Manchester City Council, BBC Studios and former Chancellor Ed Balls all celebrated at the Get the Nation Learning awards

Date:

04 11 2025

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Funding adult learning Learning and retraining Learning in communities Lifelong Learning

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Manchester City Council, BBC Studios Drama and Ed Balls have all picked up trophies in a striking ceremony held at the Barbican to celebrate the first-ever Get the Nation Learning Awards. 

These awards sit within Get the Nation Learning Week, the highpoint of the Get the Nation Learning campaign, led by Learning and Work Institute (L&W) and supported by over 120 organisations including the likes of Channel 4, National Housing Federation and Make UK. 

With the results of this year’s Adult Participation in Learning Survey showing lifelong learning falling and beset by deep and longstanding inequalities in who accesses opportunities, the Get the Nation Learning Awards shine a light on people and organisations leading the charge to support healthier futures, stronger communities, more opportunities, regional growth, and richer lives.

The ceremony forms part of a broader week of activity in Get the Nation Learning Week (3-7 November) which also includes an event for Parliamentarians and the publication of new research between L&W and Multiverse exploring the impact of in-work training on earnings and career progression.

11 lifelong learning champions recognised

  • Ed Balls, broadcaster, economist and former Cabinet Minister and Shadow Chancellor, has received a Lifelong Learning Ambassador award. During his time in cabinet, Ed began attending City Lit, an adult learning college in central London, in order to develop strategies to cope with his stammer. He is now a City Lit Fellow, proving his continuing commitment to lifelong learning.  
  • BBC Studios Drama picked up the ‘Employer of the Year’ award, sponsored by NOCN, for its commitment to workforce development. Learners in the West Midlands and beyond have not only secured jobs in shows such as Father Brown, Sister Boniface, and Silent Witness, but also received help to progress in creative industry careers in the long term. 
  • Nerissa Roberts, an inspirational Oldham College ESOL teacher, has won the ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award, sponsored by the Education and Training Foundation, for her dedication in supporting her learners, many of whom are refugees, asylum seekers, and adults with little or no English. 
  • Lancashire Adult Learning has won the ‘Healthier Futures’ award for its success in improving the health of Lancashire residents through bespoke learning provision. Through partnerships with public health, primary care networks and social prescribers, Lancashire Adult Learning has engaged over 10,000 learners in around 300 community venues. 
  • Redbridge Institute of Adult Education has won the ‘Learning with Technology’ award, sponsored by Ufi VocTech Trust, for its innovative use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality across courses including Maths, Childcare, and ESOL. 
  • Lendlease, a real estate business delivering urbanisation and sustainable development projects, has been chosen for the ‘Net Zero Hero’ award for supporting Our Newham Learning and Skills to expand its curriculum in relation to digital, data, and green skills – sectors central to Newham’s economic future. 
  • Mark Jones has won the ‘New Directions’ award sponsored by City Lit after proving it’s never too late to learn a new skill. Having previously been a self-employed plasterer for 36 years, after losing his second wife and a period of unemployment, Mark navigated an inspiring career change by enrolling on Telford College’s HGV course. 
  • Maddison Walker, a West Midlands businesswoman, has been awarded royal recognition for her inspiring learning journey. HRH The Princess Royal personally selected Maddison for the ‘Patron’s Award’ for her impressive achievements in gaining a Senior Leader Apprenticeship and becoming a business owner. 
  • Manchester City Council has won the ‘Regional Growth’ award for its success in embedding lifelong learning at the heart of its economic and social development strategy. As a UNESCO City of Lifelong Learning, the council has used its city-wide partnership of over 700 organisations to provide wide-ranging learning opportunities, transforming the lives of Manchester residents.  
  • Poplar HARCA has received this year’s ‘Stronger Communities’ award. The housing association’s Communities and Neighbourhoods Directorate was chosen as a winner for its expansive range of adult learning programmes that are changing the lives of learners, including migrants, disabled people, older adults, single parents, and learners with special educational needs and disabilities.  
  • Positive Futures, MSV Housing’s employment and training service, has won the ‘Talent is Everywhere’ award for delivering life-changing support where its most needed, supporting a range of Manchester residents – from people recovering from trauma or navigating homelessness to young parents, older residents, or those who’ve lost belief in themselves. 
Stephen Evans, Chief Executive at Learning and Work Institute, said:
When adults learn, our society and economy thrive. We are proud to celebrate the 11 winners of our inaugural Get the Nation Learning Awards: their stories showcase the growth, productivity, good work, resilient communities, and fuller and richer lives that lifelong learning can bring. We have a long way to go as a country to close inequalities in learning and to make sure everyone can benefit – but today our focus is on the individuals and organisations who are helping turn the tide.