous government’s decision that students enrolling for qualifications and at existing or lower level than those already held should be ineligible for public support, commenting that “ELQ is a part of the problem”. Although continuing “we all of us have views on that, but don’t immediately have the resources to fund it” he did make a commitment to consider evidence on how the policy might be relaxed to improve participation in particular subjects.

Hosted by Kelvin Hopkins MP on behalf of the All-Party Parliamentary group for FE and Lifelong Learning, the event also heard a message of support from shadow minister Gordon Marsden MP.