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NIACE is hosting an independent Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning. Chaired by Sir David Watson, the Inquiry was launched in September 2007 and will report in June 2009.

“As a society we should be ambitious about the opportunities and capacity for learning by all of our members. The Inquiry hopes to establish not only why but also how we can achieve this. We need your help.”
Sir David Watson, Chair, Inquiry Commission

Latest news

The impact of Lifelong Learning on Poverty Reduction

Adult education is vital in the fight against poverty but it has to work alongside other measures aimed at improving people’s lives, a detailed study of the impact of lifelong learning on poverty reduction shows.

Research commissioned by the independent Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning explores the public value of such learning, not only for the individual but for the family and wider community. The evidence suggests that lifelong learning works best when it is part of a broad set of initiatives and responses to the complex challenges people face at various stages in their lives.

The detailed study, including a reanalysis of more than 15 years of research into poverty reduction, was carried out by Ricardo Sabates, Senior Research Office at the University of London’s Institute of Education. He raises key issues around the potential of lifelong in helping cut the dependency of individuals on other often costly state-funded support services.

Read the full "The impact of Lifelong Learning on Poverty Reduction" story here

The Goal

The overall goal of the Inquiry is to offer an authoritative and coherent strategic framework for lifelong learning in the UK. This will involve:

	Articulating a broad rational for public and private investment in lifelong learning;
	A re-appraisal of the social and cultural value attached to it by policy-makers and the public;
	Developing new perspectives on policy and practice.