Ed Balls, Former Cabinet Minister and Shadow Chancellor, sets out why lifelong learning is vital for the country.
Last November, I was invited to a ceremony at the Barbican in London to receive an award. No, Craig Revel Horwood was not waiting with a Glitterball Trophy and a long-overdue apology. Instead, I was greeted by Maggie Galliers, president of Learning and Work Institute (L&W), and presented with the lifelong learning ambassador award.
It was both a surprise and an honour. But it also prompted a question: what had I done to deserve it? I had helped expand learning opportunities for teachers during my time as a minister, but that was many years ago. I have reached grade 7 standard on the piano, but my attempts at Bach hardly justify national recognition.
In truth, the award reflected not just what I have done for lifelong learning, but what lifelong learning has done for me.
Adult education changed my life. It was through the adult learning provider City Lit, and one of its exceptional tutors, Jan Logan, that I found a way to manage my interiorised stammer. That stammer fully crystallised one afternoon at the dispatch box. “He’s the secretary of state and he can’t even get his words out” – I can still hear those words across the Commons chamber.
I was not the first person in public life to face this challenge. Winston Churchill and King George VI – later immortalised by Colin Firth – both navigated similar difficulties. But their stature did not give me confidence in the way Jan did. She helped me believe in myself, while also pushing me to do the hard work needed to improve. When I received the award, I dedicated it to her.
My experience is personal, but the wider lesson is clear. Supporting learning and skills for adults is essential. People are living and working longer, while technology is reshaping jobs and how we interact with public services. If even a fraction of the hype around artificial intelligence proves accurate, the economic shift will be comparable to deindustrialisation.
That makes it imperative to make learning more accessible at every stage of life.
There are reasons for optimism. Devolution in England has given regional mayors greater scope to tailor provision, unlock potential and respond to local needs. But there are also persistent challenges. Public funding for adult education has been under pressure regardless of which party is in government.
At the same time, employer investment has declined. Research from L&W shows businesses now invest nearly a third less in training than they did two decades ago, and at close to half the EU average on a per-worker basis.
Having spent time in the Treasury, I recognise that governments face difficult choices. But widening access to adult education is vital for the country. It delivers economic and social returns: more people in better jobs, more people able to change direction, recover from setbacks, or build new careers, and ultimately healthier and more fulfilling lives.
That is why I was proud to become a lifelong learning ambassador and to support L&W’s Get the Nation Learning campaign. Its aim is simple: to make and win the case for lifelong learning. It is a case that deserves attention.
Nominations for this year’s Get the Nation Learning Awards are now open. Organisations can share their success stories before 4 June and join more than 200 organisations backing the campaign by signing the Get the Nation Learning Charter.
This article was first published in FE Week on Thursday 21 May.
