Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education Robert Halfon addressed the Committee of University Chairs' Autumn Plenary.
Good morning and thank you for that introduction. The Committee of University Chairs promotes the highest standards of governance across the UK’s higher education sector. I am delighted to join you today to talk about lifelong learning, and how our reforms will open up your courses to new students like never before.
From my travels around the country, I know that education is not and cannot be for young people only. Indeed, the definition of lifelong learning, it being the continuous, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge, expertise, and skills, alludes to that fact that learning is not restricted to childhood or young adulthood but occurs throughout working life. Lifelong learning is therefore an essential part the education offer in this country. As a component of the ladder of opportunity, it contributes to education’s true purpose: to provide a route for people of all backgrounds to gain valuable skills and well-paid work. And it has never been more relevant than to today’s workforce. With an ageing population, an ever-increasing demand for skilled professionals, big data, and automation and artificial intelligence generating what is set to be, a technological revolution of unparalleled proportions, it is apparent to all that individuals will need continuous access to education and retraining throughout their lives.
