Adult learning in the United Kingdom: Participation trends, changing learning practices and structural challenges

Abstract

Drawing on the 2023-2025 Adult Participation in Learning Survey conducted by the Learning and Work Institute in the United Kingdom, this study examines recent participation trends, changing learning practices, and structural challenges in adult learning. The findings indicate that participation recovered after the pandemic but remained fragile, with the decline in 2025 suggesting the vulnerability of adult learning when employer investment, public support, and household resources come under pressure. Access to learning opportunities continues to be shaped by age, social class, prior educational experience, and employment status, indicating that the compensatory potential of adult learning has not yet been fully realised. In practice, adult learning is becoming more flexible, digitally mediated, and diverse in its motivations and perceived benefits, extending beyond skills development to include well-being, social connection, and wider forms of participation. The UK case shows that countries seeking to build inclusive lifelong learning systems, particularly developing countries and transition economies, may need to strengthen targeted support for disadvantaged groups, promote collaborative provision among government, employers, educational institutions, and communities, address digital learning divides, and recognise the broader social functions of adult learning.

Document Type: Original article

Cited as:

Bai, B., Nie, R. Z., Li, Y. T., & Wu, Q. C. (2026). Adult learning in the United Kingdom: Participation trends, changing learning practices and structural challenges. Education and Lifelong Development Research, 3(2): 60-70. https://doi.org/10.46690/elder.2026.02.01

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