Hundreds Rally at Parliament Calling for Reversal of Cuts to Adult Education

Nearly 400 adult learners and college staff gathered at Westminster this week, according to feweek.co.uk urging their MPs to intervene over what they describe as increasingly damaging cuts to adult education funding.

The demonstration, organised by the University and College Union (UCU) as part of its Save Adult Education initiative, brought together students and lecturers from across the country. Participants held a mass lobby inside Parliament, meeting with MPs to outline how continued reductions to adult skills budgets are affecting colleges, communities, and individuals hoping to retrain.

Campaigners pressed MPs to safeguard adult learning provision, protect jobs in the sector, and guarantee free ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) classes as part of what they call a “much-needed framework for social integration”.

Their call to action follows a March announcement from the Department for Education confirming a 6 per cent reduction to non-devolved adult skills allocations, alongside a 3.3 per cent cut for devolved areas.

Although the government’s post-16 white paper promises a review of essential adult skills and a closer alignment between the adult skills fund and Jobcentres to boost employment, UCU argues that current funding levels are leaving colleges under enormous financial pressure and limiting opportunities for learners who want to return to education.