Planned for launch in 2025, England’s Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) proposes to enable individuals to acquire new skills throughout their professional careers by allotting four years of funding for tertiary education, applicable to a variety of course formats and types. This will be a significant shake-up to the current funding model. Unlike existing student loans it can be used for modular study, not just full degree programmes and learners can study in chunks and take breaks. Its goal is to enhance adult learning, allowing for advanced flexible retraining and upskilling opportunities to address industry skills gaps. Whilst this could lay the foundations for microcredentials to flourish, the proposal currently encompasses only undergraduate level study, sidelining postgraduates in a move that could be risky.
Before 2016, financial constraints were a significant barrier for many aspiring postgraduate students. The Postgraduate Loan Scheme, introduced in 2016, was a game-changer, enabling numerous UK and EU domiciled individuals to pursue further study. But, financial sustainability for postgraduates remains precarious, especially given the substantial debt carried by many first-degree graduates. The existing loan system requires concurrent payback of undergraduate and postgraduate loans (together this equates to 15% of a monthly income). These burgeoning debt levels might not only hinder postgraduate participation but also impact other financial aspects like rent, home ownership, and disposable income that would go back into the economy. Even in a climate of more financially accessible online degrees there is a huge risk that enrolling in a full masters programme will become a debt too far.
Alongside this, since 2012, funding for adult further education in the UK has plummeted by 38%, even as professional training is often prioritised over advanced degrees by employers (Postgraduate Experience Project, 2013). This funding cut has curtailed opportunities for skill acquisition in manageable increments and compounded professional vacancies, one third of which are currently attributed to skills shortages (Institute for Fiscal Studies, 2022).
Integrating postgrad studies into the LLE would create a more inclusive educational framework, allowing progression onto higher-level studies under a single loan scheme. Students could accumulate modules to contribute to a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma, avoiding enrolment and subsequent withdrawal from undesired master’s programs as a means to access funding. This extension would also prevent universities from having to report such students as ‘non-completers,’ a metric used by England’s higher ed regulatory body, the Office for Students, to evaluate course quality, potentially leading to sanctions.
The policy’s journey through parliament is revealing substantial shortcomings, prompting discussion on its efficacy and the need for broader-based reform. As well as postgraduate provision, current conditions exclude undergraduate online learners from maintenance grants and support. This is shocking knowing that virtual learning is more likely to provide the most accessible avenue of study for some of the most disadvantaged students. Furthermore, the scheme’s operationalisation, regulation, and financing are enveloped in uncertainty, necessitating a call for good quality planning to facilitate flexible learning and prevent impedance to socioeconomic mobility and national economic agility.
In an ideal world, the LLE presents a transformative approach to England’s education sector, emphasising adaptability and lifelong skill acquisition. Its ambition is commendable, but it significantly lets down vital segments of the educational landscape, notably postgraduate students and online learners. With previous financial schemes already burdening graduates with substantial debts, it’s imperative to establish a more encompassing and equitable system. Amongst its many grey areas and operational black holes, integrating postgraduate courses into this entitlement and providing support for online students would be a good step towards building some faith that an environment can be fostered where all individuals have equal opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to the nation’s socio-economic fabric.
Kate Lindsay Blogs 