Tailored to job chances, life opportunities and cultural life

Lifelong learning equips people of all ages to acquire new skills and knowledge, and encourages a sense of enquiry that can increase job chances and enhance life opportunities. Linking learning to employment can help people find jobs, enhance their working knowledge or change occupation. This will include addressing low levels of employer engagement in training, particularly in low paid sectors; delivering greater access to training for those in work, such as negotiating time off for workers to attend training; making training more accessible to those seeking routes back into work, with distributed provision through community hubs and online training; and working with unions and employers to agree learning and retraining partnerships.

Lifelong learning, whether alone or in the company of others, is also about self development, equipping ourselves to take part in the widest form of cultural life. The Mayor’s Authority will work with third sector organisations who provide skills and cultural learning opportunities, especially for those who have missed out on education earlier in life.

I’ll boost not only formal training in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, maths), but also support public engagement events and lectures, in conjunction with our excellent regional institutions and professional bodies, such as our Museums, Universities, and the Mining Institute.

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