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The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not there are important regional differences in skill formation and learning opportunities for adults, and whether adults’ behaviour and experiences tend to reinforce regional patterns apparent among young people [in the UK]. Our underlying interest is in (a) how adults respond to local differences in the demand for skills, and (b) whether differences in local levels of skill supply may affect employers’ willingness to adopt high-value-added work practices (and so demand, or develop, high skills in their workforces). Both of these are important in determining the future economic development of regions and localities. There is accumulating evidence of regional variations in the proportion of young people staying on in postcompulsory education. As for adult learning, in reviewing existing literature and evidence we found that there is a lack of reliable information on regional differences in adult learning and vocational training. Estimates of the extent of participation in adult learning, drawing on data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), varied by region but which regions had the highest participation rates depended on the definition of adult learning adopted. Data from the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey (WERS 98) were used to analyse the regional distribution of work-related training. Some key gaps in the evidence remain. The strength of the association between regional economic performance and the skills base of the regions remains unclear and would certainly benefit from further analysis. The extent to which sub-regional variations in economic prosperity and in the presence of a well-qualified workforce align with the regional differences in these variables is also not well established in the research literature. This implies some uncertainty as to whether the appropriate unit for policy action is the region or the local area or some combination of the two.