Future of an ageing population: Evidence review
There has been growing pressure to increase the skill levels across the United Kingdom economy to ensure that as the population ages people are able to remain both healthy and productive. Providing support and opportunities for people to continue learning and training throughout life will be critical to the success of current policies that emphasise extended or fuller working lives. Encouraging and supporting lifelong learning will be an important component in this process. Lifelong learning encompasses anything from everyday activities, such as reading a newspaper, to more demanding activities, such as studying for a degree. Three broad types of lifelong learning can be identified: formal learning, non-formal learning and informal learning, with the evidence indicating that people aged 50 and over are more likely to engage in the last two.
This report examines trends in lifelong learning, with a particular focus on analysing future labour participation rates amongst adults aged 50 and over in the UK. This review considers how lifelong learning, including work-based training, can be enabled, what challenges are faced and how this could be financed.