Adult education — why do the tories have no policy? | thearticle

The Liberal Democrats and Labour have both made big announcements on adult education — but not the Conservative Party. The Tories are lagging, reduced to attacking their rivals’ spending

plans rather than countering with their own policies. Adult education is not only an important issue for millions of people, but for the nation and economy as a whole. Britain needs a

skilled workforce if it is to compete internationally for business and opportunities. UK employers are concerned about skills shortages at the same time as new technologies are becoming

widely available in manufacturing, management and other parts of the economy. It is crucial that the workforce is not left behind. Labour has announced a £3 billion plan to offer adults in

England free access to retraining. Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said she wants to “throw open the door” to adults who want to learn. This week, the Liberal Democrats set out

their plans for a £10,000 training grant for each adult in England. This money would go into what they have dubbed the “skills wallet”, to help pay for the costs of pre-approved courses —

£4,000 would go into people’ Skills Wallet at age 25, another £3,000 at age 40 and another £3,000 at 55. The Lib Dems hopes people will add their own money and save towards their education.

Employers and local government will also be asked to contribute to the wallets, with free advice given on how to spend it. It’s an interesting idea, which has received a very positive

response. Notably, it was announced by Lib Dem business spokesman and Conservative defector, Sam Gyimah. He had an eye-catching policy platform in the Tory leadership race, with interesting

liberal ideas on tax, growth, housing and beyond. The Tories have no comparable ideas. On the skills wallet, Gyimah said that his party would “create a new era of learning” for adults

through the plan, and “empower people to develop new skills so that they can thrive in the technologies and industries that are key to the UK’s economic future and prosperity.” The

Conservative response to this was dismal. The Lib Dems propose to pay for the skills wallet by reversing government cuts to corporation tax, returning the business levy to its 2016 rate of

20 per cent. This is what the Conservative Party chose to focus on, with a spokesman saying: “Corporation tax receipts are at an all-time high thanks to the Conservatives’ management of the

economy since Labour’s great recession. Hiking taxes on businesses will hit economic growth meaning fewer jobs and less money to invest in public services like schools and hospitals.” Now, I

don’t agree with increasing corporation tax either, but this was a poor response. It leaves voters questioning the Conservative Party’s priorities and wondering why it’s offering scorn

rather than its own ideas. Labour’s policies on education, in general, are potentially catastrophic, and the Lib Dem skills wallet isn’t without its flaws. But both parties are way ahead of

the Tories in this area. The Conservatives do have several initiatives on adult education, including the National Retraining Scheme, which is still in development. But these initiatives have

achieved little cut-through. The Conservatives made a mistake in the last decade by reducing education spending — but it’s a false economy. Education is an investment that pays dividends in

the future. No investment, no return. Adult education should be a core policy for the Tories. It has strong Conservative appeal — it’s good for business, good for productivity, it involves

personal responsibility and self-improvement, it will bolster our workforce and ultimately boost tax revenue and help to drive steady economic growth. But instead we have nothing but the

ineffective, generalised criticism of spending. What a failure that is.