Search results

In summer 2007 the education consultant Mick Fletcher wrote a paper, Funding Adult Learners in further education and higher education, comparing the arrangements for supporting adult learners in the further and higher education sectors. Mick Fletcher identified differences between the funding systems which may warrant review, both in terms of funding for institutions and student support. In Mind the Gap: Funding Adults in Further and Higher Education, the National Skills Forum has canvassed the views of parliamentarians on Mick Fletcher's general conclusions, through a series of 30-45 minute interviews with cross-party members of parliament and peers. The majority of parliamentarians agreed that there is an overall bias in the funding system towards adult learners studying in the higher education sector. There was general consensus that funding for further education institutions should allow for greater freedom to innovate, similar to the higher education sector, and that the funding systems for student support need to be fundamentally reviewed to ensure that adult learners across further education and higher education receive support on the same basis.