Lifelong learning
17 December 2025
Motivations, Aspirations & Barriers to Adult Learning
This research was in partnership with the Learning and Work Institute Cymru to gain greater insight into adult learner experiences of further and higher education in Wales as this is largely a missing voice from the recent literature.
3 December 2025
Family Learning
Family learning changes lives. Evidence shows that when learning opportunities for adults are linked to the education of children in the family, it builds motivation, confidence and a commitment to learning.
7 November 2025
Spotlight on Newport – Place within a place
Ufi VocTech Trust, in partnership with Adult Learning Wales, Newport City Council and Learning and Work Institute, have launched an innovative place-based collaboration to integrate education and skills development opportunities within the communities of East Newport.
7 November 2025
Shine a light on the heroes of adult learning – celebrate the tutors who inspire, support, and transform lives every day.
Learning and Work Institute announces the launch of the Inspire! Tutor Awards 2026, celebrating the dedication, passion, and impact of adult learning tutors across Wales.
10 October 2025
Never Stop Learning: Celebrating Success at This Year’s Inspire! Adult Learning Awards
Last month, Swansea came alive with celebration as we honoured the incredible achievements of adult learners at the awards ceremony. The room was filled with emotion, warmth, and powerful stories of perseverance and triumph. Each story is a shining example of the impact of lifelong learning as a catalyst for change that opens doors, builds confidence, and sparks real transformation.
16 September 2025
It’s September, it’s back to school… and it’s Adult Learners’ Week. We’re putting family learning under the spotlight!
September has arrived, and my focus is on Adult Learners’ Week and coordinating a campaign with hundreds of partners across Wales. Together, we aim to encourage more adults to build their skills with confidence. We approach the campaign by identifying key partners to reach into communities and crafting messages that resonate with those who may have learned too early that education isn’t for them.
16 September 2025
Unlocking Wales’ Learning Potential: Why Adult Education Matters More Than Ever
Every September, Adult Learners’ Week shines a light on the transformative power of learning. It’s a chance to celebrate people who have taken the leap back into education, and to reflect on what more we can do to ensure that opportunities are open to everyone in Wales.
16 September 2025
Building a qualifications system for the future
Adult Learners’ Week offers an opportunity to think about how the system works for adults. I suggest that in the context of the qualifications system – at least in Wales – there needs to be a 2-stage approach: a pre-16 model centred on the new Curriculum and intended to build core competencies ahead of ‘specialisation’ post-16, and a flexible post-16 model that allows for diverse routes of specialisation and an ability to change tracks as economic opportunities open up.
16 September 2025
New skills, new connections, new opportunities: why lifelong learning is so important
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.
16 September 2025
More to Learn from Appalachia to Wales: Coal, Community and Culture Appalachian-Welsh Exchange
In honour of Adult Learners’ Week in Wales, I’m reflecting on my connection with the DOVE Workshop, a powerful experience that transformed my understanding of community education.
