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On Wednesday 4th November I was at the Royal Society for the 2026 Get the Nation Learning Awards, the biggest celebration of lifelong learning in England.
The Wellcome Trust Lecture Theatre was packed with enthusiastic educators and inspirational adult learners, and I had the pleasure of sitting alongside dedicated colleagues from across the sector while enjoying a welcome lunch and sharing stories of transformational study.
Why NEC signed the charter
NEC signed the Get the Nation Learning Charter because we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to transform their life through flexible education, regardless of their age or circumstances. It commits NEC to expanding accessible learning routes, providing tailored support for remote learners, and continuing to break down institutional barriers to education, a step prompted by the urgent need to address growing skills gaps across the UK.
For us this isn’t a new position. NEC has spent six decades working out how to help adults and young people learn flexibly, at a distance and around the rest of their lives. Founded in 1963 by Michael Young and Brian Jackson as a pioneer for open learning and a launchpad for the Open University, that history shapes who we serve today: our median learner is around 20, with many studying around school, work, or personal circumstances that make a traditional classroom hard to reach. We have delivered the Award in Education and Training via distance learning in prison settings for over a decade, and we have developed mentors and trainers through our own courses, including our Understanding Mentoring and Coaching qualification. Signing the covenant felt like a public commitment to something we already do every day.
The winners
Celebrating the achievements in the room was a highlight of the day. Prof. Dame Mary Beard (Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge) was named Learning and Work Institute’s Lifelong Learning Ambassador. The Learning with Technology Award went to Barts Health NHS Trust, recognising their digital innovation and ability to empower individuals to step out of their comfort zone. Meanwhile, Westminster Adult Education Service (WAES) took home Learning Provider of the Year for their collective, team-based efforts directly with and within local communities.
What the Skills Minister said
Rt Hon Baroness Jacqui Smith, the Skills Minister, delivered a keynote address reinforcing the Government’s vision for workforce development and adult education. Reflecting on her own career across teaching, the NHS, and politics, she highlighted her experience of changing direction throughout life, emphasising that education doesn’t stop after formal schooling. She noted that adult education isn’t just about gaining certificates—it’s about building confidence and opening access to new opportunities.
Her key message focused on how a stronger commitment to adult learning is essential for equipping the UK with the skills needed for an increasingly digital economy. With accelerating change across industries, she stressed that a culture of lifelong learning is essential, with the core ambition that no one is left behind. She also highlighted that 75% of the Adult Skills Fund is now devolved to local authorities, giving regions the flexibility to manage funds, stretch resources, and tailor learning directly to community needs, ultimately driving stronger communities and a stronger economy. Her address coincided with a Parliamentary debate in Westminster Hall—led by Paul Davies MP and backed by adult education groups like the WEA—on the potential merits of the Government publishing a formal national lifelong learning strategy to support the 9 million UK adults lacking essential skills.
A timely report: Skills Tax Credit
The awards fell in the same week as a new report from the Learning and Work Institute, commissioned by Enginuity: Tax bills and investment in skills. It makes the case for a Skills Tax Credit, giving businesses 20p of extra tax relief for every £1 spent on accredited training up to and including level 5.
A few points stood out for me:
- It estimates the credit could unlock about £2.2 billion of additional training a year, at a cost to the Exchequer of around £900 million.
- 96% of the engineering and manufacturing employers surveyed said further tax relief would let them invest more in skills. Cost of training was the barrier most often cited.
- Employers currently put technical specialists first and entry-level staff well down the list (27% rate them a high priority). The report recommends targeting relief at lower and intermediate levels to correct that.
- The authors are candid about limits. Roughly 70–80% of the cost could go on training that would have happened anyway, and tax relief won’t work without support for SMEs and better-quality accredited provision.
The report is about engineering and manufacturing, which isn’t NEC’s world. But it highlights how crucial flexible, lower-level qualifications are for building foundational competencies across every sector. Its second recommendation, backing providers to build a bigger market of short, modular options at lower and intermediate levels, is close to what we do by creating learning that is accessible to all.
But what about the first step?
This week the Lifelong Learning Entitlement opened for applications, which is welcome news. But it funds study at Levels 4 to 6. Many of the adults we hear from, wanting to change career, return after a break or find out whether a subject is right for them, aren’t ready to start there. They need a Level 2 or Level 3 first.
There is funding at those levels, but it’s complicated. Whether you qualify depends on what you already hold, what you earn, where you live, and whether the course and the provider are on the right list. For someone with a job, a family and no spare time to decode funding rules, the first step can be the hardest to find.
That’s where NEC’s vision comes in: providing high-quality, fully flexible distance study with open entry points so learners can enrol immediately without navigating red tape. A tax credit for employers and a loan entitlement for higher-level study are both useful. However, we urge policymakers to create a joined-up route from the very first step through to Level 4, complete with clear, centralised guidance on what funding is available.
Employer incentives alone cannot widen access if we ignore those outside the traditional workforce. Unemployed individuals, carers, and self-employed workers risk being left behind entirely if funding policy only rewards corporate-sponsored training.
What next
NEC will continue to develop accessible, high-quality Level 2 and Level 3 modular pathways to ensure every learner can find their footing. If you share our commitment to expanding flexible lifelong learning, please get in touch with our team or sign up below for our newsletter today.
Read the full report from the Learning and Work Institute: Tax bills and investment in skills .