Careers: Too Many Snakes and Not Enough Ladders

Britain’s Education and Skills sector is key to the success of two of the Government’s five Missions; “Kickstart economic growth” and “Break down barriers to opportunity.” But our education system is  sadly misfiring on both of these missions. While we’ve now got a more educated population than ever before, there is a chronic misalignment between the skills we’re developing and the skills the economy desperately needs; we’re simply not producing enough people with technical skills, as the recent Industrial Strategy bluntly acknowledges.

Meanwhile, as the number of economically inactive citizens increases relentlessly – including a steep rise in the number of young people who are NEET (not in employment, education or training) – our compulsory education system is exposed as not working well for 20-30% of the school population, with rising numbers in the mainstream needing special education support, failing to attend school, or being suspended or excluded. Unsurprisingly, those on free school meals are twice as likely to experience these hurdles. The problem doesn’t just affect the school system, but creates a long term wasteland of “left behind” adult learners. If you don’t achieve well at school or college, the outlook is bleak.

For those adults stuck in a low skill/low income quagmire, there are plenty of snakes around, but very few ladders. If you’re one of the over 9 million who are unemployed and on benefits, the DWP’s Get Britain Working initiative is the main hope. Trailblazers are springing up across the country to test out a whole range of interventions – reforms to Universal Credit,  job coaching, a new supported employment programme,  health support, a Youth Guarantee for 18-21 year olds, a reformed JobCentre Plus network offering careers advice and guidance – with devolved authorities leading the charge. Upskilling and reskilling will be essential for success, so colleges and adult education services will be mobilising in support.

But what about those who are in employment, but still struggling to make ends meet? A rising number of adults in the labour market – over 8 million - are defined as working poor, earning far less than the average income of £37,500, despite in many cases having multiple jobs. Some are in low-paid industries, some working in the insecure gig economy, some unable to work more than part-time due to childcare and other caring responsibilities. A recent report by More in Common – “Shattered Britain: Making sense of what Britons want in a country that feels broken” (July 2025), reported many people as feeling they are “surviving not living”, with 43% citing money as their biggest anxiety and 49% pessimistic that the cost of living crisis will ever end. Not surprisingly, this is leading to a breakdown of trust in politics and politicians and a sense of disconnection between  poorer and richer sections of society. It’s also another big challenge for our collective efforts to push up economic growth.

With basic food prices rising 36% in the last five years, and with housing, energy, transport and other costs also going up sharply, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation now estimates that a single person needs at least £28,000 a year to achieve a minimum standard of income, while a couple with two children need to earn nearly £70,000 between them.

The link between earnings and education is fundamental, and one obvious response to this crisis would be to raise the qualification and skill level of the low paid to improve their earnings. But there are depressingly few options currently on the table. The Lifelong Learning Entitlement only clicks in for higher education and is anyway based on a student loan system that low earning adults find completely unappetising. Adults are currently entitled to a range of free courses – English, maths, ESOL, HGV driving, a first full Level 2 or 3 qualification, amongst others – but only if they earn less than £25,750, and with various age and eligibility criteria further restricting access.

However, finance is not the only barrier. Many adults are time-poor as well as short of money, and in many sectors working hours fluctuate week to week, with shifts changing at short notice. This makes it practically impossible to attend regular classes, even if fees and travel costs can be covered. Online delivery is an option, but there are pitfalls here too, and it needs to be well designed and supported. Another barrier is psychological; for adults in this position compulsory education was often an ordeal they endured rather than an enjoyable experience, and being repeatedly categorised as a failure leads many to have a chronic lack of confidence in their ability to learn. The lack of any coherent careers advice or guidance for adults in most parts of the country means that there is very little support available to overcome these barriers, though adult education providers do a great job in trying to fill the gaps despite having to contend with shrinking funding.

There is a potential way to fill the policy gap, which we have been promoting for some time now. An Adult Skills Account would enable individuals, employers and government to share the cost of adult training without being dependent on loans. There are various ways in which this could be done, and although a national scheme would be very welcome, it could be rolled out at local level by devolved authorities. Our 2024 report, “Making Lifelong Education Work: Skills Accounts for Bite Size Learning” outlines the idea. 

The ladder of opportunity is missing several of its bottom rungs. New solutions are urgently needed to make lifelong learning a reality for the underpaid and under skilled millions stuck in cul-de-sac careers.