This chapter discusses adult learning initiatives undertaken in the United Kingdom in the last 35 years. Drawing on a rich history of adult education, carried largely by local communities, adult education throughout the 1990s became increasingly formalised, standardised, and centralised. Spending cuts affected Further Education Colleges, non-traditional Adult Higher Education students, and providers of Adult Liberal Education. Short-term initiatives were introduced by the government primarily to boost employability and increase skills supply for economic growth. Apprenticeships gained prominence and led to the introduction of a levy in 2017. The late 2010s also saw a turn back to the local level with the instalment of Devolved Adult Education Budgets. COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated the use of online and digital learning. In July 2024, the UK's newly elected Labour Government announced the establishment of Skills England to streamline skills policies and to create coherence between the fragmented work of stakeholders. © The Editors and Contributing Authors Severally 2025.
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