National inquiry calls for radical reform of adult learning

Employers should give workers time off to study and ensure training opportunities are more evenly distributed across age groups, according to a new report.

A two-year independent inquiry into adult learning has called for a review of the way the £55 billion spent every year on education for over-18s, which includes £20 billion on training by employers, is distributed. At the moment, 86 per cent of the investment goes to under-25s, 11 per cent to 25- to 50-year-olds and the remaining 3 per cent to those aged over 50.