TO BE PUBLISHED May 2026
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This conference will consider next steps in implementing the Lifelong Learning Entitlement, and what will be needed for it to be able to meet policy ambitions for a workable, high-quality route to modular and flexible study for adults.
It will bring stakeholders and policymakers together to discuss the LLE in the context of the Government’s wider skills and growth agenda, including the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper and the Modern Industrial Strategy. Attendees will consider the interrelation of these strands of policy in practice, and steps that will be required for developing a funding entitlement into a delivery model that works for learners, employers and providers, as implementation moves towards first applications from September and courses and modules taking place from January.
Course structure
Discussion will consider the practical design of modular learning and progression. This includes how modules can be structured to support clear outcomes, credit transfer, and progression from short courses to full qualifications, and frameworks for how course content can respond to employer demand in priority sectors. Attendees will also assess what effective partnership models look like, how responsibilities should be shared between providers and employers, and approaches to ensuring that modular routes work for people at different career stages and with varying prior learning, caring responsibilities and access needs.
Supporting access
Further sessions in the agenda examine the administrative and financial arrangements that sit behind modular delivery. We expect discussion on personal learner accounts hosted by the Student Loans Company, loan and maintenance eligibility, data and metrics for outcomes, and arrangements needed to minimise cost and administrative burden while maintaining quality and accessibility. Delegates will also consider issues around scope of the LLE, including implications of excluding postgraduate-taught provision.
Further discussion will look at how the LLE is intended to interact with the Growth and Skills Levy, devolved and local skills funding, and wider approaches to addressing regional skills gaps and workforce mobility, in relation to anticipated new evidence, including Parliamentary research on lifelong learning and skills expected in April.
Overview of areas for discussion
- policy: implementation of the Lifelong Learning Entitlement - relationship with the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper - alignment with ambitions set out in the Modern Industrial Strategy
- implementation: from entitlement to delivery - translation of LLE policy into workable provision - sequencing of implementation decisions - implications for learners, employers and providers
- modular design: approaches to structuring modules that support progression - credit transfer - balancing flexibility with coherence - achieving recognition across institutions and sectors
- employer involvement: effective models for employer engagement in module design - managing co-design without narrowing provision - addressing skills needs in priority sectors
- funding: interaction between the LLE and the Growth and Skills Levy - relationship with devolved and local skills funding - addressing regional skills gaps and workforce mobility
- administration: personal learner accounts and the Student Loans Company - loan and maintenance eligibility for modular study - minimising administrative burden while maintaining assurance
- financial sustainability: cost and funding implications for providers - scalability of modular delivery models - support for quality alongside efficiency and accessibility
- scope of provision: exclusion of postgraduate-taught study from the LLE - priorities for sector-wide upskilling and workforce development pathways
- learner access: accommodating prior learning, varied career stages and caring responsibilities - barriers linked to cost, debt aversion and time commitment - support for take-up and participation
