By Rhian Bowen-Davies, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales
15 – 21 September marks Adult Learners’ Week, an annual celebration which highlights the importance of lifelong learning and encourages adults to explore new skills and education opportunities to support their personal growth.
The benefits of lifelong learning are well known and go far beyond simply gaining new skills or enhancing career prospects, important as these can be.
Lifelong learning also helps us to adapt to an ever-changing world – boosting our confidence and resilience – and supports mental well-being by keeping the mind active and encouraging social connections through shared learning experiences.
This is reflected in the conversations I’ve had with many older learners, who have told me that learning opportunities have played an important role in supporting them to age well, enriching their lives by opening doors to new interests, perspectives and people.
Polling undertaken earlier this year by my office found that over 20% of people in Wales aged 60+ (around 180,000 individuals) are regularly taking part in adult learning activities, whether formal or informal. This is a really positive, given the significant benefits learning opportunities can have, but we need to be asking ourselves how we can support and encourage even more older people to take part in these kinds of activities.
A key part of this is recognising and tackling the barriers that can prevent older people from engaging in lifelong learning activities.
For example, health issues such as reduced mobility, hearing or vision, which become more common as we grow older, can make participation more difficult.
Digital exclusion is another challenge, as many older people will find themselves unable to access the online platforms that are now often used to deliver learning, or may lack the digital skills or confidence to use these. Indeed, digital skills maintenance should be seen as a key aspect of lifelong learning given the fact that digital technology and the skills required to use this change over time.
In addition, other barriers such as finances, access to transport and difficulties finding information about available learning opportunities can also have a particular impact upon older people.
Tackling these barriers is crucial to ensure that older people are not excluded from learning activities that could make positive difference to their lives in so many ways. Alongside these kinds of practical barriers, older people may also experience self-doubt or low confidence or believe it’s ‘too late’ to learn something new, which can discourage individuals from pursuing new learning opportunities.”
“Challenging these kinds of entrenched beliefs, often reinforced by the ageism and age discrimination still so common within society, can be very difficult, which is why we need to use new innovative approaches to support older people to get involved in lifelong learning.”
One such approach is ‘family learning’, where learning opportunities for adults are linked to the education of children in the family. Evidence shows this builds motivation, confidence and a commitment to learning, and that this approach is particularly effective to reaching and engaging adults who have benefited least from their initial education.
As highlighted in the Learning and Work Institute’s Family Learning Framework, a helpful resource to support education providers to involve family members of all ages in their programmes, family learning provides a stepping-stone back into formal learning and training, as well as increasing employability and improving educational, social and economic outcomes for families as a whole.
I saw these kinds of benefits for myself when I joined a family learning session at a recent visit to Severn View Primary School in Cardiff, with grandparents telling me that taking part in these sessions had increased their confidence in digital skills particularly.
Given their benefits, intergenerational activities like these are hugely important to create opportunities for different generations to learn from, support and encourage each other.
Initiatives focused on bringing different generations together can also create opportunities for younger people to learn from older people, who often have a wealth of knowledge, skills and experience to share.
A good example of this is DUO for a JOB, which offers an intergenerational mentoring programme focused on valuing the experience of older people, and utilising this to contribute to a fairer and more inclusive society.
Creating and supporting initiatives like these that open doors to learning at every stage of life, while also ensuring older people not excluded or left behind, is crucial. By investing in these kinds of initiatives, we can help to dismantle the structural and social barriers that too often prevent older adults from participating in education and instead create an environment where lifelong learning is truly possible for all.
Adult Learners’ Week is a timely reminder of just how transformative learning can be, and this year’s theme – ‘Never Stop Learning’ – highlights why lifelong learning is so important.
And with groups across Wales providing a wide range of formal and informal learning for older people, there are lots of opportunities to get involved and try something new.
Learning is about more than education: it’s about growth, connection, and wellbeing at every age. By celebrating the achievements of learners and continuing to break down barriers, we can help ensure that older people across Wales have the chance to embrace new opportunities, share their knowledge and experience, and enjoy the many benefits lifelong learning can bring.
