What does the further and adult education sector do and why does it matter?

The Impact of Widening Participation on Further Education Settings in England

“…Included amongst these challenges has been ensuring that the original purpose of FE, (to improve access to education for those who may have struggled to engage with formal schooling), remains central to their remit. Keenan and Kadi-Hanifi (2020) describe this challenge, as well as the perceived government prejudice in viewing FE as a place where "the perceived economic and societal ills might be solved" (p.3) as one that is not always adequately addressed. The focus on performance which is measured with metrics also threatens the cultivation of other, softer, skills in students which are more difficult to measure (examples of these might include higher levels of confidence and self-esteem and improved verbal communication skills).…”

“…The importance of 'social vitality' (p.54) is stressed and the suggestion is that a higher number of learners within a community will undoubtedly benefit society. Keenan and Kadi-Hanifi (2020) concluded that FE is fundamental to this process, due to both its accessible and inclusive nature. These threads were taken from The Kennedy Report (Kennedy, 1997) which explored the nature of widening participation in education and made many recommendations to support those who had been less successful in 'earlier learning' (Kennedy, 1997, p. 13).…”

“…On the face of it, this case study reinforces the many benefits associated with participation in FE and several key themes emerged from the interview. The stigma associated with FE in relation to its provision solely for the working class and marginalised (Kennedy, 1997;Thompson, 2009;Walker, 2016 andKeenan andKadi-Hanifi, 2020) is perceived to be an archaic assumption and the myriad of pathways that are offered allows greater opportunity to enhance educational attainment for all. In many ways this mirrors the thoughts of Daley et al (2015) when they liken the sector to the Twelve Dancing Princesses in that it finds a way to do what it wants, despite external obstacles.…”