Bishop Auckland College principal on why adult learning matters
The Association of Colleges has scheduled a national week of action for the Adult Learning Pays campaign from October 19 to 23. Bishop Auckland College Group CEO and Principal Shaun Hope has written exclusively for The Northern Echo to highlight the importance of adult learning, transforming lives.
Adult learning doesn’t just pay.
It changes lives.
Every day as Principal at Bishop Auckland College Group I see evidence that adult education changes lives.
It changes individuals and families, strengthens communities and, importantly for a region like ours, helps grow our economy.
That is why Adult Learning Pays Week matters to me.
In this country, we talk a lot about productivity, economic growth and getting more people into well-paid employment.
But behind those phrases are real people.
I think about a 35-year-old single mum who enrolled with us last year on an engineering course.
She had spent years moving from one minimum-wage job to another and wanted something different: the skills that could lead to a well-paid career.
But it wasn’t only about her.
Education can change the trajectory of one person’s life, but its influence can extend to the next generation too.
Then there are people who suddenly find themselves redundant after years in the same industry.
Sadly, we have read about some of the most recent redundancies here in the North East in the pages of this very newspaper.
Behind those headlines are individuals and families asking, ‘What next?’
For many, adult education can be part of the answer, providing an opportunity to retrain for new and growing sectors.
And there are adults who come to Bishop Auckland College after a full day at work to study in the evening.
Some learners who began that journey with us many years ago on a Level 1 introductory counselling course will graduate this October at Durham Cathedral with a Master’s in Psychotherapy Studies.
Think about that journey.
From taking a nervous first step back into education to walking into Durham Cathedral to graduate with a Master’s degree.
That, for me, is lifelong learning.
And adult education isn’t only about jobs or qualifications.
It can help adults with SEND or social, emotional and mental health needs develop confidence and independence.
It can tackle isolation, connect communities and give people purpose and belief in themselves.
But returning to education can take courage.
We meet adults with real trepidation.
Learning may not have been part of their lives for 10, 20 or 30 years.
There can be a voice saying, “I’m too old for this” or “College isn’t for someone like me.”
There are practical barriers too.
Work, children, caring responsibilities and everyday life all compete for people’s time.
We cannot simply expect adults to change their lives to fit education.
We need to make education fit adult lives.
That’s why our approach at Bishop Auckland College has evolved.
We train people in their workplaces, deliver adult learning in the community through our McIntyre Centre, on Newgate Street in the heart of Bishop Auckland, and provide flexible learning alongside tutoring, coaching and personal support.
If we believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn throughout their life, we need to meet people where they are.
There is also an uncomfortable reality we shouldn’t shy away from.
In my view, adult education has been underfunded for too long.
Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis shows public spending on adult education and skills in 2024/25 remained around 30% below its inflation-adjusted peak, while spending on classroom-based adult learning has fallen by around two-thirds since the early 2000s.
Colleges have adapted, become more flexible and stretched the resources available.
But there comes a point when resilience isn’t the answer.
If we genuinely believe adult skills are central to economic growth, we have to invest accordingly.
That matters enormously here in County Durham, and the wider North East.
We want greater productivity, growing businesses and more people accessing secure, fulfilling and well-paid careers.
Adult education isn’t on the edge of that ambition.
It is one of the ways we achieve it.
Devolution gives the region greater ability to shape adult learning around the needs of our region, which I welcome.
But local flexibility still needs sufficient investment behind it.
We need national ambition, sustainable investment and local delivery working together.
Our economy will continue to change.
Jobs, technology and industries will change.
People need opportunities to change with them.
But ultimately, the best argument I can make for adult education isn’t a statistic.
It’s the people I meet.
At Bishop Auckland College we support more than 1,000 adult learners each year across the North East.
Behind that number are people changing careers, gaining qualifications, developing independence and discovering what they are capable of.
Each journey starts with a decision to enrol.
Adult learning not only pays.
It changes lives.
So if you’re thinking about learning something new, retraining, changing career or simply wondering what might be possible, take that first step.
I’ve seen where it can lead.
Why can’t the next success story be you?
