This has implications for people with ME who didn’t finish education or have any education while of school age.
Wales to pay ‘high price’ for lifelong learning cuts, 11 October 2015, BBC Wales news online
Wales could “pay a high price” for cuts to lifelong learning, the older people’s commissioner has said.
Sarah Rochira wants the Welsh government to ensure “parity of funding” between older and younger students.
Funding for further education has fallen by a further 6% this year. But a requirement to focus resources on younger students has halved what is left for lifelong learners, CollegesWales says. Deputy Minister for Skills Julie James told BBC’s Sunday Politics programme difficult decisions had to be made but younger people were the future.
Ms Rochira said she has “real concerns that in the years to come we will pay a high price for failing to maintain that investment we need in education and opportunities for lifelong learning”.
“I think we need to see a much wider recognition across all government portfolios of the necessity to keep our older people in the workforce and bring them back into work as well,” she added.
Ms James said: “We’ve had some difficult decision to make and I agree that they’ve been awful decisions but in the end the young people are the future and actually we know that it scars a young person for a long time if they’re out of the labour market.
“That’s not to say that we don’t understand the issue about lifelong learning and I’m working with the Older People’s Commissioner to work up a piece of research to see what we can still offer for people who find themselves out of the job market in older years.”
Ms Rochira said she wants to see “parity of funding”.
“Of course we should focus on young people but we must not leave behind older people and nor can we afford to,” she said.
Iestyn Davies, chief executive of Colleges Wales, said: “Ultimately the Welsh government has got some difficult decisions to make. Our call is on the assembly as a whole, all parties, to renew their commitment to lifelong learning as par of the DNA of Wales as we face some very tough challenges ahead.
“Learning and skills can’t be a once in a lifetime opportunity. It has to be something in the global economy that we commit to as a nation year in year out for all age groups and all levels of society.”
Report on Sunday Politics Wales from Sunday 11 October can be seen on iplayer [report starts 42 minutes in] available until Sunday 11 Nov
